Documentary (Documentary, #1) (2024)

I listened to the audiobook of 'Documentary' and it was pretty good. The narration could have been better, but was not terrible. Overall, this was a 3 1/2 star read/listen for me, but I'm rounding it up because I feel optimistic today. It falls in the "good but not great", "liked it but didn't love it" category for me.

Dylan Carroll is a filmmaking student that is offered the job of a lifetime. She is hired to film a web documentary on the life of Kai White, a rock star that is undergoing a PR crisis. This is the type of job that can open doors for her and set her on a path to success. She knows how important this job is and she cannot afford to screw it up.

Kai White has had a recent fall from grace. On probation after beating up his former bandmate, his fans have turned on him. Once loved by all, he is now shunned in the industry and viewed as an out of control and violent offender. This web documentary is a last ditch effort at salvaging his public image.

Despite the need to keep their relationship purely professional, Dylan and Kai cannot fight their strong chemistry. They "get" each other on a level that others do not. However, Dylan knows that pursuing a romantic relationship would be disastrous. If she ever had any doubts, Kai's manager has made that abundantly clear to her.

Meanwhile, Kai is refusing to be forthcoming with Dylan about the infamous fight with his former bandmate, Jeremy. She knows that the best way to save his image is to address the elephant in the room and she can't understand why Kai won't talk about it. How is she supposed to save his image when he seems to be working against her?

Eventually, everything comes out. However, there is a lot of jealousy and misunderstandings along the way. Both Kai and Dylan contribute a lot to the ongoing tension and seem to enjoy playing games with one another.

Maybe I'm just outgrowing the college-aged romances, because I couldn't help but feel that the characters were emotionally immature. There was plenty of angst and lots of back and forth drama. I spent most of this book wanting to shake some sense into the main characters. So much stress could've been avoided if they'd only been honest with each other about how they felt.

By the time everything was revealed, nothing was much of a surprise. It was predictable, but fairly entertaining. This was an "okay" story, but I don't feel compelled to continue the series. It is a good choice for recovering from a book hangover, when you just want a predictable, HEA-type of story that you can listen to and not have to think about too much. It won't leave a lasting impression, but it served it's purpose. I've listened to/read much worse.

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07.06.2013. - $0.99 again the the Kindle store!

Ah, Documentary.
A boring title, a less-than-pretty cover, and an awesome book. Which is a surprise all of it's own because it was only $0.99!

I love these characters. I love this book. I love this author. Never once has she made me angry enough to want to throw my reader across the room. By the end of the book I learned to completely trust her to handle everything the right way. It's not often you feel like the author is writing a book exactly to your liking. But it happened to me with this book. And while still being angsty and interesting and engaging. I loved it.

Not to mention the book surprised me in so many ways. It's different.

Dylan was refreshingly not-annoying for a heroine in this type of book. Guess what? She's not a virginal, naive, little girl so new to the world. No, Dylan is just grieving, and that's the only reason she will seem timid to you in the beginning. BUT. But, she's anything but :). You will love her and feel for her, and be happy with her and she has this sort of infectious charm, it's so easy to see why people naturally gravitated towards her. I'd love to have her as a friend.
She's also a typical girl, swooning over Kai and overanalyzing everything and making rash assumptions.

Kai was... I never really pick book boyfriends? But I'd pick him if I did? He was really that awesome. His character is why this book is different than every other rockstar book out there. He has no tattoos. He doesn't live the celebrity wild life. He doesn't do the whole sex, drugs & rock'n'roll thing. I loved that about him. You don't get much of his POV other than the prologue, but the author did a great job of letting you get to know him through and through. And he was such a nice guy. A good person. Definitely doesn't deserve the bad-boy image he has. I hated it when he would doubt himself.

“I didn’t watch your movies,” Kai said.
Dylan shrugged and rested her chin on her palm. “It’s okay. I didn’t like your boy band.”

“And it just sort of works out due to some sort of cosmic f*ckery. Good old cosmic f*ckery.”

They are a wonderful group of friends who take in Dylan as one of their own and make her feel at home. I never felt like she was being left out or antagonized throughout the book.

The book is laced with humor, but there are some heartbreaking moments as well, and there are sweet, swoon-worthy ones as well as angsty.
For what it's worth, it reminded me a bit of another book I read plot-wise, except I didn't hate it and the characters. Everything that happened made sense and I was okay with it, and I rooted for Kai and Dylan so much.

