Tagged: carla j hanna
Starlet’s Man by Carla J. Hanna
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
“If you live courageously, you have scars.” -Beth, Starlet’s Man
From the award-winning author of the Starlet Series, comes Starlet’s Man, a story about a boy becoming a man amidst the mixed-messages in Hollywood culture. Discover why the Starlet Series took Gold and Silver medals in the Readers’ Choice 2014 International Book Award Contest.
Lights, Cameras, and Lies. High school student athlete, Manny Biro, is caught between the boy he should be and the man he wants to become.
Everyone around him accepts the Hollywood life. He doesn’t. Manny wants no part of acting. On the surface, his childhood best friends seem to have it all: money, power, success. Between the lines, they are all confused. Alan is a messed up want-to-be director focused on pushing scenes to their sexy potential. Beth is an athlete driven to escape from a dark past. Janet is Manny’s kid sister caught up in fashion and trends. And Marie is a lonely actress exhausted by the culture that makes everyone’s favorite stories.
[Full disclosure: I received a free paperback in conjunction with the blog tour in exchange for an honest review.]
One of the things I really didn’t like about Manny in the beginning of the first book (this is a prequel) was his self-righteousness. He criticized everything about Hollywood but proceeded to act like he was a part of that culture by fooling around with different girls and such. I wasn’t really sold on him being Lia’s love interest at first but he did grow on me as the books went along. However, in this prequel we get a really good look into his mindset while he was transitioning from boy to man
In the beginning, Manny is a pretty confused young man. He sort of likes his friend Beth, who he trains with in the mornings. At the same time, Liana Marie will always hold a special place in his heart even though she seems to be in love with her current costar Evan. And all of this takes place in a catty environment where publicity is more important than doing what you actually feel like so even if he and Liana finally admitted their feelings for each other, Lia’s bosses would not be happy with her dating a no-name. This, understandably, puts Manny in a very brooding mindset and leads to some of the stupid decisions I’ve alluded to as well as some of his hypocritical self-righteousness. Do I particularly like him at this point in his life? No, but he is an interesting character and it really does make me appreciate how much he’s changed by the second and third books in the series.
My only real complaint about this prequel is that the plot is a little disjointed. Sometimes it feels like there are random scene changes that I had a hard time keeping up with and it certainly wasn’t because of formatting issues or anything like that. I think that sometimes Carla Hanna pared down her writing a little too much and should have left in some more descriptions of the different locations and the transitions between locations. It does make for a fast read but I really would have appreciated a little more description so I wouldn’t have to deal with the occasional confusion.
The plot, however, is pretty good. It starts out with Manny learning about the kerfuffle over Lia’s last movie and it goes through her filming of Constantine’s Muse and all the screwed up things that come along with it as I saw from her perspective in Starlet’s Web. Her trials and tribulations are always at the forefront of Manny’s mind but he has his own things to worry about: money, Alan’s gossip blog spreading lies about his love life and his growing willingness to admit to Lia that he really does love her. It’s by no means a straightforward journey but that’s probably in part why I loved Starlet’s Man so much. Life isn’t a straightforward plot line and neither is this book. Manny has his ups and downs but finally comes through as a caring young man who is no longer the messed-up, self-righteous boy we meet in the beginning. It’s a satsifying journey.
Since this is a prequel you can absolutely read it before you read the main series but as a matter of personal preference I’d recommend reading Starlet’s Web first because I just like Liana more as a character. Manny is interesting enough and grew to be a better person, but being introduced to his self-righteous younger self so soon could turn you off a wonderful series. But if you like reading the prequels first, go ahead! This is a good book.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
Starlet’s Run by Carla J. Hanna
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Hollywood actress Liana Marie Michael finds out that loving someone unconditionally, without losing who she is in the process, does not always have a convenient ending or an easy to memorize script.
As the path unfolds in front of her, Lia challenges the demons and destruction of her past, which had kept her like Alice in Wonderland, frozen in time and unable to escape the heavy web of expectation shrouding her heart. She needs more than the promise of true love to help her prevail. Exhausted from indecision, should she listen to what others think is best for her? What should she choose?
STARLET’S RUN is a triumphant story of Lia’s determination to step forward into a new and authentic life, taking on a role she has never before been given the chance to play–her self.
[Full disclosure: Carla Hanna sent me Starlet’s Run as part of a thank you for hosting a successful giveaway of her first two books. As always, this is still an honest review.]
I actually liked Starlet’s Run better than Starlet’s Web for various reasons. First was that we really got to see the destructive influence of Hollywood on Lia’s life and relationship with Manuel. Secondly, Lia developed far more as a character in the face of her medical problems and she really grew into her relationship with Manuel. Seeing the two of them struggle with her career, but eventually learn to strike a balance was satisfying. They’re not a picture perfect couple, but they do have a really strong bond and a healthy relationship despite outside factors. I don’t want to give anything away, but Lia’s relationships with other characters like her mother throughout Starlet’s Run also take interesting turns.
