The Fame Game, by Lauren Conrad

In Hollywood, fame can be found on every corner and behind any door. You just have to know where to look for it. Nineteen-year-old Madison Parker made a name for herself as best frenemy of nice-girl-next-door Jane Roberts on the hot reality show L.A. Candy. Now Madison's ready for her turn in the spotlight and she'll stop at nothing to get it. Sure, she's the star of a new show, but with backstabbing friends and suspicious family members trying to bring her down, Madison has her work cut out for her. Plus, there's a new nice girl in "reality" town—aspiring actress Carmen Price, the daughter of Hollywood royalty—and she's a lot more experienced at playing the fame game... When the camera's start rolling, whose star will shine brighter?

Filled with characters both familiar and new, Lauren Conrad's series about the highs and lows of being famous delivers Hollywood gossip and drama at every turn.

Reality TV isn't really familiar to me, though it isn't completely unfamiliar either. With this book, I felt as though it was pretty much like reading a book based on a reality television... and I'm not talking about the part of the book that is indeed about a reality show. If that was the intended outcome, then Conrad definitely succeeded in that. If it wasn't... well, it was.

This is a spin-off series from Lauren's L.A. Candy series. I have to admit, I tried reading L.A. Candy and it really just didn't work out for me - which is why you will never see a review for that book on this blog - I don't review DNF's for many reasons, including being fair to the author and giving them more positive publicity through those that do enjoy the books. With that being said, I can say that it was a good thing that I did read at least some of L.A. Candy because it helped the scoring of this book.

One of my big things in reading a book is checking out the writing - and every single aspect of it. I can honestly say that the writing in this book compared to L.A. Candy is much MUCH better, and it really shows that the author has evolved with each of her stories. I also enjoyed Madison as a character, which was surprising to me considering that I spent a good portion of the book having a very love/hate relationship with her.

As a matter of fact, I had a love/hate relationship with most of this book and its characters - ultimately finding more "hate" with the other characters than "love" like I did with Madison. Unlike her role in the L.A. Candy series, Madison is definitely more fleshed out and developed in this book, which is its own saving grace considering this is her book/story. The other characters fell a little flat for me. There wasn't much growth nor maturation, rather the characters seemed to be shallow and not much more past that. However, they were pretty good for some laughs.

The plot of this book was pretty much non-existent... or just seemed to play hide-and-go-seek with me, and I failed miserably at seeking. I couldn't tell you a single commentary about what the actual storyline of this book was as it felt more like a story told the way stories are told in tabloids - which, again, could have been a nod to that whole "reality television" feel that seemed to have been missed on me.

I'm sure it seems that I am ripping this book a new one because I hated it, but it's not true. In fact, it wasn't an incredibly atrocious read - it was actually fun. I'm just being hard because I feel like this story could have been taken to the next level because it does have the potential to get there. Having said all of this, even though this wasn't my favorite read of the year... I could definitely see where a lot of teens and reality show fans would love this book. If you're one of these, I would recommend checking this book out and forming your own opinion.

Rating: ★★★✩✩ Avg 3.57
Source: Young Adult Books Central

---

Title: The Fame Game
Author: Lauren Conrad
Series: The Fame Game, Book 1
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: Hardcover, 313 pages
Release Date: April 3, 2012

Purchase Book
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound

It's A Waverly Life, by Maria Murnane

Readers first met the irrepressible Waverly Bryson in Perfect on Paper, and now the woman dubbed by fans as “the American Bridget Jones” is back in a sequel packed with friendship, heartache, and romance. In It’s a Waverly Life, the formerly heartbroken singleton is now happily enmeshed in a new relationship, a new job, and a new decade. Her career as an advice columnist is taking off, and the future of her fledgling greeting-card line is bright. Of course, where Waverly goes, drama is sure to follow, and this time is no exception. Her broken engagement to former fiancé Aaron Vaughn has left her gun-shy when it comes to love, putting strain on her long-distance relationship with handsome Jake McIntyre. And when her best friends McKenna and Andie both make life-changing announcements, Waverly fears she is being left behind by the ones she loves most. In true Waverly fashion, things must get comically worse before they can get better. But in the end, she discovers that though life (before and after thirty) may be messy and unpredictable, friendship and love make it all worthwhile.

