Wendy H. (donkeycheese) -
Taylor Henning's favorite movie all-time is Journal Girl. Every since she saw it, she's been writing to the director. Sometimes it's only a few lines on a postcard, sometimes its a letter, but she mails them. He just never responds. Because of his movie, she wants to make movies, and goes to film school and does well. When she lands a job as a 2nd assistant she is over the moon. She finally has her foot in the door and like a fairy tale she believes that everything she ever wanted is going to happen. Wrong.
The other assistants are ruthless. You need to wear the right clothes, know the latest hollywood gossip, etc etc. Taylor was basically a geek in high school, and nice to everyone, so she has no clue how to do this to climb the corporate ladder. But she enlists the help of her boss's sixteen year old daughter to help her in exchange for a favor. Now Taylor has got the mean girl going on, and destruction may lie on her path, but she's going places. But when Kylie, an assistant always competing with Taylor, turns the tables on her, Taylor needs to decide who she really is, and if this is what she wants for her life.
This was very hard to put down! The writing flowed seamlessly and the characters were full of personality, vitality, and attitude. Even though there is a lesson to be learned between the pages, HOLLYWOOD IS A LIKE LIKE HIGH SCHOOL WITH MONEY is a fun, fresh, and engaging read for teens and adults.
The other assistants are ruthless. You need to wear the right clothes, know the latest hollywood gossip, etc etc. Taylor was basically a geek in high school, and nice to everyone, so she has no clue how to do this to climb the corporate ladder. But she enlists the help of her boss's sixteen year old daughter to help her in exchange for a favor. Now Taylor has got the mean girl going on, and destruction may lie on her path, but she's going places. But when Kylie, an assistant always competing with Taylor, turns the tables on her, Taylor needs to decide who she really is, and if this is what she wants for her life.
This was very hard to put down! The writing flowed seamlessly and the characters were full of personality, vitality, and attitude. Even though there is a lesson to be learned between the pages, HOLLYWOOD IS A LIKE LIKE HIGH SCHOOL WITH MONEY is a fun, fresh, and engaging read for teens and adults.
Stephanie S. (skywriter319) -
Coming from an author known for her scandalous and dramatic descriptions of Hollywood life, HOLLYWOOD IS LIKE HIGH SCHOOL WITH MONEY is surprisingly fun and not over-the-top. It is the ideal book for beach or weekend reading, great because the book does all the thinking for you so that you only have to sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.
Taylor is a great protagonist to follow around, and yet her gradual transition from nice girl to mean girl is so well done that you're gasping in shock at her transformation before you know it. Everything that Taylor does and everything that happens to her seems completely probable, even for us outsiders with no real access to life in Hollywood. The main cast of characters has their own set of problems, making them believable and three-dimensional.
Likewise, the plot is perfectly orchestrated, a tight ship run by an observant captain. I can hardly help trying to stay one step of the author and the protagonist, but I am happy to say that, with this book, I didn't feel the need suspect their next moves. The plot was not predictable (although not unpredictable--there's a subtle difference), which led to my true enjoyment of this book.
Unfortunately, there were a few characters whose motivations were vague and undeveloped. In trying hard to sustain the plausibility of this story, I'm afraid some of the finer points of characterization were lost, a loss that is magnified by this book's precarious position in between genuinely fun reading and guilty-pleasure trash.
Faults aside, I honestly enjoyed HOLLYWOOD IS FOR HIGH SCHOOL WITH MONEY. This is a great book to pick up if you're a smart, fun-loving reader for whom bestselling series like Gossip Girl and The A-List are just a teeny bit too unbelievable. It's perfect for teens who want a story of a hard-earned and well deserved happily ever after.
Taylor is a great protagonist to follow around, and yet her gradual transition from nice girl to mean girl is so well done that you're gasping in shock at her transformation before you know it. Everything that Taylor does and everything that happens to her seems completely probable, even for us outsiders with no real access to life in Hollywood. The main cast of characters has their own set of problems, making them believable and three-dimensional.
