Genre 📚: YA Contemporary, Romance
Tropes 💁♀️: Celebrity/Boy band romance, Forced proximity, Grumpy x Sunshine
Rep ✔️: Disabled main characters, demi-romantic FMC, Korean-Australian and pansexual MMC, BIPOC and queer side characters
CW ⚠️: Loss of a loved one, grief, cyber bullying, brief mention of parent being ableist and queerphobic
Rating ⭐️: 3.5/5
I am 100% a boy band kinda girl. I was a Backstreet Boys fan as a kid, a Big Time Rush fan in high school, a One Direction fan in college… And I’ve been a K-pop fan pretty much my entire life. So, you gimme a book with a boy band romance? I’m fucking down. I’m gonna read that shit with the biggest grin on my face. I did exactly that with Sydney Langford’s Someone to Daydream About.
Here, the Deaf-Hard of hearing FMC Natalie is determined to honor her late father by revamping the family Deaf center. She needs money, and she needs it fast, so she reluctantly agrees to teach ASL to the rich-kid-turned-rockstar Felix. Natalie despises Felix and his glittery boy band, but she’s desperate and she does want to help him communicate with his sister (who is rapidly losing her hearing). So she joins the band Daydream on their US tour, getting swept up in the celebrity life while stealing small moments with Felix.
Natalie’s disdain for Felix felt like a bit much, but they got over their prejudices and misunderstandings fairly quickly. I thought it might be too quick, but they still maintained their fun banter, and there was still plenty of action happening on tour. Exploring cities, celebrating birthdays… Eventually, sneaking kisses. Though I didn’t fully connect with these characters and their romance (the trajectory just felt off), I did appreciate the familiar beats entwined with the wonderful diversity. We need more tropey rom-coms with representation.
**Much thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Someone to Daydream About will be released on March 24, 2026.
Sara Bechtol 