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If You Don't Love Me We Both Die

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Megastar Tam Eyre has no idea what to do with the crumpled note thrown at his head:
If you don’t love me, we both die.

Bubble-tea-obsessed college girl, Lakelynn Frost, has 365 days to make the world’s most famous pop star fall in love with her.

If she can’t do it, an old family curse will kill them both.
Might be a problem since she can’t get tickets to any of his sold-out concerts.

Should Lake chase after him with only her grumbly brother Joules for company? Check items off her bucket list like Uncle Jack? Plan her own funeral like Aunt Clara?
But Lake’s a fighter.
And this curse? It comes with magical meet-cutes.

WHAT TO EXPECT MF (male/female), romance, contemporary romance with a sprinkle of magic, sexy, swoony tension, spicy slow-burn, strong secondary couple/side character romance, characters in their 20s, stand-alone novel (complete story in one book), sunshine in a cup, first-person dual POV

946 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 4, 2024

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About the author

C.M. Stunich

146 books13.4k followers
C.M. Stunich is a self-admitted bibliophile with a love for exotic teas and a whole host of characters who live full time inside the strange, swirling vortex of her thoughts. Some folks might call this crazy, but Caitlin Morgan doesn't mind - especially considering she has to write biographies in the third person. Oh, and half the host of characters in her head are searing hot bad boys with dirty mouths and skillful hands (among other things). If being crazy means hanging out with them everyday, C.M. has decided to have herself committed.

She hates tapioca pudding, loves to binge on cheesy horror movies, and is a slave to many cats. When she's not vacuuming fur off of her couch, C.M. can be found with her nose buried in a book or her eyes glued to a computer screen. She's the author of over thirty novels - romance, new adult, fantasy, and young adult included. Please, come and join her inside her crazy. There's a heck of a lot to do there.

Oh, and Caitlin loves to chat (incessantly), so feel free to e-mail her, send her a Facebook message, or put up smoke signals. She's already looking forward to it.

Stalk me, please!
www.cmstunich.com
www.facebook.com/cmstunichauthor
www.twitter.com/CMStunich

I'm also on Goodreads, Spotify, Google +, Instagram, and Pinterest.

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5 stars
1,509 (67%)
4 stars
445 (19%)
3 stars
188 (8%)
2 stars
64 (2%)
1 star
25 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 446 reviews
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
2,772 reviews230 followers
March 30, 2024
Wow.

Seriously, one of the most intense romances I've ever read. I loved it and sobbed through it.

Lake is cursed. Her family has had this curse for the last 200+ years where they can get matched spontaneously with an another person, maybe someone they know or a complete stranger. And if they and that person don't both fall in love before the year is up, they both die.

This book is long. I thought the Wall of Winnipeg and Me was long. This book is about twice that.

But I was caught the entire way. Lake learns she's been matched with a superstar the likes of Taylor Swift and she's some no name college student from Arkansas.

But, after just experiencing her beloved cousin dying from the curse, she and her brother make a plan and do all they can to at least have her meet Tam Eyre, pop superstar.

Let me spoil it by telling you it all works out because I hoped it would but my poor heart was still being jerked around at the 95% mark. This premise is so intense.

There is so much grief portrayed in this book. Alongside so much love. The way Lake is loved so hard by her brother and her whole family... the way that Tam ends up loving her...

😭❤️❤️❤️👏🏻

This is first person POV and we get into the brains of quite a few folks. Mostly Lake and Tam, but also, Joules, Kaycee, Daniel... and maybe someone else I don't remember.

This book was beautiful and slow burn and absolutely gutting. I loved it and I'm going to need to process for a while.

Safety deets (for Tam and Lake... cause the side romances would be too spoiler-y)
- both virgins.
- Gets explicit around 50% and there is a lot of sex afterwards.
- Tam is publicly dating someone so Lake and her brother scheme to break them up.
- Their first sexual encounter is a bit icky, but it's part of their growth. And awakening for Tam especially.
- Lake admits the curse made her move into the physical more quickly than she would have otherwise.
- Epilogue is a few years out with all happy and another romance in the works.


----


Even tho this book was amazing, I still have so many questions. About Allison and what happened to her at that time... why could Joe do it when othered didn't? What about Tam's dad? And how did he decide to be a famous person? What about his relationship with his mom? I want more about Daniel and why can't they be better friends? What's up with Jacob?

Can someone I know read this so we can have some long conversations!?
Profile Image for Inna.
1,592 reviews337 followers
April 5, 2024
4.5 stars. This book… is a lot… but even after 900 pages, I wish there was more of it.