I was dreading the ending because I knew there will be another book but you all may be happy to know that while it sets up the second book nicely, it has a proper ending for Dylan and Kai. So it's not a cliffhanger exactly, because you're aren't left..hanging.
And I can't wait for that second book to see what happens next! I have my wishes, but we'll see.

There are a couple of mildly-graphic sex scenes in this for those wondering. I think it suited the book, the way they were written.

So, overall, I expected nothing, and got an instant favorite. I really enjoyed this book and these wonderful characters. I think it would have worked good as a standalone as well, but there is more story to tell and I'm glad the author is telling it. If only she'd hurry up.

Oh and, it really does need a prettier cover.

I am proud to be a guest reviewer at ❤ Coffee, Books & Lipgloss Book Review Blog ❤!

Dylan a vulnerable, talented, college student, dealing with a bereavement meets over publicised music star and all round teenage crush Kai White. The story follows the journey of Dylan finding herself employed by Kai, a beginning of a friendship which leads to all the drama that surrounds forbidden love.

This book is like a comfortable slipper, no huge amount of angst, easy style writing and well paced. It didn't consume me, or my thoughts but was enjoyable all the same. The book is lengthy and descriptive not a quick style YA book, which I like. Great use of getting to know the characters and their respective friends, family and lifestyle. The content had enough intrigue and unanswered questions to keep me entertained, and as always the chemistry between the couple won points for my reading experience. I enjoyed the authors ability to build relationships, there was no insta-love or unrealistic love at first sight - huge bonus in my eyes.

All in all good story telling and fabulous characters. I absolutely loved Dylan and Kai, I will remember them long after finishing their journey. This book was a real bargain and a great find. (Thanks Anna). There isn't anything too negative to add to my thoughts, however it started out as a bit of a slow ride for me, and maybe a bit long winded in parts. Some moments/chapters throughout the book had me fully engaged, but sadly at parts I found myself bored and distracted, however by the end I had fallen in love with the story, the characters and the authors writing style.

Overall just 3 stars but some 5 star moments.

5 WOWSERS STARS because of 5 swoony reasons:

KAI
LEKO
WES
ABEL
HEATH
XAVIER
RISBY

Whoops!!! It seems I have more than 5 reasons :) And I love them all!!!
I don't know where to begin, I loved so many things about this book. First of all, I know the title "Documentary" doesn't sound like a rock your socks of romance. Can you imagine going to your book club meeting and when asked what you're reading and you answer "Documentary", everyone will assume you're watching too much Animal Planet and Discovery Channel, and that's why you need to explain to others why this book is so amazeballs, even though the title makes perfect sense.

This story starts with a WHAM! Literally. Kai is remodeling the face of a former friend with the help of his fists. So... We got a temperamental guy, with whorish tendencies, a messed up childhood and a heart big as... Hawaii!!! Oh, and he looks like this:

and like this:

(you may be excused to take a cold shower :P )

...and he sings like an angel and plays guitar, too. I would say he's perfection.

Are you interested in reading this book yet?!If your answer is no then something's wrong with you :D, BUT I just might have some other cards up my sleeve.

Nothing is harder than losing someone you loved, respected, admired and was your best friend. Dylan (yes, HER name is Dylan - love it!!!) is not the exception to the rule. She's still grieving the loss of her brother who didn't get to live the life he was supposed to and now she's trying to work harder and push even harder for the both of them, the only problem is that she lost her true self in the process. Where's the catch you may ask. See, after Kai's fight was all over the news and his career started slowly going down the drain, his managing team decides a web series featuring the real Kai might help him shed his fascination-with-punching persona and manwhor* status. And the fun begins:

"...he plays the guitar and sings in this really sexy voice. He’s kind of a hot head though, and he sleeps around a lot. He’s a ho.”

“Take your pick, his dick or his temper, one of them will be the death of him.”

“I hate when that happens…lost your train of thought?”...
Lost. Discarded. Replaced with naked pictures of you.

What happens at a L.A. party stays at a L.A. party. After a little bump in the road, Dylan gets the job of doing a web documentary about Kai, but she's being manipulated into finding out why did Kai beat the living sh*t out of his former band mate. Not an easy job since none of Kai's friends know really why it happened and when you kind of get distracted of all things Kai, plus A LOT of HAWT friends.

Meet LEKO (my favorite thug):

“You say, ‘Lek, I need something,’ and I’m there. Anything, ever. Someone f*cks with you, tell them you know me. Say ‘I know f*cking Meleko,’ and I’ll take care of it—”
“Just ‘f*cking Meleko’ and they’ll know?” she asked, and he nodded.
“‘Muthaf*ckin’ Meleko’ works too.”