To begin, I had actually never read Murnane's first Waverly book, Perfect on Paper, until I was actually finished with this book. Having said that, there was never a moment while I was reading It's A Waverly Life that made me feel lost when there was a reference to the first book. However, after reading this book, I immediately wanted to go back and read the first because Waverly is an amazing character that's easy to relate to and a personality that will charm the wits out of you. You just can't get enough of her!

At the beginning, everything seems to be going wonderful for Waverly.. but of course, all that glitters is not gold. Soon, things start going downhill and it seems as though all of it will consume her. However, Waverly never acts like a little damsel-in-distress. She takes charge and always confronts whatever may be going wrong. I love her attitude and the way that she doesn't seem to give up, even when you feel as a reader like you would if you were in her shoes.

The romance in this story is just like it is in real life, it has its ups and its downs. But that's what makes love so much fun.. if you want it, you have to work for it. To my surprise though, the romance was not the center of attention in this story - which I really liked. Instead, it focused on other aspects of Waverly's life along with giving us a good helping of the romance along the way. I loved it.

Overall, this was a wonderful read. I especially enjoyed all of the twists and turns in the story that kept me on the edge of my seat, eagerly wondering what was going to happen next. This isn't a YA read, but it is a story that Chick Lit fans will thoroughly enjoy.
Rating: ★★★★✩
Source: Little Bird Publicity

---

► Author Information
Blog | Website | Facebook | Twitter

► Book Information
Series: Waverly Bryson (Book 2)
Paperback, 288 pages
Published November 8, 2011 by Amazon Encore
ISBN: 161218149X
ISBN13: 9781612181493
► Buy The Book
Amazon Encore | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound

My One And Only, by Kristan Higgins

My One and Only
Kristan Higgins

Publisher: HQN Books
Release Date: March 29, 2011
Series: N/A
Genre: Young Adult
Pages: Mass Market Paperback, 384
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5 (Avg 4/5)

Divorce attorney Harper James can't catch a break. Bad enough that she runs into her ex-hubby, Nick, at her sister's destination wedding, but now, by a cruel twist of fate, she's being forced to make a cross-country road trip with him. And her almost-fiancé back at home is not likely to be sympathetic. Harper can't help that Nick has come blazing back into her life in all of his frustratingly appealing, gorgeous architect glory. But in Nick's eyes, Harper's always been the one. If they can only get it right this time, forever might be waiting -- just around the bend.

I think it's starting to become clear that I have a soft spot for Contemporary Romance novels. Though the reviews for such books on here are usually Young Adult, I absolutely had to take the plunge to read this and review it. Kristan Higgins is an incredible writer and I have been a fan of her writing for a little while now. The way she writes makes it entirely too easy to get lost in her stories, making you not want to come out of the story world until you're completely done with the book.

The first thing that pops out about this book is the fact that it's about second chances. We're dealing with an ex-wife and an ex-husband who, after marrying very early, separate and then find themselves in a situation where they not only have to deal with each other - but also their feelings for one another. I absolutely loved it. It's not often we read happily-ever-afters about those that didn't quite get it right the first time around.

For me, this was most definitely a character-driven story. The characters kept me reading, anxiously wanting to know more and more. Although it seems that Harper is a bit... abrasive at the beginning, once you learn her story then she seems justified and completely in character. Nick isn't some knight in shining armor. He comes with his own issues. Yet, he admits right up that Harper was The One for him. He was never impatient with Harper, he's always there for her and it gave me a tooth ache just seeing how utterly sweet he was. Like all good characters, these two (and the others) don't go without their flaws... but it works for them and makes them each unique with their own voices, never once deviating from themselves.

I can't say anything bad about this book. It has everything that you want in contemporary/chick lit novels without the headaches of bad characters or plots that go nowhere. The story is as equally amazing as the characters themselves and, after finishing, I couldn't help but to want to read more about all of these fascinating characters. This is one of my highly recommended contemp reads of 2011 so far.

Find Kristan Higgins Online
Website | Blog | Facebook

Purchase MY ONE AND ONLY
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound