I loved this book so much. This gives off the 1990s boy bands vibe. So it you grew up then and loved the boybands this book is definitely one you'll enjoy.
Laney is a vet at her dad's clinic she's been taking care of Adams rescue dogs when he brings them in. She's had a major crush on him for a while but has never let him know. Then one day he starts talking with her while she's checking out one of his dogs and she sees how much they have on common with music and how all of his dogs have music names.
Laney was one of midnight rush's biggest fans so when she realizes Adam was Deke in midnight rush (who she had the biggest crush on) she's stunned.
This is such a cute rom com I can't wait for more from midnight rush.
Thank you netgalley for the arc.

When I tell you I LOVED this book I mean I LOVE LOVED THIS BOOK. The premise is so fun, the characters felt so real and grounded, it’s FUNNY. Like very very funny. The fanfiction stuff absolutely killed me. It’s also emotional and deals with grief and loss. I just had such a great time reading it, especially as a boyband fan myself.

this was cute!! sometimes I struggle with hidden identity tropes but I felt like this one was handled with minimal angst. Laney and Adam were super cute!! As a 1D fan this was kind of everything to me but I did find Adam's reaction to things frustrating and I felt like some band stuff (i.e. things Jace said) was unresolved and I wished we saw them have a talk on page. had a fun time with the book overall

Midnight Rush is the perfect nostalgic love song for elder millennials who remember debating Team N Sync vs. Team BSB (obviously N Sync). Laney Lawson, a small-town vet, has a not-so-secret crush on Adam Driscoll, the rugged dog rescue owner—who also happens to be Deke Driscoll, her former boyband crush from Midnight Crush! When his secret comes out, Laney must decide if she can handle life in the spotlight.

Adam is a cinnamon roll with real struggles, and Laney is the perfect balance for him. Plus, best friend Percy is hilarious, and I can’t wait for the other band members’ stories!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

Jenny Proctor’s Once Upon a Boyband is an absolute delight that had me smiling, laughing, and swooning from the very first chapter. The banter between the main characters, Laney and Adam, is so effortlessly charming that it literally had me kicking my feet.

Overall, Once Upon a Boyband is a heartfelt, funny, and thoroughly enjoyable read that blends romance, humor, and emotion perfectly. If you love popstar romances or anything with a 2000s movie vibe, this one’s a must-read!

this was such a fun story and i just loved it! adam and laney were absolutely amazing and i couldnt put this one done once i started! these two were opposites but perfect for each other, i loved their dynamic and i was rooting for them from the start! Adam is a former Midnight Crush member now puppy rescuing lumberjack and Laney is a sweet small town vet who is also secret Midnight Crush super fan. they just fit perfectly together and i am so glad they got their HEA!

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for sending me this arc!! The book itself is super cute and as a Backstreet Boys and n*sync loving millennial this hit a warm snuggly spot in my heart. Who didn’t imagine a life with a boyband member at one point?? 🤷🏻‍♀️😅 it was a quick and sweet read. The dog rescue was another one to pull at the heartstrings and even though I thought I knew what was going to happen…the whole mom moderator thing was something I wasn’t expecting but was a sweet little or big tidbit that helped connect and push past the conflict.

*I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher; the review is my own.*

I’ve been trying to pull back on the number of books I request through NetGalley because I have so many that I need to read. But after loving Jenny Proctor’s Hawthorne Brothers series, I couldn’t stop myself from requesting this book. It’s not part of the other series, but it does take place only three hours away. And I was not at all sad that a few of the Hawthorne characters make a brief appearance in this book. (Though this book takes place after that series is complete, it’s not necessary to have read it in order to read this book.)

As with the Hawthorne books, this one features characters that are believably written. They struggle, and they face relevant, realistic problems. They’re imperfect, but in the case of Adam (26) and Laney (26), they’re perfect for each other. They have an extremely cute story, and I’m so glad I read it. I love the relationships with family and friends, too.

With a five-for-five book reading record (for me—I haven’t read all her books yet), Jenny Proctor has secured herself on my list of “I’ll read anything you write” authors.

