Author: Sarah Darlington

First Published: 04 March 2019

Rating:  4 stars

“I just meant that I want to be your guy. Tonight. Tomorrow. Forever.”  

I will start by saying that I was given an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own. Thank you so much to Sarah for sending a copy my way!

STRANDED ON AN ISLAND WITH A HOT ROCKSTAR?
Fine, I’ll volunteer.

Luce thinks Ollie Mills is obnoxious, frustrating, and full of himself. The only thing the bassist of the world famous rock band, Sunset Revival, cares about is a good time and the next woman in his bed. So of all people to be stranded on a deserted island with, Luce can’t believe it has to be him.

Ollie has been crushing on Luce Winchester for months. Finally, finally, she agrees to come stay with him. Well, it’s a visit out of desperation, but he’ll take whatever he can get from this woman. When they get kidnapped and stranded on a random island thanks to a psychotic fan, it’s hardly the first date Ollie had in mind. But there’s more to this devilishly handsome rocker than meets the eye. He’s resourceful, protective, and maybe, just maybe, he can prove to Luce he’s a bet she should take.

In the end will Luce choose to stay with Ollie or leave her love-struck rockstar behind?

I was so excited to get to this story! I was so glad to see them together! Ollie has lusted after Luce since the very first book when her niece, Emma, won the competition to meet band, Sunset Revival.

Ollie Mills is the band’s heartthrob and a complete player. Even his family didn’t think too highly of him. Honestly, I didn’t think I would like Ollie but boy was I wrong. My heart melted when he opens up to Luce about his anxieties and sex addiction. I adored that even at the start of the novel that Ollie would call her once a day to check-in and update her on his progress at rehab. While Luce acted like she didn’t want anything to do with him, she kept answering his calls.

Luce Winchester has no interest in Ollie. It’s not the eight-year age gap between them that’s the issue. It’s that he’s a player. She has already had her heart broken by Rhett, the town’s bad boy when he didn’t love her back and she was sure as hell not falling for another one. Luce is also helping to care for her terminally ill sister and debating whether to get preventative surgery.

This book is a little different from the others in the series. The others have a small-town romance feel and deal with everyday complications. Never Leave a Rockstar fully embraces the band’s fame, in particular the dark side of celebrity. Ollie invited Luce to his yacht so she doesn’t have the see the love of her life marry someone else. However, Luce isn’t the only woman Ollie has invited along for the ride. The trip promptly goes wrong when Ollie and Luce are kidnapped and left and stranded on a deserted island somewhere in the Caribbean.

On the island, they build shelter and struggle to find food and water. It’s also here where the pair are forced to trust each other and their romance blooms. Ollie becomes vulnerable and does his best to protect Luce. Luce has to confront her feelings for Ollie and finally let go of her past with Rhett. Their relationship has a few setbacks when they are thrown back into the real world. Not only do they have to navigate this new relationship, but their families also are not at all supportive of the relationship.

Like the rest of the series, this narrative is told in alternating first-person narratives from both Luce and Ollie. I really enjoyed seeing the story from Ollie’s point of view. We get to see that there is more to him than the front he puts up.

I wish we got more of this story, especially to resolve the stalker storyline. It wraps up quite quickly and then epilogue fast-forwards one year. As the story moves on, the focus hones in on Ollie and Luce’s relationship and showing Ollie’s more sensitive and protective side.

This was a fantastic end to the series. I adore how Sarah Darlington is able to meld together some heavy and sensitive issues that people face in their everyday lives — terminally illness, addiction, autism and mental health issues — alongside a swoon-worthy romance