Book Spotlight: The Daydreams

Laura Hankin is an author whose books all appeal to me, and it’s about time I actually read one of them! Her latest release is The Daydreams, about the cast a popular teen show from the early 2000s getting a chance at a reunion special. But the four stars of the show are very different now, and getting them back together for this reunion could reveal long-buried secrets.

I’m a millennial who grew up on mid-2000s pop culture, and as time keeps passing, I feel more nostalgic for the music and shows of that era. The Daydreams takes us back to 2004 (my defining year!) with a teen show filled with songs and romance. Now, nearly 20 years later, can those four starring actors recreate the magic? Or are there too many secrets—and too much bad blood—to make it work? I know I’m intrigued!

Find out more about The Daydreams below, and let me know if you’re planning to pick up this new novel. If you’ve already read it, let me know how you liked it in the comments! I’m hoping to read it soon, so stay tuned for my review.

Official Summary

A deliciously entertaining novel about the stars of a popular teen show from the early 2000s—and the reunion special, thirteen years after their scandalous flameout, that will either be their last chance at redemption, or destroy them all for good.

Back in 2004, The Daydreams had it all: a cast of innocent-seeming teenagers acting and singing their hearts out, amazing ratings, and a will-they-or-won’t-they romance that steamed up fan fiction forums. Then, during the live season two finale, it all imploded, leaving everyone scrambling to understand why.

Afterward, the four stars went down very different paths. Kat is now a lawyer in Washington, DC. Liana is the bored wife of a famous athlete. Noah, the show’s golden boy, emerged unscathed and is poised to become a household name. And Summer, the object of Noah’s fictional (and maybe real-life) affections, is the cautionary tale.

But now the fans are demanding a reunion special. The stars all have private reasons to come back: forgiveness, revenge, a second chance with a first love. But as they tentatively rediscover the magic of the original show, old secrets threaten to resurface—including the real reason behind their downfall.

Will this reunion be a chance to make things right? Or will it be the biggest mess the world has ever seen? No matter what, the ratings will be wild.

Get the Book

You can buy The Daydreams here – it’s available as a hardcover, ebook, and audiobook.

The Daydreams by Laura Hankin
Audience	Adult
Genre	Women’s Fiction
Number of Pages	368
Original Publication Date	May 2, 2023