Title: True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet
Author: Lola Douglas
Publisher: Razorbill
Language: English
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 272 pages
ISBN-10: 1595140352
ISBN-13: 978-1595140357
From Goodreads:
"Fresh out of rehab, teen star Morgan Carter is taking a step out of the spotlight. She just doesn't realize how big a step. Morgan's mom sends her to Ft. Wayne, Indiana, to recover. Even with a makeunder, an assumed name, and a fake identity, Middle America is going to mean a serious lifestyle adjustment for this Hollywood starlet. "
Had I known this would have a sequel I would have bought them together!
So. Hollywood starlet Morgan Carter is the total party girl. Along with her best friend Marissa Dahl, she drinks and dances like there is no tomorrow. However, after an almost-fatal incident in one of the clubs, Morgan was placed in rehab and subsequently sent to live in a small town under the guise of Claudia Miller, seventeen-year-old high school student. The plan was to live in hiding for a year, write everything that happens to her in a journal, and write a tell-all book to make the perfect comeback.
This book is such as smash that if I was only allowed to bring one thing in a deserted island, I would bring this book and never mind the comfort that sunscreen, my laptop, my iPod, my e-reader, or another person could give me. Okay, so I might be exaggerating a bit if this book is the only thing I would need, but if asked to pick one book I would pick this. This book is perfect for just lying around (under the sun? Under the stars? Take your pick) and helping pass the time. BUT that does not mean that this is just another of those light-reading young adult books that you can finish and forget about within a minute of reading it. This book may not be listed under the 'ground-breaking, emotional, and heavily intelligent novels' either but to read this story, it gives the reader a good laugh, a good story to share, a good kick in the butt (everyone could relate to what Morgan/Claudia went through), and a good lesson to ponder and practice.
I am all praises for the author's crafting of Morgan's/Claudia's character. She was the stereotypical shallow teenager in the beginning of the story but you sense the underlying insecurities and longing that every teenager also feels. Underneath all her wealth and fame, she was just a regular teenager longing for her mother's affection, a father's guidance, and normal friends who would laugh and cry with her and with whom she could share some silly and some profound experiences apart from doing drugs and alcohol. Her voice in the beginning was whiny and diva-ish, but progressing through the story, her voice changes to that of a regular angst-filled teen whose main concerns were getting all the homework done. But don't get the idea that a major change would take place in her character just so the author could point out that this is a coming-of-age book. Morgan/Claudia still retains some of her diva personality and learns to put it to good use. She was also able to use her experience in the movie industry in order to help her friends, complete projects, and use as topics for her homework.
But Morgan/Claudia aside, I thought the other characters were great too. They exhibited a very likable and realistic personality, even those stereotypical characters like most of the antagonists. Anyway, that's what we love to hate about villains anyway, right? That they are cast from the same stone - which the reader only sees and not the characters themselves which makes it more interesting, because in this story, I kind of predicted some of the events already and who would be the biggest villains and although I already guessed them, I was still blown away at how things turned out.
With regard to the story, it was just a simple story but what made it interesting was that the author made the plot a bit different from what we are used to . There were some unexpected surprises here and there which made a more exciting read and kept me turning the pages until I found that I have come to the end. It was simply, yet tastefully, smartly, and cleverly written that when I finished, my first impulse was to clap for the author. The second was to go scurry off and find Book Two.
And that is why I hate books with sequels. Most of the time, they're so brilliant and I can't find the next book fast enough.
I'll be sure to update you once I've gotten a copy of More Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet. It's going to be fun!
All opinions expressed in this book review are my own and not influenced by any party in any way.
Please contact me for questions, comments, and suggestions.
