When Worlds Collide by Erin Zak is a beautiful celebrity romance that will make even the most hardened of hearts believe in true love.
This story is set in the vibrant world of Broadway, showcasing the collision of two successful women from different backgrounds. When Worlds Collide explores the challenges Heather and Grace face as their love story unfolds amidst the pressures of fame, industry expectations, and a forbidden off-screen romance.
As their relationship is tested by external forces, Heather and Grace must decide whether their love is worth the sacrifices required to navigate their careers and personal desires.
Writing
Erin Zak has found a muse that has elevated her writing to a whole new level with When Worlds Collide. It’s like a door has opened and stepping through that door has allowed her to fully come into her own as a writer. Her insights and observations are so profound that I found myself not only devouring her words but also being inspired by them. At one point she says, “But then you meet someone who reminds you that your heart still works and your soul, which thought it would never find its other half, may have stumbled upon a possibility in the most random of ways.” And that’s how we are lucky enough to have Heather and Grace’s love story!
When Worlds Collide is told in three separate acts (each appropriately titled), which is fitting since Heather, one of our mains is a superb Broadway star. This was a powerful and effective way to tell this tale and I was hooked by Act 1, Scene 1 which wasn’t released until the very last word. Speaking of (releasing), I was so immersed in this story that there were times I felt myself holding my breath and only lightheadedness would remind me to release the breath I was holding. When I say I was fully invested, I mean it!
Pros And My Favourite Parts
First, I adore the cover with its muted, blurry colored lights that allow the title to pop and leave me wanting to experience what’s inside.
On the surface, Broadway actress Heather McCarthy has it all. She’s got the lead in a hit show, great friends, an adorable pup, and there’s talk she’ll be nominated for a Tony award. Underneath, Heather, she’s still trying to put herself back together after her divorce left her feeling less than. After a particularly terrible performance (her opinion, not mine) her impostor syndrome gets kicked to the curb, if even for a short time when a fan approaches her table at her favorite after-performance haunt. She tends to shy away from encounters with fans, but there’s something about Grace Elliot that intrigues her. I love that despite being a star who craves the spotlight, Heather is extremely down-to-earth. This makes her so much more approachable and relatable, especially as she’s a staunch supporter of mental health and therapy.
Grace Elliott is a sapphic romance writer who’s in negotiations with a studio to adapt her favorite book into a movie. She’s in New York City and is persuaded to go see the Broadway show, Can’t Make You Love Me, starring Heather McCarthy. After the show, Grace steps out of her comfort zone and approaches Heather while she’s having drinks with a friend. Grace’s adorable awkwardness is so endearing. We come to learn that Grace suffers from anxiety, panic attacks, and social discomfort which are all handled so perfectly. As an anxiety sufferer myself, I appreciate having a character like this that I can relate to.
The pull between Heather and Grace is so strong from the first moment they meet and despite the seemingly insurmountable obstacles standing in their way, they want to get to know one another. They want to learn everything there is to know about the other. I love that we get both of their points of view because I could fully appreciate the observations they make about each other. The intensity of the feelings they develop for one another in an incredibly short amount of time seems surreal. However, Ms. Zak made me, a pragmatist, a firm believer that five days with someone can change the trajectory of your life forever. The chemistry, longing, vulnerability, honesty, and anxiety are expertly detailed and so incredibly palpable. Let’s not forget that Ms. Zak knows how to write a steamy scene and When Worlds Collide has plenty that left me fanning myself!
At the core of When Worlds Collide is a beautiful swoon-worthy romance. But the story goes so much deeper. We have two women each standing at a crossroads where they both need to decide whether they’re going to take the next step forward or retreat to safety. Because while behind each is comfort and security, ahead is uncertainty. It’s that point in life when you have to aim for what’s most important and, “expect the worst, but hope for the best.” The emotions, events, choices, and repercussions are all handled with precision and detail.
I adore the supporting characters, Thomas, Marjorie, and Sabrina! Their relationships with Heather and Grace add a whole new layer to the story. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the adorable Hazel and gentle giant, Muffin, both of which I’d love to snuggle!
Heads Up
One of the main characters is in a relationship when they first meet.
The Conclusion
When Worlds Collide is a beautiful celebrity romance with a love story for the ages! Heather and Grace are strong, independent, courageous, and compassionate women who I absolutely treasure.
Their journey to happily ever after is tumultuous, messy, real, and filled with so much tension and longing that I found myself hanging on Erin Zak’s every word. Being privy to their thoughts, feelings, and emotions throughout kept me turning pages quickly while at the same time reminding myself to slow down, to savor everything.
Erin Zak has come into her own with this whole writing thing and I am so here for it! I just wonder…is she going to write Eliza Burke’s story next?
Excerpt from When Worlds Collide by Erin Zak
“Um, excuse me?” comes a soft, unknown voice to my left.
Ugh. The last thing I want right now is to talk to someone who just saw the worst show of my career. I take a deep breath before I look over to see a woman standing there. She’s striking in a way that immediately causes my breath to catch. Not every woman catches my eye, but her, in her black-framed glasses and leather motorcycle jacket? She is doing it without even trying. In fact, she seems as if she is attempting the opposite of trying. She pushes her fingers through her beach-waved, shoulder-length light brown hair before she nudges the glasses up the bridge of her nose with a trembling hand. I force myself to focus—to smile—for a couple reasons. One, the subtle shake in her hand probably means she’s nervous, which is oddly endearing. And two, I don’t ever want to come off as not nice. I was the fan long before I had fans, and I refuse to come off like a royal bitch.
“Well, hi there . . . how can we help you?” I ask, way too loudly, I might add. Not only did I take forty forevers to respond to her, but I also screamed at her. What the hell is wrong with me? I swear I’m a real-life human being.
“Your glasses are so chic. I love them,” Thomas pipes up. He always has a way with people, so I knew he’d fix the awkward tension I somehow created. “What can we do for you?”
The public-facing side of this business is not always my favorite. Being on all the time gets tiresome. Sometimes it’s awkward, especially when a superfan acts like we’ve hung the moon when all we’re doing is singing and dancing and reciting lines written by people far more talented than us. I love my fans, don’t get me wrong. I’d be nowhere without them. But sometimes, interacting with them is exhausting. Fortunately for this young lady, the way her eyes have lit up is terribly sweet, and my attempt at being withdrawn begins to defrost.
“I’m so sorry to bother you,” she says, “but I wanted to tell you both how amazing the performance was tonight. I . . .um . . . I was going to stand at the stage door, but, well, I didn’t. Obviously. And then I happened upon the both of you here, which is a weird sign I think, so . . .” The way she’s standing there, her hand gripping the back of the empty chair next to me—as exhausted as I might be—I find intriguing. And captivating. And the way she’s stumbling all over herself. Her smile is a tiny bit crooked when her dark brown eyes lock onto mine. “You, Ms. McCarthy, you were just . . . wow. You became Helena. It was . . . I was blown away. Completely.” Her eye contact with me is refreshing. “I’ve never seen a performance like that before. So raw and unyielding. Truly breathtaking. I needed to tell you that.”
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Bits and Bobs
ISBN number: 979-8988397229
Publisher: Indie Author
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