I was really sucked into this story, so much so that I didn’t sleep for almost an entire night because I couldn’t put it down. I could totally see how some people might be very put off by the length and the slow burn. This is VERY slow, both in the relationship aspect and in just the storytelling style. The book covers a year of time, and with 900 pages, it sometimes felt like it would take me a year to read, especially in the beginning. But then I just couldn’t put it down. 😅Considering the topics covered are pretty heavy (largely focused on death and the curse) this book had an overall lighter feel, with a lot of positivity, good banter, and funny moments. There are def sections that felt a little rambley - where the author could have cut down on mundane daily details for the sake of brevity. However, I didn’t mind any of it. I really enjoyed the journey.

—-

Ok, so two days have passed since I finished this book. I’ve given it a lot of thought over that time. I do think there’s a lot that could have been better at the end. I liked the end enough to leave my rating as is, but I do think the author should have made different choices. There are a lot of unanswered questions, and a few plot holes. I’m really bothered by plot holes! Considering this is a 900 page book, I wish the author had put more thought into the ending and had answered all of the possible questions. Instead, I think she chose the easy ending, since it basically relies heavily on magic. So there’s no answer to why anything happened besides just *shrug* “it’s magic!”

However, the ending didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the book because the entire book just really held me captivated. I’m looking forward to the author releasing this on audiobook, because I am SO listening to it, all 27 hours, or whatever it ends up being. 😆😆

Thank you Elizabeth for this rec! You have great taste, as always! 😘

—-


The safety is good. If you can, read this without spoilers. Even the trigger warnings and safety details are a little spoilery and may ruin your enjoyment of the story.


This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jennifer Kyle.
2,505 reviews5,346 followers
Read
March 19, 2024
Dnf at 50 percent

This book is almost 1000 pages. I am tapping out I and I do hope Lake doesn’t die. However, I have had my last cup of bubble tea. This one is just so drawn out!!! Side note - Jules the heroine’s brother is a definite stand out.
Profile Image for Jamie.
930 reviews193 followers
April 3, 2024
I loved this sooooo much! I can’t believe I actually want this to be longer bc I want more tam (hate that name😭) and lake😫 I went through a rollercoaster with this book honestly. I started out liking Tam, then he started to piss me off and made me hate him, then FINALLY he made me love him. He ended up being so freaking sweet and I loved his relationship with Lake. And honestly, even when he was pissing me off, he was just trying to be a good and honest guy(but fuck that I wanted him to do the opposite of what he should do, which he ends up doing 😋🤞)
Now with Joules and Kaycee, I didn’t care about their relationship honestly. I really loved joules, but Kaycee didn’t impress me and I wanted her gone. Thankfully they didn’t take up too much of the book, so I wasn’t annoyed. But yeah, I didn’t like Kaycee at all. To me she seemed kinda sneaky???? She liked Tam when she was 16, so when she got older she had their label ask Tam to date her, knowing how tam is and that he never says no , and so he agreed even though he had no feelings for her like that whatsoever. And then her constantly asking him to sleep with her, when she should obviously be able to tell that he doesn’t fucking like her like that…? Considering he has NEVER kissed her in private…. She gave me the ick and I couldn’t stand her.

If this was a normal length book, i might’ve gotten frustrated with the slower pace, but since this was 946 pages, i think it was perfect😂 once you hit like 45% things start to take off from there

Also I LOVED that tam was on the same experience level as lake . I might even say he was a little less experienced than her, he’s only ever kissed for the camera, never in private. Lake hadn’t done anything sexually ever, but it did say she’s had boyfriends so I’m assuming she’s probably kissed them, so in conclusion I’d say tam is the less experienced one. That made me so happy, and I also felt so bad that he had to be so cautious with his whole life.
113 reviews1 follower
March 9, 2024
Bring your tissues

This book.... Ruined me. I don't get emotional over a book but I started crying around chapter 6 and then didn't really stop.
Lake, Joules and Joe are #squadgoals
I like jasmine peach sparkling tea with lychee jelly or strawberry pearls, tiger milk with boba or taro with boba.
This book was such a great and unique concept, it was narrative heavy, with the classic C.M Stunich sass and banter. It's amazing to read a character that's not selfish or narcissistic or abused and broken with an evil ulterior motive. There was no real bad guy or guns/ kidnapping. I like that the curse is a metaphor for true love, strength, faith, family, communication and a little magic.
I thought that with the plot we might end up with a clean romance but that goes against all of my previous research on the works of c.m. Stunich and once it kicked off it didn't disappoint.
There have only ever been a handful of books that have affected me this way and I'm pleased to recommend this book to anyone.
Profile Image for Darcey.
1,200 reviews275 followers
April 2, 2024
this was fun! a lot of boba, a number of kpop references, an overarching interesting curse plotline with an insanely slowburn romance... it was very captivating. i found the relationship growth between our two mcs very realistic (but SO SLOW my god), plus i loved the platonic bond between our main brother and sister 🥰 they were so cute. friendships and strong family bonds >>