I LOVE THIS GUY!!! A.J. Sand, I heard that you're still thinking of doing a standalone novela for one of the characters from this series. In all my subtleness (yeah, I know this word doesn't exist -yet :P ), if you don't do a book for him, well... I will be really really sad and I know there's a pretty interesting story somewhere.

And ladies, brace yourselves...the dynamic duo, the panty melting surfers and my very own fantasy, TWINS, no... you're not seeing double, WES and ABEL (cold shower! cold shower! cold shower!):

OH.MY.GOD!!! Is it hot in here??!!

"I know women are humans, Dylan,” Wes said with minor frustration. He held up the small maroon drawstring bag containing the letters and shook it. “I have a lot of sex with y’all, so I would know. I love women. I love that we’re outnumbered. Your gender makes up more than half the population.” Wes’ lustful eyes flashed as he drew his tongue across his top lip. “That’s a lot of—”

“Don’t take my desire to spread my seed, so to speak, to mean I want to degrade women. It’s quite the opposite. I just want to make sure every lady who wants all of this for a limited time knows that it’s very available, and can get it.”

For the well-being of my... my heart (pervs!), I will not post Heath, Xavier and Risby, but DEAR LORD!!!

Before you go all cray-cray, Wes's book is third in this series, Recklessly !!!!! YAY!!!!!!! I WANT IT NOW!!!!!!

As all stories go, there's a twist and her name is Erica. I won't tell you more, you need to find out for yourself.
I absolutely LOVED LOVED LOVED this book!!! A.J. Sand , you're writing is meant for me to read, please don't EVER stop! I learned so much from you, like what president comes after Kennedy (LMAO!!! Priceless). Please visit A.J.'s blog for more info and awesome writing ajswritingreallyblows.blogspot.com , apparently 'youaway' didn't fit in the description. Check it out.

Go Team Dick:

"I like to think I make you happy too. You make things feel okay. You in my life, it’s…it’s starting to feel like it should’ve always been this way."

Song that reminds me of Documentary, [This Song Saved My Life by Simple Plan]:

I wanna start letting you know this
Because of you my life has a purpose
You helped me be who I am today
I see myself in every word you say
Sometimes it feels like nobody gets me
Trapped in a world where everyone hates me
There's so much that I'm going through
I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you

I was broken
I was choking
I was lost
This song saved my life
I was bleeding
Stopped believing
Could have died
This song saved my life
I was down
I was drowning
But it came on just in time
This song saved my life

NOW GO GET THIS BOOK ASAP!!! ONLY 99 CENTS!!!

I have read it, but I'm totally not going to rate it. I'm way too self-deprecating for that. Working on second book...soon.

2 STARS

I am giving a star for each of the Elliott twins who provided such moments of relief I couldn't wait to read through the steamy scenes to get to theirs.

"He literally just read all of Harry Potter. He wanted to wait until the hype died down."

"I am the Scrabble champeen. I know words!"

Men after my own heart.

This has been sort of an educational read because I just came off enjoying reading another cliche and after reading this one, I get a better sense on which parts of this genre I enjoy and which ones just challenge my tolerance for cheese.

That being said, this one really tested the bounds of my gag reflex. And no, not in a good way. And just to be clear, I feel wretched after writing 2-star reviews.

I was really excited to read this book because I was expecting fireworks from the protagonists as the story deals with two worlds that I'm fannish about: rock n roll and film.

Sadly this one failed to deliver on both ends. Rockstar romances have been delivered to the readers in every which way possible but a big part of its allure is the cool factor. I do tend to get judgy over this issue but the author should be able to convince the reader that the hot guy is universally cool, irregardless if he plays Scuzz Rock or Honky-Tonk.

Kai White, before going solo, used to belong to a band named Evernight who had a hit single entitled Earthquake. He has to repeatedly remind Dylan they were not a boyband because they play musical instruments but he does write lyrics like this:
Last time I saw you, the whole world had broken your heart
If I could, I'd find a way to collect all the parts/
Just to make you whole again/
Find a way to pull you back from the end/
'Cause I-I-I-I'd move mountains and part oceans/
Just for a minute of your smile

He is doing a tour for Lava Energy Drink for which Dylan, our heroine, has to make a series of film shorts during his tour to be uploaded on Lava's and his personal website. He has a "promo guy" with him in the tour who handles "merchandise".

