( 5 reviews )
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Posted: May 25 2007
Tracy goes to an audition for a movie at her school bringing along friend (protagonist) Jessie, who ironically gets asked to read a script and lands the part herself. Tracy quickly gets over it and instead decides to photo-journal the entire process of shooting. On set, Jessie meets the charming Shane Rockett and Paris Hilton-esque Heidi. Heidi and Jessie quickly become best friends, and Shane Rockett is ever intent at making Jessie his girlfriend, even planning out their "future" together in Hollywood as costars. No conflict comes until about chapter seven (if you haven't given up on the book at this point), where Tracy's camera gets stolen. Her pictures end up in the tabloids with no clear explanation why (it is stated at the end that one of the characters was seeking revenge, yet there seems to be something missing). Where do I start? Character development was virtually nonexistent, there was no motivation, but what to expect from a teen novel right? It still seemed extremely poor, though, compared to other teen novels I've read. All of the odd "coincidences" like Heidi and Jessie's identical pasts, as well as Shane and Marc's identical responses, are never explained and seem to be added merely for convenience of the story. The book seems to just abruptly end, where everything is shallowly and hastily explained, as if a deadline was to be reached. I also find it odd that Jessie's friend Tracy believes her "lifetime" dream of becoming an actress is over, but she is completely over it seemingly within hours, and not a hint of jealousy is to be found anywhere else in the novel. We never know any of the characters' motivations - at all. Why does Shane want Jessie to be his girlfriend? Why does Heidi insist on acting like Jessie's friend? What is the deal with Crystal and Gus, and what happened to them in the past that caused such a rift between them? Why is Sy always so hard to get along with? And why does he favor Tracy? I guess we shall never know. I never figured out the plot for this. Girl makes movie. Girl finishes making movie. And...? She decides Marc is her true lover, yet he is not even a major character in the plot, so why should we care about that? Who knows. Maybe I'm too old, at the ripe age of sixteen, to be reading something like this.
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Posted: Aug 1 2006
I am a movie junkie, I love to read about movie sets, where actors and crews show up for work each day just like I show up at my job, and out of the mundane work of hitting their marks and blocking out stunts they create the magic that we see in the dark in theaters. This YA novel had a verisimilitude that made me think I was right there, experiencing the craft and art of movie-making from right on the set, through the eyes of a starstruck but solid teenage girl and her best friend. The book had the flavor of the movie The World of Henry Orient for those who remember back to that enchanting but realistic story of two teenage girls who follow their crush, the musician Henry Orient played by Peter Sellers. The story follows Jessie Phillips and her friend Tracy as they descend upon the movie set of a Hollywood production that has descended upon their small town. Shane Rockett is the teen throb star, Heidi Hopkins is the leading actress, Gus is the stuntman, Crystal the aging actress -- put them all together and you get a funny, perceptive look at location movie-making.
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Posted: Jul 21 2006
This is the first of Mary Kennedy's books that I've read. I really enjoyed it. It has all the great things that a teen book should have. Movie stars, a dream come true, back stabbers, and a mystery to be solved. Do pick up a copy for yourself. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel and other books from this author. Also recommended: Theodora Twist by Melissa Senate Teen Idol by Meg Cabot