I wouldn’t call the plot fast-paced since this is a more character based novel, but it’s not like Carla J. Hanna drags the story on and on either. It’s somewhere in the middle, but mainly you should read it for the subtle messages and for the characters. You’ll want to cheer for Lia the whole time and you’ll love her even more as she grows as a character. Not only does she grow within her relationship with Manuel, she grows on her own. She has a life and friends outside of her relationship, unlike some YA heroines who have their partner and no one else.
One of the strengths of Carla Hanna’s writing is that she can get a message across without being obvious about it or preaching to her audience. She subtly criticizes the Hollywood lifestyle as well as the social expectations it places upon ordinary people, especially girls. Lia is also a very spiritual character without really being overly religious so she is also appealing to people from very different religious backgrounds.
Overall, I loved Starlet’s Run and with that awesome ending, I can’t wait to dive into the third book, Starlet’s Light.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Giveaway: Starlet’s Web & Starlet’s Run by Carla J. Hanna
Well, it’s now my first giveaway of the new year! About time, right? So let’s jump into things:
PRIZES
One prize pack consisting of print copies of Starlet’s Web and Starlet’s Run, the first two books in the Starlet series by Carla J. Hanna. These will be shipped directly from Amazon.com, Amazon.ca and Amazon.uk. Sorry guys! Print copies cost money and authors aren’t exactly made of it, so I’m limiting entries to those three countries.
RULES
1. This giveaway will run from 12:00am CST on April 15 until 11:59pm CST on April 28. Winners will be announced on Monday, April 29.
2. The winner will be picked by Carla J. Hanna based on their answers to both of the questions below. Yes, this is completely subjective. She may pick winners based on how thoughtful, funny, serious, etc. their answers were; it’s completely up to Carla.
3. If the winner does not respond to Carla’s email within 5 days, a new winner will be picked.
4. All you have to do to enter is answer both of Carla’s questions below! Make sure your profile has your email address included so that I can contact you if you win.
THE QUESTIONS
1: The Heavy: The film and publishing businesses say they reflect the escape the audience wants from reality, that successful fictional romance stories have violence and sex because that’s what the audience wants to feel emotions during the escape. Do you think either industry has a moral obligation to limit the “steam” or violence when targeting teens?
2. The Fun: With what young actress would you like to spend a day? Would you like to spend it on set or at her home?
Starlet’s Web by Carla J. Hanna
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
A-list actress, 17-year-old Liana Marie Michael struggles to find herself when Hollywood’s obsession with youth and power threatens to destroy her future.
Liana is dating Hollywood’s hottest heartthrob while filming her seventh motion picture with sexy co-star Byron. Surrounded by a culture of casual sex and adult responsibilities, Lia feels lost and confused. With her film soon to wrap, her acting contracts up for renewal, her high school graduation looming and growing tension between her and smart, religious jock, Manuel, life feels overwhelming. Will Lia find the courage to share her love for Manuel, a guy unimpressed with Hollywood? In the eternal quest for youth, what life-shattering secrets has Lia’s mom been keeping from her? Can Manuel accept Lia’s role in Hollywood’s web of lies?
STARLET’S WEB is not only a love story. With fast-paced narrative that reflects Hollywood’s hyper-drive lifestyle, Ms. Hanna transports the reader into an actor’s daily life and demonstrates how difficult it is for young adults to break free from a path created by someone else – even when it is a successful one.
[Full disclosure: Carla J. Hanna’s agent contacted me and gave me a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.]
This is not the sort of book I’d normally read, but I’m glad I did, even if it was a little rough around the edges. What I mean by that is Starlet’s Web had great characters, a decent plot and a good message, but fell flat when it came to dialogue and having a believable ending.
Marie is a child actress who got her start at age 14 and is now 17 going on 18. And although it looks like she has everything she could ever want, Marie is far from happy. She’s in love with her best friend and thoroughly disgusted with the Hollywood lifestyle that promotes drinking, drugs and sex, even to minors. In addition to her hectic filming and publicity schedule, she also attends high school, which just adds to the stress. Some people might criticize Carla Hanna for making Marie drop dead gorgeous and being fully aware of it, but that’s not the most important part of her characterization. I don’t want to give too much away, but let’s just say that Marie, quite understandably, is not ‘whole’ in the beginning because of what she has gone through in Hollywood.
For a book with ‘spiritual elements’, Starlet’s Web never really degenerated into Preachy Mode. Marie’s journey of self-actualization and recovery feels real and the conclusions she comes to make sense in the context of the story. The only thing I really had a problem with was that this self-actualization was realized in the form of long speeches to other characters. I don’t know about you, but most people aren’t Greek orators and don’t give page long speeches without using a single contraction or any slang at all. There were times the dialogue was painful, but considering the rest of the story is very good, I suppose I can forgive Carla Hanna for that.
Near the end there’s a huge plot twist that actually explains a lot of Marie’s problems throughout the novel. It’s terrifying and definitely adds a lot of drama, but you’ll enjoy it if you’re the sort of person that likes generally happy endings. I felt that things were wrapped up a little too well considering the relatively dark tone of the novel, but that’s more of a personal preference than anything. Overall, Starlet’s Web was a great book that had me cheering for Marie the whole way.
I give this book 4/5 stars.