I know this is as realistic as the current state of the music industry comes but still it reeks of famewhoring and rock n roll in general taking it from The Man. There should've a tleast been a bit of insight on this issue but it was relayed gospel truth-like and it hurts. Somewhere in the book world Paul Hudson and Adam Wilde just choked on Lava's Cherry Bomb drink. I know it's unfair to compare, but Kai's character just pushed all the wrong buttons.

On the other end of the fail spectrum, we have Dylan Carroll, a junior filmmaking student who got offered a project that would open doors for her career. I'm trying very hard to recall any filmmaker who has Dylan's level of enthusiasm about film in general and I'm coming up blank. I believe filmmaking is a work of passion and anyone who has heard a Martin Scorsese or Quentin Tarantino interview would understand what I'm looking for in Dylan's character. For what her background says about her, Dylan came across as young, vapid and without any passion for her craft. There were very vague descriptions on how she films things that she just sounded so inept. That ANYONE could do what she was doing. How could she be the awesome filmmaker she's supposed to be when she spends the ENTIRE time mooning over, hooking up, fighting then making up with Kai?

She really should've been recording it, but, hopefully, someone in J. Kutch's entourage was, and she'd get a copy of it later.

Your future Kathryn Bigelow right there.

The plot goes through the usual motions of sexual tension ➔ Dylan makes Kai jealous ➔ make up ➔ misunderstanding ➔ talk to Kai's friends…. rinse repeat. That's 440-pages of that. So if you're not into all that (as told in third person present tense), run for the mountains. There's also some shady undercover spy-like deal between Nina (Kai's publicist) and Dylan that was drawn out longer than it should. A lot of "Am I just a job?!" from Kai's side of the fence that's just... ugh.

The big Jeremy-Kai-Erica reveal (which I stuck around for) turned out to be a snooze and was done around 75% of the way through so you have 25% of a whole lot of nothing going on, ending on a WTF cliffhanger.

Is it still a cliffhanger if nothing/no one is hanging on the cliff?

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Documentary took me by surprise and I am absolutely thrilled it popped on my Must Read screen!!! Kai “Kamikaze” White is the Bad Boy Rocker that women can’t help but fall in love with! AJ Sand wrote the perfect bad boy only this one is lacking tattoos and a drug problem. However he definitely can make you want to give him whatever he wants. He also has that tortured background that makes you want to hold his hand along with his heart and help him work it out (Yeah, he is a “Panty dropper”).

”Cute or not, he seems like a disaster, and not the kind where you’re both tolerable train wrecks, and in the midst of the F’ed-up-ness, it just sort of works out of due to some sort of cosmic f’ery.”

In comes Dylan, a beautiful college junior who is handed the a chance to jump start her film career! Kai needs someone to film him while he is on tour creating a web blog with videos and little articles!! Kai and Dylan are so similar and have both experienced loss and are so relatable you feel the chemistry instantly and you get angst from the moment their first interview together starts. So hang on your heart is about to get a roller coaster ride.

“Dylan Kimbery Carroll. The name I’ll drop when I’m sitting at the same bar every night when I’m Forty, screaming at anyone who’ll listen to how my career got completely derailed. The fight won’t be discussed, just Dylan Kimberly Carroll.”

I fell in love with all the characters to be honest and I can’t wait to see where she takes their stories. Kai has such a group around him. You get a true image of a bands bond and the brotherhood that surrounds them.

“Don’t take my desire to spread my seed, so to speak, to mean I want to degrade women. It’s quite opposite. I just want to make sure every lady who wants all of this for a limited time knows that its very available, and can get it.” He shook his head and signed, looking a little defeated. “Monogamy is overrated. Promiscuity is a misunderstood state of being.”

I appreciate this book because the author completed the story she didn’t leave you with questions, she did however leave me my wanting more and wanting to know the others story. She touched a topic not usually discussed in the rockstar books but one that happens daily in the party like a rockstar world. She also left me with a smile, so I will leave you with this. . .

“What is it about a girl in a guys shirt that makes you all so crazy? I look like a lumberjack.” Kai angled her slightly. “Maybe, I’m into lumberjacks. You wanna see my wood?” She could certainly feel it pressing up against her.

Definitely 4 STARS !!!

20% in I wanted to give up. By 35% it caught my attention. 50% I didn't want to put the book down. There was a lot of angst and sexual tension between Kai, a musician and Dylan (a female with a boys name, strange I know!). There's the big question hanging over everyone's head what is Kai's big secret? I had an idea by half way and it leads nicely into the second book, though this book does end on a HEA. I really wanted to give 5 stars but some parts were just too draggy.