PS: I’m sure someone out there will complain about the timeline of Adam and Laney’s relationship. I am not one of them—I think it was absolutely perfect for the two of them. My husband and I started talking about marriage two weeks after our first date, got engaged less than two months after our first date, and got married 4 1/2 months after that (which was too long!). We’ve been happily married for 19 years . . . so far. Sometimes, you just know.

Note: A little swearing. A gay side character.

A former boy band star who abandoned his fame, Adam finds solace in a quiet mountain town with his dog rescue and a veterinarian named Laney. He’s fallen for her, but his past as a pop star remains a secret. When his former bandmates propose a reunion concert for charity, will reclaiming his music career risk everything he’s built?

This rom com is sweet and a lot of fun. Adam and Laney are swoony, and the book has a warm family feeling.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This book was everything. Jenny Proctor is my favourite author of 2024 and this book is flippin amazing. I love the connections through this book that tie it into her other series. I don't think I could love Laney anymore, so relatable to my boy band obsessed teen years 😍. Adam was just as enjoyable, I loved reading about his growth throughout the story.

Even though the book was amazing romcom with plenty of giggles, there is some serious grieving /grief moments throughout that make this novel standout from the crowd. It is a must buy must have book, one day I will do a tiny scream of joy when audio is released because oh my goodness it will be amazing.

Can't and won't fault anything, I look forward to the future books in the series like I would the next backstreet boys album in the 1990s 😍 Cannot wait!!

Laney is an introverted, small-town vet with a love of music and a past fangirling over the band Midnight Rush. She's attracted to Adam, who runs a local dog rescue but has never done anything about it. When Laney and Adam bond over their mutual love of music, and Laney gives Adam and his puppies a ride home after he locks his keys in his car, their professional relationship starts becoming personal. What Laney doesn't know is that Adam used to be in her favourite band, and when another band member comes visiting to convince Adam to do a reunion concert, she gets the shock of her life.

Laney is so endearing, right from the start. The book opens with her almost addressing the reader, as an introduction to herself. "I'm so normal. I'm practically boring. Which is why you won't believe that I accidentally fell in love with a popstar." This made the story feel more personal like a friend telling you about their love story. It could take a reader out of the story, but I think it really worked well because it was honest about the fact that an ordinary woman dating her teenage popstar crush sounds like fiction!

I really loved how Laney and Adam both thought about the other's needs above their own. It was beautiful to see their relationship grow. They went from not knowing that they were both interested in each other, to supporting and encouraging each other to be honest with themselves and each other. And Adam particularly needed this. I loved how Laney cared for him so well despite her fangirl past.

But this story is more than just a love story. We get a lot of personal growth and dealing with past grief (death of a parent, gaslighting). I love how lots of things come full circle in this book. I won't say anything more so I avoid spoilers. If you've ever loved a boyband, go read this book!

A big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for me to review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is my first Jenny Proctor book. I have a few in my Amazon wish list. After reading “Once Upon A Boyband” I regret not reading Jenny’s books before this. I love her writing style. I struggle with the start of books because building the world and characters in the story is just blocks of thought from one character. This book didn’t have this problem. I never lost interest as Laney talked about how much she loved Midnight Rush and Percy and her went back and forth to intro her as a vet and Adam’s character. I was sucked in from the start. Laney’s humor made the character for me. Also I cackled at the “straighter than a Micheal Bay movie” quote Percy made about Adam/Deke as well. I really related to his book because we were all that age once and lusted after a member of a boyband. And this book is the book version of a fanfic when actually got a chance with said boyband member.

To be honest, I’m not usually a fan of the celebrity romance trope, but this one FAR exceeded my expectations! Very easy to read and I loved the dynamic of Adam and Laney’s relationship. I am very excited to see where this series goes next!