not meant to be taken seriously, and sometimes ridiculous, but a fun and easy read!
Profile Image for Lana Tapley.
75 reviews
March 6, 2024
Absolutely Amazing 5 Star Read

I have read 90% of the authors books and this is the best on to date! I love her dark style, but this is more lighthearted and fun. I cannot say enough good things about Tam! I love his cocky, self entitled self to pieces. Lake is pure hearted and kind. Do yourself a favor and get this book!
Profile Image for April Putt.
8 reviews
March 7, 2024
what am I going to do now???

I don’t even know where to start. I’m not very articulate when it comes to reviews but this book was just everything. I read it in 24 hours I cried I laughed. I threw my phone. This book was so good. The slow burn was fan fantastic the push and pull between lake and Tam was every thing, the ending was so great and I am so sad that I finished it.
Profile Image for Bre Smith.
Author 3 books9 followers
March 12, 2024
Beautiful Perfection

I’ve been looking forward to this for so long, but I had to finish the series I was in the middle of first. My brain is broken right now and I can’t quit sobbing so I’m going to have to come back to this in a bit.

This book was literal perfection. CM has some amazing books. She’s one of my all time favorite authors. This one is my favorite though. No book by her or anyone else will ever be able to top this. At first I was slightly upset that we were getting this book before her unfinished series’ but I will gladly wait YEARS for the others if that’s what I have to do to get this book (and I’m extremely impatient lol). Yes this book made me cry so much that I literally had to sit down on the floor (no chairs around right now) and loudly sob. I thought my heart was going to stop beating for a second there. It was just so emotional and so well written. Towards the end there I was constantly crying. I would have happy tears one minute and then sad tears the next, over and over again. I love Tam and Lake. I also love Joules and Kaycee. I will never forget this book or these characters. I don’t even know how to continue with my life after this. What do I read next? HOW do I just read something else right after? I can already tell this book hangover will be rough, but I would gladly never read another book again after this masterpiece.

🧋Contemporary but ���magical✨
🎤Popstar
🔥Slow-Burn
💔 Love Curse
☀️Grumpy/Sunshine
❤️HEA

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 (I know 10 stars isn’t actually a thing but I’m making it a thing right now and this book deserves it.
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Profile Image for Andrea.
39 reviews10 followers
May 4, 2024
*5 stars*

HOW BEAUTIFUL. MY GOD. THANK YOU, C. M STUNICH FOR THIS BOOK.

I admit that I didn't expect to love this book so much because of the beginning of Tam and Lake's relationship, since he had a girlfriend (contract). But I loved how all of that was resolved and the fact that in the end it was Tam who fell first and very hard.

I liked the brother's story and I confess that I was already preparing for his sad end. I didn't imagine it would end that way and I'm pleasantly surprised.

I have no more words, I love Lake, Tam, Joules, Daniel, Ella, Lyn, Kaycee. I NEED MORE EXTRAS.

Again, thank you C. M Stunich for this beautiful book. I've laughed, upset, and felt sad. There couldn't have been a better ending for the Frost family than that.

Joe, I love you for everything you did and I still grieve your death.
Profile Image for Mandy Jamerson.
67 reviews
March 7, 2024
Wow

So many emotions. What a wonderful family Lake and Jules had. There are so many ways a family could have handled such a horrible curse. The way they all took care of each other was beautiful. The relationships between both couples were a rollercoaster of emotions. This story made me feel SO much. Absolutely loved every second of it!!!
Profile Image for Deborah.
481 reviews4 followers
March 6, 2024
CM Stunich, I don't know whether I love you or hate you for this book. I sobbed and sobbed for these wonderful characters. You broke my heart into tiny pieces for Lake, Joules, Tam, Kaycee and especially Joe.
I didn't think you'd be able to twist me up over this story but you did.
Wow!
Profile Image for Linn.
39 reviews
March 15, 2024
This was soooo long. And gave me whiplash throughout. It could still have been slow burn and only been half as long. When I was at the 46% mark it felt like to book should be at the 80% mark at the very least and then I felt the same way about 60% in.
I would have dnf’ed if I hadn’t gotten so far already and I didn’t want the 600+ pages I had read by then not count towards my reading challenge.