"You can't get rid of something you never had Dylan. I never had you. But you've always had me" aww Kai

I should have listened to Alana because the narrator really took away from this audiobook. She wasn't the right fit and didn't capture the youthful voice needed to make this angsty NA rocker romance hit the spot.
Also, there was no need for this story to be this long. It was dragged out and I stopped really caring after all.
It would be much better with a hundred pages shaved off.

★★1/2 STARS

First before I even start this review I have to say this book seriously needs a new cover!

Alright Documentary....Well even though I enjoyed parts of this story to me it wasn't your typical Rock Star Romance read.

Dylan is a college student who is majoring in film-making and dealing with the recent death of her older brother. She gets an amazing opportunity to tour with and film Kai White (a musician who has anything but a stellar reputation) and fix up his image by creating mini weekly documentaries about the life of Kai. His most recent public spectacle that landed all over the headlines was a fight outside a club with a former friend and band-mate from a prior band.

The story takes place with Dylan travelling with Kai, his band and his friends. Dylan and Kai have this insane connection with each other but due to stipulations given to her by her boss and her own issues she's dealing with Dylan wants to but can't get into a relationship with Kai. This is pretty much the majority of the book their back and forth game of chase.(She wants him but cant, she's jealous about him with other girls, then in turn tries to make him jealous)It was a bit too much. The main plot centers around the fight that Kai and Jeremy had and why it occurred, something everyone was clueless about even those closest to Kai, and to be totally honest I think the only reason I did end up finishing was because I was curious and wanted to see the outcome of the actual incident and the mystery behind the fight.

So like I said even though I did enjoy parts of this book it didn't really do too much for me. I found it to be fairly long winded, and even though I did like the majority of the characters sometimes everything and everyone was just too jumbled and the dialogue at times seemed to just ramble on. In the end you find out why the fight happened and Kai and Dylan get their HEA but there is a continuation which is going to be dealing with the whole Jeremy incident (I assume) and even though I am curious I just don't know....

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I love giving out 5 star ratings. But I’m hoping that my 5-star ratings don’t lose value, because I give them out so frequently. Also, because I felt that this book earned each and all 5-stars.

I can’t claim that the plot was completely original. There were some aspects of this book that reminded me (a tiny bit) of

Another thing that stood out to me was again, the whole “insta-love” between Dylan and Kai. Usually, because I’m such a cynical, skeptical, bitter bug, I don’t believe in the whole love at first sight thing, therefore, it bugs me when are too many unrealistic elements in love stories. And, I always end up disappointed, because it was all love at first sight (because the two main leads are just, so hot, right?) and then by the end of the book, we end up realizing, it was love at first sight! And it’s just feels so shallow and fake.

**However, the romance between Dylan and Kai felt so natural, and never forced, awkward, or unbelievable. I loved both of their stories, their hurts, their pasts, their grief, especially how they handled the obstacles they faced, and how they overcame their fears.
And in this case, their insta-lust transcends physical attraction, and actually develops into something deeper.

I truly felt the shift from lust to love, and I loved that these two characters actually held truly engaging and realistic conversations!! I hate being told, and not shown. I hate it when authors write stuff like, “They spoke for hours, about nothing and everything. She spoke freely, although she had butterflies in her stomach. She knew she loved him.” Or something along those lines… I’m always thinking, I want to know what was said!!

My only critique is that I felt Erika’s character should have made much more of an appearance, since her story is strongly connected to overall plot, and in the larger scheme of things. Also, Jeremy’s character really intrigued me. As disgusted as I was with him, I wanted to know the reasons behind his depraved actions; something more than just speculation from Kai, or the excuse that it was just because Jeremy was a monster… But then again, the story wasn’t really about Jeremy. He was the villain & the enemy. But still, it would’ve been interesting if there was more to it than just a simple case of the perpetrator v. survivor.
The steam level was about 8/10. There weren’t a lot of smut scenes, but Dyl & Kai had A LOT of chemistry.

The angst level wasn’t as high as I would normally prefer, but I loved the build-up of Kai and Dylan’s relationship. Kai was definitely NOT your typical rock-star cliché. Neither was Dylan – she was definitely not the typical heroine rock-stars end up with in books. She wasn’t BAD ASS, but she wasn’t completely INNOCENT, either. She was a mix of both. She was also strong, but vulnerable. She was extremely likable.

