Going into 2025, most of us already have high expectations. Whether it's for ourselves or our reading, everyone wants to be successful at the start of a new year.
That sentiment rings true in the newest release from Jessica James: For One Night Only. Serving as James' debut, this book has everything you're looking for in a romance to start off 2025 as it has a gorgeous cover, plenty of angst and tropes galore.
While tropes can sometimes be a deterrent for some, For One Night Only didn't feel like trope soup as the tropes James included in the story made sense. However, that's the only tease I'm going to be giving before getting into my full review.
I'd like to thank Berkley for sending me an ARC so I was able to read and review this one early and can share my thoughts.
For One Night Only will have you wanting more than one night.
For One Night Only begins with Valerie who is in the midst of a PR disaster. It seems like her show is going to be canceled and she needs all the good press she can get. She comes up with the idea to reunite her band: Glitter Bats. However, the band didn't leave things on good terms so it's up to Valerie to make the reunion happen.
Valerie is able to convince almost everyone aside from Caleb. Quickly, we find out that Valerie and Caleb have some history. The two were once lovers before things fell apart on one fateful night. The story follows the Glitter Bats as they're coming back together and doing their "For One Night Only" concert to try to get as much good press as they can.
One thing I adored was how Jessica James wrote these characters as Valerie is pretty unlikable for a majority of the story. Sometimes, authors can tend to write celebrities in a more relatable way but Valerie was not like that. She was messy, selfish, and downright cruel at times yet it made the story all the more entertaining. Then there's sweet and sensitive Caleb who is doing the reunion to help out his family.
Aside from Valerie and Caleb, we also meet the rest of the Glitter Bats and honestly, I'm dying for her to write stories about all of them. I can just imagine the angst-filled story following Jane and Keeley so let's hope she has plans for those two. The same can be said about Riker and his love interest which would be such an interesting dynamic.
As for the romance between Caleb and Valerie, it was good and I loved seeing their second chance come together on the page. However, I do think Valerie was a tad bit too impulsive and messy when it came to Caleb and everything he was giving up to be there. Maybe I was reading too much into it but that's my only real qualm with this story.
If you're craving something juicy and angsty to start 2025 with, then For One Night Only is a great read to start 2025 with. Considering that I read this book in one sitting, then I can confidently say that you won't want to put it down once you start. If you love music or had a pop-punk phase, then this romance might be the book you've been searching for.
For One Night Only by Jessica James is out now where books are sold.