I really liked this book. I liked Laney and Adam. They were genuinely nice people.
I loved the references to music and bands I like books with both.
It was a good storyline and Adam had turned his back on the boyband he was with when he lost his mother to cancer leaving him and his sister.
He had opened a dog rescue and then was asked to consider a reunion.
I also liked Percy he was really funny and Ringo and the other dogs were great.
I. hope the author might turn this into a series following other characters too.
An enjoyable easy read.
Boybands, Music, dogs and romance what's not to like. Did I mention dogs?
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley

I did liked the book it was short simple no spice but still enjoyable.. I loved meeting Laney and Adam or Deke, one of the members of a boyband who actually left everything behind due some personal situations.. Some of the topics are a bit heavy but not too much intense, just more personal struggles and we all have that. I won't spoiler much but it was definitly funny

This was such a fun, quick romance read. I loved following Laney and Adam in this story. As a former boyband fan, this was a fun concept to read about and I loved the secret identity trope.

This story is about Laney, a veterinarian who grew up with a crush on Deke, a member of a famous boyband. He left the group and never looked back, until his former bandmates reached out wanting to do a reunion concert. Agreeing to the one time concert could mean losing the life he’s created for himself and outing himself to Laney in the process.

Read thing you like:
🎤 Dual POV
🎤 Boybands
🎤 Fake Dating
🎤 Closed door romance

This was such a feel good read that’s sure to leave you smiling.

Thank you Jenny Proctor and NetGalley for the review copy.

Oh my gosh, Once Upon a Boyband by Jenny Proctor was absolutely adorable! As a former—and let’s be honest, current—boyband fangirl, I was immediately drawn to this book just from the title. The story begins as a charming small-town romance with Laney, a veterinarian with a soft spot for Adam, a handsome new neighbor. But the real twist comes when it’s revealed that Adam is actually a former member of a boyband, and Laney, as a teen, had a major crush on him.

The book is a delightful blend of nostalgia and romance, featuring puppies, a sweet and relatable heroine, and a swoon-worthy hero. For anyone who ever had a boyband crush, this story is a heartwarming fantasy come true. My fellow former boyband fanatics will adore this book just as much as I did. It’s a perfect mix of love, laughter, and a bit of celebrity magic.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Jenny Proctor, and Jenny Proctor Creative for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. This one’s a must-read for anyone who dreams of a real-life romance with their favorite boyband member!

Just when I think she can't write a more perfect book... Jenny Proctor goes and writes another perfect book! Once Upon a Boyband was everything my 90s boyband-loving self hoped it would be and more. The characters were SO well done - Laney and Adam were such a delightful pair, and the rest of the characters have me really excited for the rest of this series. The love story was beautifully written and had me sobbing happy tears more than once. And perhaps best of all, the tie-ins to the Hawthorne brothers and Appies series were flawlessly executed. I highly, highly recommend this book from one of my very favorite must-read authors!

Thank you to the author for gifting me with an ARC to review. All opinions (and fangirling) are my own :)

This book was a great surprise for me-zero spice (which isn’t usually my preference but it really worked here) and all heart!

If you were ever a tween who loved a boy band this book should make it onto your TBR. Come for the adorable boy band fan dream but stay for a genuinely touching exploration of grief and trust plus lots of foot kicking romantic moments. (They bond over naming puppies for the love 😍)

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing Co-op for a free e-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Thank you to NetGalley to the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I went in not knowing what to expect, and this book started off so strong. In the first few chapters, the banter, the dual narration, the way the protagonists finally put themselves out there--it was all delightful. I was fully bought into the early stages of their love story, which felt so realistic in how natural it feels when you meet someone you just click with.

As the plot twisted around Ch10, the book I thought I was reading morphed into something unexpected. At first, it was fun, but I soon realized this was 90% a book about Adam, his past, and reconciling his unresolved trauma with his future ambition. Laney plays an important role in that, but we ultimately learn very little about her. As the focus shifted toward Adam, their dynamic crept uncomfortably close to instalove (for my taste), and their HEA is basically her promising she's along for whatever he decides he wants to do. Personally, I like a little more balance in my romances.

All in all, I thought this was a fun idea and the writing kept me engaged; the execution just wasn't for me this time around. I'll definitely check out more of Jenny Proctor's work, and would absolutely read a sequel in this universe/with these characters.