Ultimately, I’d definitely recommend this to hopeful romantics that love good, bad-boy rockers. And, non-virginal heroines with real issues you could actually relate to. Finally, despite the bad stuff from all of the characters’ pasts, I loved that the message of the story was a hopeful one.

A person's story is often nothing like it appears from the outside.

Dylan Carroll, an ambitious college student filmmaker still reeling from the death of her brother.
Landing an amazing opportunity, Dylan is employed to create a web series aimed at cleaning up Musician Kai White's image.
There’s also a promising offer at stake, if Dylan can abide by the rule of staying strictly professional, and if she can figure out what Kai is hiding.

Musician Kai White is in the middle of a public relations nightmare, His bad boy boy image, fighting has drawn bad press and a bad image.
Keeping a secret that could turn things around. His manager/publicist offers full rights to Dylan if she can get Kai to tell her what he is keeping from everyone.

What can I say about this??
I really really really did enjoy it. I found that I really struggled the first 20% but by then I really wanted to know what Kai was hiding so I stuck with it. I'm glad I did.

Kai is not your typical Rock star. He is super sweet!
Not into groupies and totally not a douche bag and soo not what the public makes him out to be.

Stability with one person beats just f*cking everybody any day of the week.~ Kai

He really does care for Dylan and they have an undeniable connection, and when they are together, they discover that rules are pretty easy to break.

I loved how they both have their own stories, own pasts and grief. There bond over their hurt was real and deep.

"Last time I saw you, the whole world had broken your heart, If I could, I'd find a way to collect all the parts, just to make you whole again. Find a way to pull you back from the end." ~Kai

As Dylan gets deeper into Kai's world, capturing his life on film, she'll learn that some secrets are so big, they are kept even at the expense of a career.

The secret is big and your kept guessing all the way though! So many rumours and
and speculation. It's fabulous!!!

But in the end it's Dylan who holds back in the relationship her guilt holds her back from really giving herself over to Kai.

"You know why I'm always staring at you? I don't want to forget any part of you, ever. Because you're leaving me, without even a chance of coming back. You're shutting me out, even though I see you. I see your struggle, and I know it."~ Kai

When she does let her demons go and goes after him they really are perfect!

"So, I do choose you, Kai White. Every week that I've gotten to show the world how beautiful and wonderful of a person you are, I've chosen you. I am choosing you, and I wanted to find you, the same way you have always come to find me. I want to always find you, too, because I'm falling for you. I have fallen for you."~Dyaln

I loved it, I love Kai he was amazing.
The secondary characters were amazing! Loved Leko and the twins.
I can't wait for Erika's story.

+ 4.5 Stars +

Awesome Read!

I grew up loving the New Kids On The Block. So the truth is...I was in love with Joey by in love I mean bedroom covered posters, t-shirts, concerts, buttons and I even made my mom pay for my fan club membership. I will also admit to seeing them in concert (a few times) while screaming like a teenager as an adult. Guilty as charged folks, Guilty as charged!

This story is not about a boy band per se, but it did kind of give off that boy band feeling. Dylan is a college film student who recently lost her brother. After her brother passed away Dylan focused on her studies and doing what she thought her brother would want her to do.

Kai used to be in a boy band. Ok, so Kai would say it was not a boy band because they played instruments but either way he was in a band with boys that broke up when he left. Kai is trying to prove himself on his own in the music world while hiding a secret and trying to out run his bad boy image.

As a way to soften up Kai’s image, Kai’s “people” decide to produce several short video clips for his website. Dylan’s college professor enters her resume and she is chosen to produce the web video’s. Trying to keep up professional appearances they try desperately not to act on their feelings towards each other. As time goes on they get closer, feelings and secrets are revealed leaving you wanting more.

I had to reread the ending just to make sure I had it right, not quite a cliffhanger but it defiantly makes you eager to read - Remake (Documentary #2).

As a side note, I had some serious swooning moments with Kai and I am pretty sure I replaced Dylan’s name with my own at times. sigh

BRAVO A.J. Sand! Thank you so much for great story and bringing my boy band memories back. I am super excited to follow the Documentary Series!!

So good!!!

OK so, before reading Documentary, I made sure to read a few reviews and the few that I saw talked greatly about how the title doesn't suit the story and I totally agree!

Documentary as a title is well-suited in a way because it demonstrates the part of the book where Dylan is a filmmaker. However, the emotional rollercoaster that Dylan and Kai go on is so intense it literally should be called something like DENIAL or some sh*t because I cannot believe in how much denial they both were!

THe number of times I looked at my kindle and thought...