The whole story with Joe didn’t make sense to me. At first it’s said he didn’t tell his match about his curse, then it is said he told her and she didn’t want him, then it’s back to him not having told her, then it’s back to him having told her and them trying to break the curse, then it’s even said they were pretty much in a relationship but it ended up not being enough and it just doesn’t make sense and actually makes me angry.

Still, two stars because I did enjoy parts of it and it wasn’t all bad but I don’t think I’d recommend this book to anyone. Had it been shorter, then I probably would have said it’s worth checking it out but because of the length it’s honestly not worth the time and commitment.
Profile Image for Ruthi W.
131 reviews2 followers
April 28, 2024
I’m not sure I can fully explain how much loved this book! I mean I’m a huge CM fan and always expected to read her books. But this was so unique and unexpected story. At first when you read the description you wonder how this story will go well I could not put this down. I needed to know what happens. I was already super emotionally when I knew the last boba day was coming! But holy sh$t I was not ready for the emotional damage that was waiting for me at the end! Those last chapters broke me! Sooo good I have been waiting for a book to just consume me and as usual CM does not disappoint!
Profile Image for Melissa Locke.
57 reviews
April 27, 2024
I didn’t think reading 946 pages would be so easy but this one was pretty quick. It was a slooooooooooow burn but it was super cute.
Profile Image for Heather.
1,009 reviews307 followers
June 15, 2024
This was an amazing story!! I love everything that C.M. Stunich writes so I'm not shocked that I loved this. I AM surprised that I flew through this 900+ page book like it only had a hundred pages. It was so good and honestly one of the most original stories I've ever read!

EVERYONE should read this perfect book! 💜
Profile Image for Baiba Loves Books.
382 reviews5 followers
April 16, 2024
This book has my heart. It’s an adventure, a life and a love story, i felt alive while reading it, as if i have been sleeping and just woke up and noticed how beautiful the world around is.

„What if you only had one year to live? Would you keep doing what you always do, or would you change things?“

All time favorite romance book. I really it on Kindle Unlimited and i already ordered the paperback, i will be reading this book again and again and again, and the cover of the paperback is perfect 🥰
Also this book got me obsessed with boba tea, i tried it for the first time just because of this book and nov i CRAVE it!
Profile Image for Lilibet Bombshell.
842 reviews82 followers
March 11, 2024
C. M. Stunich, my t-shirt does not thank you for the buckets of tears I cried while reading this book. Neither do my eyes, which have been swollen all day. However, I’m not mad.

That. Being. Said.

I never want to have that slow of a burn in a nearly 1,000 page book again. Never, ever, again. That wasn’t fun and that’s partially why I couldn’t give this book five stars (the other part was Joules, but I can’t help it).

Let’s set the slow burn apart. Let’s set Joules apart (please). Now let’s talk about the book.

I want to wrap Tam and Lake up in bubble wrap and protect them for all eternity. I want to build them a perfect house on fifty million acres of land and its own boba tea shop, surround it with special forces soldiers, and let them have kids and live their lives out in peace with puppies and children who can grow up to be whatever makes them happy because their parents are just that awesome and know life can be so short.

Is any of this a constructive review? Not really. This book was cute and infectious. It was really freaking sad and vulnerable. I liked it a lot but didn’t adore it. But you should totally go and read it because I feel like Tam and Lake need more people squealing over them.

All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Contemporary Romance/Kindle Unlimited/Magical Realism/Rockstar Romance/Rom Com/Spice Level 2/Standalone
Profile Image for Hannah.
203 reviews83 followers
April 21, 2024
Wow, this book was so sweet!
And I read it in less than a day, which wasn't hard because the story really pulls you in!😁 It's the best Celebrity x Normal Person relationship I've read.

While this isn't close to being a favourite of all time type of book, reading it was super fun. A few tears were even shed.
Tam and Lake were such a cute couple...and the slow burn???
Really enjoyed it☺️

Tbh wasn't that invested in Joules and Kaycee's relationship, (I kinda skimmed🫣) but would have looooved some more scenes about Daniel and Ella! His brooding energy and their stolen glances were EVERYTHING. I want a book about them alone!


