December 5, 2010

REVIEW! True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet.

(Hardcover and paperback, respectively.)


True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet
Lola Douglas


FROM THE COVER:

Teen actress Morgan Carter lived a life most people would die for. She dated the hottest celebrities, hung out with the coolest people, and was seen at the wildest parties in Hollywood.

Then she nearly died. One fateful night, outside the Viper Room on Sunset, Morgan’s party-girl ways caught up with her.

Six weeks later, after hospitals, detox centers, and way too much tabloid attention, Morgan’s ready to go back to her old life. Too bad her mom and her agent have other plans for her. They want Morgan to finish her recovery out of the spotlight. Way out.

They give Morgan a major makeunder, a new name, and a completely different identity. Their plan? To send Morgan to a family friend in Fort Wayne, Indiana. There, she’ll go to a regular high school, with regular classmates, and document her experience in a tell-all book. Once the school year is over, Morgan will publish the book and stage a comeback the likes of which Hollywood has never seen!

But first, she has to survive Fort Lame, which has three Targets, two Wal-Marts, and absolutely no fabulousness.

Can a Hollywood starlet find friendship, love, and a new life in Middle America? And once she does, will she abandon it all for another shot at stardom?

My rating: 4 stars.

MY THOUGHTS:

Sounds predictable, right? The spoiled, Hollywood brat gets cut off from the luxuries of life, in hopes of learning a true, valuable life lesson.

True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet does that and more. It’s not boringly predictable, and Morgan isn’t overwhelmingly shallow and whiny. In fact, she’s rather likeable. Her perky personality shines through with a levelheadedness that allows her to grow as a character. The change isn’t sudden or forced; it happens gradually throughout the course of the novel, making it believable. And with an overdone plot like this, it needs to be believable.

The other characters are also just as likeable because their personalities and voices are just as real as Morgan’s. Her mom’s kooky, her agent’s a sneak, her “aunt” is fun-loving, and the people at school – while a bit dramatic – are typical teenagers. Except Eli, one of Morgan’s new friends. Eli’s got more going for him, and although it takes a dreadfully long time to establish his role, it’s worth the wait. He is adorable, and he and Morgan don’t clash one bit.

The entire novel is told through journal entries written by Morgan. They’re funny, descriptive and overflowing with pop culture references. Douglas’ writing is spot-on for this story. The only downside is that it is predictable and Morgan’s starlet persona sometimes comes off as a cliché. But aside from that, it’s fun and easy-going.

9 comments:

  1. Interesting! This book hadn't crossed my radar until now. I like the paperback cover better -- pink and black is closer to the color of the actual Hollywood stars.

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  2. Sounds like a great book to read when you want to sit back and relax.
    Thank you, your newest follower! =)
    Books For Company

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  3. Thanks for the heads up about this title. I hadn't heard of it before. Have you read the Secrets of My Hollywood Life series? This description kind of reminds me of that series (which I liked).

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  4. Small Review - I actually haven't read that series. I'll have to check it out!

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  5. Ooh, journal entries! That sounds so interesting. I love it when books are written that way. This series should be a must for me. I may give it a try one day :)

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  6. Oh this sounds interesting. I read Meg Cabot's Airhead series and it was horrendously bad so I'm glad to see there are better books which deal with the same things but are better executed. Was there a dance at the end of the story?

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  7. Nafiza - Applause for you for even getting through the Airhead series. Halfway through the first I had to give up. And it does not end with a dance, no.

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  8. I love these types of books about celebrities!:) Thanks for the review.

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  9. Hey Alissa, I just read this book and it was really great. I just did a review of it and if you'd like to read it, here's my review of True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet. I can't wait to read the sequel!

    Brush Up On Your Reading

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