Like really Dylan??? I wanted to punch her in the face so many times. No, I actually wanted to round house kick her in the face because she was so OBLIVIOUS and in so much DENIAL that I wanted to knock some sense into her.

Kai was basically telling and showing her in every way possible that he was in love with her and she kept pushing him away. OMG! BITCH PLEASE!

Kai White is hot, sexy, sweet, caring, mysterious, a freaking rock star and MORE! I litterally fell in love with him and his ways.

My favorite quote:

I love the smell of your hair when I hug you...and how soft your skin is. And I think about those things and they make me happy. They make me want you so badly. So f*cking badly. I don't know if it was ever real for you, but it's only ever been real for me."

I just melted. melted.

In the end, documentary was a good book! It had an awesome storyline and the plot was not predictable! It kept me guessing the whole way until we found out the big secret! There is a cliffhanger at the end, but it's not the type that keeps you in too much suspense. I can't wait until the next book comes out!!!

~Enne

4.0 stars

I'm not really into Rock Stars stories because most of them are so stereotypical with the angst, the bad reputation, the tattooes, the women and the EMO-melodramatic heroines...which means this book is... TOTALLY DIFFERENT!
Kai, the hero slash hottie slash rockstar, is a very likable character, with a heart of gold and who literally FIGHTS for what and who he believes.
Dyllan, the heroine slash college student slash aspiring movie producer, is determined and hard-working and definitely willing to make this documentary she has to film of Kai's life on the road/on tour, her BIG BREAK. It was easy to like her, as long as I could ignore the zillion times she cried, almost cried, felt like crying or cried in the dark for making assumptions about Kai's behavior. Many of them were really childish to the pont of making you roll your eyes, when you read some of them, you'll understand what I mean. But it was not enough to make me hate her or want to punch her...
They have this insta-love/lust/like and spend 70% of the story denying they are REALLY into each other.
I gotta confess the pace of this story was kinda torturing at times, which is very common for 400+ page stories. I struggled the first 40%, to say the least, but it had its good moments.Maybe it was the amount of friends names, nicknames, cities, places, and the like...I don't know,
I didn't quite connect or relate to the main characters 'love'at first sight thing, but as I got to knwo them better I could understand them, find them super cute, and eventually root for their well-deserved HEA.
It would have been a 5 star book/story for me if the story had been a little more dynamic and less focused on Kai's gazillion friends and infinite different stories, and more on their own relationship.
But...It was surely worth reading and I definitely recommend it.

Documentary by AJ Sands was unlike any of my rock star reads since it didn't contain much sex, drugs (a few Advil might have been ingested) and rock n roll (I couldn't tell you what type of music/band). Kai -- the rock god singer didn't have a single tat! So yes...a different kind of read for me. With that said... it was still a solid book with a glimpse into the life of a cute couple (Kai and Dylan), on tour and in like or something like that. Very PG-17. Nice ending for a book two that I hope to read when it comes out.

Drug, Tattoos, Alcohol are not necessary for a book about the rocker band and college life. It is refreshing to see a character like Kai. The author told an engaging story with many well-developed characters, interesting dialogue, and some serious issue regarding sexual violence. No cliffhanger ending. I am looking forward to the sequel.

4.5 stars, loved it!

I was hesitant to read this book..I've been told it was great, but I've been putting it off.. why? Because the name is Documentary and documentaries tend to bore me. Fortunately, this book did just the opposite!

I will first say that the Prologue started off with a bang that immediately had me intrigued. This book centers around a swoon worthy romance, but there is also a mystery to solve in regards to the event that occurred in the prologue.

Dylan is a film student who is trying to readjust to a new world following the death of her brother. She was previously outgoing and into everything, but now is trying to find her place in this world as she struggles with the guilt of getting to live when her perfect brother wasn't given the chance. She is a very likeable female lead. She had great friends, wasn't too annoying although she had her moments, she didn't start the book as a virgin (OMG, is that even allowed in YA/NA?), and she was pretty witty and sarcastic. Overall, she was pretty typical (crazy rationalizations about guys included) girl and I found her relatable.

Kai is a former member of a boy band, I mean band that consisted of boys, turned solo artist, Kai has everything we look for in a book boyfriend.. he's an aggressive hot head, a bad boy rocker (only without the tattoos) rich, and he has those hip indentations going toward his lower regions (technically called iliac furrows, but I prefer the books term "panty droppers" lol), and he's had a tragic past that will in turn make him fiercely love only one girl should he ever meet her. Kai's history of fighting has left him in need of an image booster in the eyes of the public. Kai's publicist feels that a documentary styled web series would be perfect to show a softer side of him and repair his image. Fortunately, Dylan's film professor is an old friend of Kai's publicist and she has just the student for the job.

