Man it's been a while, huh? My writing has stalled but my reading hasn't really slowed too much this year. As I type this I'm working on reading book 52 out of 75 for the year. I'm a little behind schedule but I'm confident that I'll still meet the goal for the year. So I stumbled upon a few mini reviews that I started writing but never finished earlier this year and thought I would put them up. These are teamed up in two pairs because the books themselves are of similar subject matters. Here we go!
First up:
The L.A. Candy Series by Lauren Conrad:
I gave this series 3/5 tabloid stories.
This series is Conrad's fictional take on the world of Jane Roberts and company who lands an internship in L.A. and gets roped into being part of a reality television show. Sound familiar? I really enjoyed the story to a point, but felt that it was a bit too similar to the series that Conrad starred in called Laguna Beach that aired on MTV from 2004 - 2006 which was immediately followed by The Hills that aired from 2006 - 2010. That's not to say that these were bad books! If you enjoy reality dramas and have never seen the show (it is a bit older) then I think you'll really have fun with this series. I personally just went into reading the series expecting something a little different. I did read the entire trilogy though so they were entertaining as contemporary reads. I would certainly recommend this series to fans of Melissa de La Cruz's Beach Lane series and even to fellow Laguna Beach/The Hills fans.
~~~~~~~~~~~Synopsis~~~~~~~~~~
L.A. Candy:
Los Angeles is all about the sweet life: hot clubs, cute guys, designer...everything. Nineteen-year-old Jane Roberts can't wait to start living it up. She may be in L.A. for an internship, but Jane plans to play as hard as she works, and has enlisted her BFF Scarlett to join in the fun. When Jane and Scarlett are approached by a producer who wants them to be on his new series, a "reality version of Sex and the City," they can hardly believe their luck. Their own show? Yes, please! Soon Jane is TV's hottest star. Fame brings more than she ever imagined possible for a girl from Santa Barbara-free designer clothes, the choicest tables at the most exclusive clubs, invites to Hollywood premieres-and she's lapping up the VIP treatment with her eclectic entourage of new pals. But those same friends who are always up for a wild night are also out for a piece of Jane's spotlight. In a city filled with people chasing after their dreams, it's not long before Jane wakes up to the reality that everyone wants something from her, and nothing is what it seems to be.
Sweet Little Lies:
Full of dishy details about young Hollywood that only an insider can reveal, this entertaining novel shows that lies are only as sweet as the people telling them. Jane Roberts was the average girl next door until she and her best friend, Scarlett Harp, landed their own reality show, L.A. Candy. Now the girls have an all-access pass to Hollywood's hottest everything. But there's more to life on camera than just parties and shopping.... When racy photos of Jane are leaked to the press, she finds herself at the center of a tabloid scandal. She turns to her co-star Madison Parker for help, unaware that Madison is scheming behind the scenes. She might be Jane's shoulder to cry on, but does Madison really have Jane's back? Scarlett's working on a scandal of her own. She's fallen for someone who's strictly off-limits—which means Scarlett has a big secret to keep...from the L.A. Candy cameras, the paparazzi staking out her apartment, even from her best friend. Of course, nothing stays secret for long for the stars of the newest hit TV series, and all this drama couldn't be better for ratings. But can Jane survive another season in the spotlight?
Sugar and Spice:
In the final book of the hit series L.A. Candy, Jane Roberts is a bona fide celebrity—she’s got the VIP treatment, couture clothes, and starlet looks. She also has the tabloid scandals, fake friends, and relentless paparazzi. Having learned a few things from her first season on the air, Jane is trying to surround herself with the people who she knows love her for her...and take a break from boys—since they’ve been nothing but trouble. But when her high school sweetheart Caleb and her unrequited L.A. crush Braden show up, both looking cuter and acting sweeter than ever, Jane has a hard time remembering her no-boys rule.... Just when everything feels out of control, Jane makes a shocking discovery. And what she finds changes everyone’s definition of “reality” forever. In her deliciously entertaining novel, television star Lauren Conrad pulls the curtain back on young Hollywood and shows that sometimes the real drama is behind the scenes.
~~~~~~~~~~Book Information~~~~~~~~~
Published on 06/16/2009 by Harper Collins.
Page Count: 326
Genre: Young Adult.
Published 02/02/2010 by Harper Collins.
Page Count: 309
Published 04/05/2011 by Harper Collins.
Page Count: 288
~~~~~~~~~~About the Author~~~~~~~~~~
Lauren Katherine Conrad, often referred to as "L.C.", is an American television personality and an aspiring fashion designer. She is best known for being featured in the MTV reality series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County and for her spin-off show, The Hills, which follows her personal and professional life as she pursues a career in the fashion industry. She earns an estimated $1.5 million annually for her television appearances, fashion line, and product endorsements. - from GoodReads.
Next up:
Seeking Mansfield by Kate Watson
I gave this book 5/5 auditions.
This book was a surprising roller coaster for me. I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley for review and I won't lie, I just wanted a quick read to pass time waiting on some other release coming later this year. What I got was so much more than I expected! Finley's story pulled me in immediately. Everything from her past with her parents, present with her family who took her in, her friendship with Ollie, and her absolute love of theater pulled me into her world. Add in the super famous, yet human Crawford siblings and this book became one of love, true friendship, and the journey of finding your own voice among all others. At times I was really hoping that the book would slow down so that I wouldn't finish it so quickly and then at the same time craved more back story, more foreshadowing, more 'now what?', but then I saw that this is only the first book in a series and everything is well again. I certainly look forward to seeing what's next for Finely and company after finishing this book. I would highly recommend this book for people that enjoy love triangles, journeys of self discovery, true friendship, drama, and theater.
~~~~~~~~~~~Synopsis~~~~~~~~~~
Sixteen-year-old Finley Price has perfected two things: how to direct a world-class production, and how to fly way, way under the radar. The only person who ever seems to notice Finley is her best friend, the Bertram's son Oliver. If she could just take Oliver's constant encouragement to heart and step out of the shadows, she'd finally chase her dream of joining the prestigious Mansfield Theater. When teen movie stars Emma and Harlan Crawford move next door to the Bertram's, they immediately set their sights on Oliver and his cunning sister, Juliette, shaking up Finley and Oliver's stable friendship. As Emma and Oliver grow closer, Harlan finds his attention shifting from Juliette to the quiet, enigmatic, and thoroughly unimpressed Finley. Out of boredom, Harlan decides to make her fall in love with him. Problem is, the harder he seeks to win her, the harder he falls for her. But Finley doesn't want to be won, and she doesn't want to see Oliver with anyone else. To claim Oliver's heart—and keep her own—she'll have to find the courage to do what she fears most: step into the spotlight.
~~~~~~~~~~Book Information~~~~~~~~~
Published on 05/16/2017 by Flux.
Page Count: 300
Genre: Young Adult.
~~~~~~~~~~About the Author~~~~~~~~~~
Kate Watson is a young adult writer, wife, mother of two, and the tenth of thirteen children. Originally from Canada, she attended college in the States and holds a BA in Philosophy from Brigham Young University. A lover of travel, speaking in accents, and experiencing new cultures, she has studied in Israel and lived in Brazil, the American South, and now calls Arizona home. - from GoodReads.