Likewise, the plot is perfectly orchestrated, a tight ship run by an observant captain. I can hardly help trying to stay one step of the author and the protagonist, but I am happy to say that, with this book, I didn't feel the need suspect their next moves. The plot was not predictable (although not unpredictable--there's a subtle difference), which led to my true enjoyment of this book.
Unfortunately, there were a few characters whose motivations were vague and undeveloped. In trying hard to sustain the plausibility of this story, I'm afraid some of the finer points of characterization were lost, a loss that is magnified by this book's precarious position in between genuinely fun reading and guilty-pleasure trash.
Faults aside, I honestly enjoyed HOLLYWOOD IS FOR HIGH SCHOOL WITH MONEY. This is a great book to pick up if you're a smart, fun-loving reader for whom bestselling series like Gossip Girl and The A-List are just a teeny bit too unbelievable. It's perfect for teens who want a story of a hard-earned and well deserved happily ever after.
Reviewed for www.chicklitclub.com If you love Chick Lit, join the club!
Zoey Dean, author of the A-List series and How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls (which was turned into the brilliant-but-cancelled TV show Privileged), brings us yet another great novel about the rich and famous. It follows Taylor Henning as she moves from Connecticut to LA to pursue her dream of making good movies. She starts as a second assistant at Metronome Studios where she is immediately misled, undermined and completely ignored by her catty co-workers. After a chance meeting with her boss' 16-year-old daughter Quinn - who has entitlement written all over her pretty little face - Taylor develops an idea: Quinn can help her become Metronome material. Starting with simple things such as changing the way Taylor dresses to teaching her the rules to live by (Rule #1: Fake it til you make it), Taylor begins to feel right at home and grows more confident as she amazes her co-workers with her new-found self. However, things slide downhill when Taylor hears through the rumour mill that Kylie - the first assistant and Taylor's nemesis - is getting a major promotion. She tells Quinn that she wants to take Kylie down - not really knowing what kind of devious plan a teenage mastermind can come up with. When instructed to steal Kylie's gorgeous boyfriend, Luke, Taylor is resistant at first but comes around after Quinn reminds her that Kylie would have no problem doing this to her. Everything goes according to plan until Taylor starts falling for Luke and her lies - inside and outside of work - start to mount up. It takes Taylor losing everything to find out who she really is and who she wants to be. Life has a funny way of taking you the long way around to get to the things that make you ultimately happy and Taylor finds that out in the end. Is this an escapist read? Yes. But it's a book that is worthwhile and fun. And you never know, you might just find some important lessons about being true to yourself buried within the pages.
Zoey Dean, author of the A-List series and How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls (which was turned into the brilliant-but-cancelled TV show Privileged), brings us yet another great novel about the rich and famous. It follows Taylor Henning as she moves from Connecticut to LA to pursue her dream of making good movies. She starts as a second assistant at Metronome Studios where she is immediately misled, undermined and completely ignored by her catty co-workers. After a chance meeting with her boss' 16-year-old daughter Quinn - who has entitlement written all over her pretty little face - Taylor develops an idea: Quinn can help her become Metronome material. Starting with simple things such as changing the way Taylor dresses to teaching her the rules to live by (Rule #1: Fake it til you make it), Taylor begins to feel right at home and grows more confident as she amazes her co-workers with her new-found self. However, things slide downhill when Taylor hears through the rumour mill that Kylie - the first assistant and Taylor's nemesis - is getting a major promotion. She tells Quinn that she wants to take Kylie down - not really knowing what kind of devious plan a teenage mastermind can come up with. When instructed to steal Kylie's gorgeous boyfriend, Luke, Taylor is resistant at first but comes around after Quinn reminds her that Kylie would have no problem doing this to her. Everything goes according to plan until Taylor starts falling for Luke and her lies - inside and outside of work - start to mount up. It takes Taylor losing everything to find out who she really is and who she wants to be. Life has a funny way of taking you the long way around to get to the things that make you ultimately happy and Taylor finds that out in the end. Is this an escapist read? Yes. But it's a book that is worthwhile and fun. And you never know, you might just find some important lessons about being true to yourself buried within the pages.