The writing style was definitely unique and I liked it. It was told in third person POV, yet it also had the addition of Dylan's thoughts to add to the story. There was great chemistry with insta-lust that we were able to watch grow into love between the characters. The duo's friends added a lot of fun and humor to the story. Although this book was funny, it did discuss some serious issues in a realistic manner. And for all those who hate sappy, swoon worthy couples... no worries this story also offers plenty of sexual tension and angst to go around!

And finally, a thanks to the author for putting a warning that this is the first in a series and that she has no idea when she will release the next book. Everyone knows that I hate a cliffhanger, but I will say although this book ends with a "to be continued" feel, the story between Kai and Dylan is told in completion (at least their story for now) and you will NOT throw your kindle against the wall when you read the last page.

This book completely surprised me!! Found it for a .99 cent bargain price on Amazon and LOVED it!! This is the story of Dylan (heroine) and Kai. These were two people who had experienced significant losses that shaped their lives...

Together they are misunderstood, tortured souls. Kai was a sexy rock star/singer but not the typical kind of rock star which I liked. Dylan was a college film student given the greatest opportunity to travel and film Kai for a documentary web series.

These two had some serious sexual tension from the get go. Loved that! They tried to keep it professional but of course that didn't work! I loved their chemistry and the friendship they built. Kai was just a regular guy and Dylan was able to see that with him. He also had some secrets. Secrets that caused some issues for them but everything eventually comes to light.

Loved the other characters in this book. They had a really good group of friend which made the book fun. Lots of sexual tension, not OTT sex but good enough, angst, and HEA. Overall very GOOD book!
*****5 stars

5 stars
I had not heard much about this book when I purchased it. I wasn't sure what to expect. All I can say is I absolutely loved it! Documentary isn't your cliche rocker bad boy meets young girl and they fall in love book. It's something totally different and original! It is well written and flawlessly executed. I really enjoyed it. Kai and Dylan weren't overly sweet, which is a sure fire way to ruin a book for me. They had smart banter and their flirting was witty but very steamy! I laughed out loud several times. Wes was a riot, and a highlight for me. I am glad he will be getting his own book! The characters are wonderful and the storyline grabbed me immediately. Documentary was such a wonderful little surprise! Kai and Dylan will be joining my all time favorite couples!

I was almost worried I've stopped liking angst- it was stuffed to the brim in this book. But, cheesy love scene near the end won me over and left me really wanting to read #2 in the series to see how it turns out.

I listened to the audiobook format of this title, and found the narrator to be OK. Not great, not horrid- and her voice was a hair on the gravelly side for a female, but it wasn't annoying.

**I will no longer be reviewing on this site in protest of the new reviewing policy and their decision to NOT make 99% of the users aware of this change. For more information, read page one of this thread**

Well I have to say I really enjoyed this book. Of all the rock star stories I have read this one struck me as being very real and very believable. I loved all the characters and looked forward to what would happen next. I appreciated it was a full story that did not leave me hanging. With all that said the only downfall was that at times the story seemed to drag on and I found myself skipping parts in the middle because I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. Honestly if that is the worst I can say about a story that is a pretty good story. So 4 big bright stars and really looking forward to book 2!

What a brilliant first book...I loved this book...loved Dylan and Kai..both broken in their own way..the side characters made the story and glad to see some of them are getting their own stories...but I hope that in these we see the continuation of Kai and Dylan. This was a good length book that kept me turning pages I couldn't put it down...I was so rooting for these two...I was infuriated with Dylan after Kai opened his heart..I couldn't believe her reaction, although I could sort of understand why...just so glad they got their stuff together eventually.. fantastic read and cannot wait to read more!!

Really good story. None of the bullsh*t issues you read about in so many other YA romances. Yes, they had misunderstandings, but they worked them out! There was just enough angst that only added to the story instead of making you want to throw your kindle across the room. Lots of sexual tension as well. This book is part of a trilogy, I believe but the ending didn't leave me saying WTF!!!

loved this story. Dylan and Kai were real life characters that didn't come across as larger than life. both grieving they manage to fall for each other despite the bad things that has happened to Kai. highly recommended.

This was very entertaining and I enjoyed it. Perhaps needed just a little more polish for me to rate it higher.

I was disappointed.

I did enjoy the story..but the ending? Not so much.

On Amazon for .99!