Safety:
•Kaycee is Tam's contract girlfriend for first half of book, but there was never anything really between them. No scenes of them doing anything together. Didn't majorly bother me, and I haaaaate OW drama.
•Tam and Lake were both virgins🥳🥰
Profile Image for Jorja.
176 reviews4 followers
July 4, 2024
DNF at 23% but skimmed through up to 43% trying to find something to engage my interest or change my opinion. Am I supposed to care about any of these people at all? I don’t. At all. Also, the boba thing is over the top ridiculous instead of cute and different.
41 reviews
May 14, 2024
there is literally no way this girl does not have diabetes. i’m so serious, i counted and she drank over 365 bobas. it’s literally inhuman and im so scared for her.

IN ALL HONESTY THE GIRL DID NOT HAVE A PERSONALITY BESIDES NORMALITY AND BOBA. Boba is mah lyfe is literally the name of the game. i could list everything that made her who she was on four fingers. and her brother??? it was giving that one folgers commercial. it’s sad bc i liked the brothers love story more anyway.

also this book was almost 1000 pages. like i kept reading bc it was addictive af so that’s where the second star comes from, but it should have been HALFED. why was this premise so freaking good tho.
Profile Image for Mellissa Street.
65 reviews
March 20, 2024
Total cringe

Total cringe why does every chapter have to be about boba tea? Why does she have to be forced to fall in love with a pop star so stupid. The whole book is cringe-worthy
Profile Image for Pinks.
130 reviews6 followers
March 30, 2024
👏👏 (Spoilers)

An enjoyment for sure ‼️. The title alone catches your interest with the pretty cover that makes so much sense after you read the book very clever. For me this story was very unique and well put together. Story is about Lake aka Canoe aka Kayak who comes from a very unorthodox and quirky family that is very familiar with curses and dying that started way back from an ancestor that sets off a chain of things….. wait just wait it sounds bizarre right now but when you start reading it all comes together 😂. They basically gotta find their soul mate that they match with that the curse says is for them and if not they both die unfortunately. This starts a whole adventure for her and her family especially her and her big brother Joules who I very much love he is the definition of a brother who really loves their family and sibling I wish everyone had a brother like that ! As well as her cousin Joe who is much as well her brother too he was a sweetheart😭. But they go on a difficult journey because her match isn’t just anyone its someone very famous which is Mr. Tam Eyre aka Thomas who is hard to get close too and convince who is a BTS mixed with Taylor swift all in one person version which I thought would be very cringey but actually isn’t so I’m glad I gave this a chance. It becomes a journey of self worth and finding yourself as well as enjoyment in life and loving family and learning to open yourself to love. It also taught me a lot about Boba which I’m gonna try now and very unique interesting ways of options on how you can be buried when dead that not most people would think of that I now wanna research about 🥴🤣.
Give the book and chance and go on a mind adventure with many emotions which had me tearing. WAIT… also the length of this book I lovedddddd 🫶😌 the author did a good one with this.
Profile Image for Tiffany.
33 reviews4 followers
June 28, 2024
Such a unique premise with dynamic characters and a beautiful love story. Everytime I put it down (mostly to get myself boba cause all the descriptions had the cravings acting UP) it was all I could think about and I just wanted to dive back in. It was a good pace and kept me interested but still managed to have a slice of life feel.

On a deeper level I liked that it really makes you think about celebrity culture and how toxic it can be (even in minor ways that you wouldn't always think were problematic.)

Such a great story!
Profile Image for Jelilat Adesiyan.
205 reviews4 followers
March 21, 2024
So good

This was so transformative. I did cry at the end there OMG. I couldn’t believe when I saw this book was out because I never got a notification. But when I saw who wrote it and the synopsis, I was sold! It lived up the hype and more. I loved that it had a YA essence but was written by an experienced adult writer. Characters aren’t YA by the way, they’re college age, but the whole pop start trope had a YA essence. Strong primary and secondary characters present, even tertiary characters lol! I had a lot of fun reading this and couldn’t put it down until I was done! (I did sleep in between lol)
13 reviews
March 7, 2024
946 pages of heart-wrenching goodness.

This book is 946 pages of heart-wrenching goodness. I laughed and cried and worried and fell in love with all the characters. This book is magic that stays with you forever.

I couldn't read the book fast enough. At times, I cried so hard I couldn't even see through the tears. I wanted to throw my phone multiple times and even had to get up and eat my feelings with a couple oreos at one point. It's one of those books that you wish a friend was reading it at the same time so you could discuss every scene as it happens with them. The dichotomy between the happy little boba image and the boba countdown just hurts more and more as the book progresses. All the love to this story.
Profile Image for Mara 🎃 Song.
172 reviews5 followers
April 26, 2024
This was intense, and I cried. A lot. It’s slow at certain points but addictive, with a great HEA. 🥹
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