Tagged: entertainment
Piece of My Heart by Lynn Maddalena Menna
(Cover picture courtesy of NetGalley.)
Still in high school, Marisol Reyes gets the chance of a lifetime to be a real singer, and she leaps at it. After all, this is the dream she held on to, all the days and nights she spent growing up on means streets of East Harlem. Marisol never gave in–no matter what her boyfriend or her best friend had to say. Who cares if only one in a hundred pretty, talented girls make it? She will be the one. In her rush to fame, Marisol tramples on the heart of her loyal best friend, and Julian, the boy she loves. But will it be worth it?
One night at a private gig in the Hamptons, the little Latino girl with the big voice from East Harlem gets a severe reality check. A famous rapper who claims to be interested in her talents turns out to be interested in something else, threatening not only Marisol’s dreams but her body and soul. Will the realities of the gritty New York music scene put out the stars in Marisol’s eyes forever?
[Full disclosure: I received an ARC ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
I have some mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, the premise is amazing and the descriptions Lynn Maddalena Menna writes are beautiful. On the other hand, the writing felt rushed as Marisol just all of a sudden got discovered and there were times I wanted to slap her for being so cocky.
Marisol is not a perfect character and I can usually deal with that just fine. She’s gorgeous? Okay, fine. She’s a good singer? That’s okay too. But does she have to be perfect at almost everything? All of a sudden, out of absolutely nowhere she writes her own song or inadvertently avoids a disastrous situation by nothing but pure chance (AKA author intervention). Marisol can be a bit shallow at times, but it seems like it’s a product of how she was brought up as well as confidence about her talent. However, it can get tiresome when she constantly fights with her friends over putting her career first. And by the end, it does seem like she’s learned her lesson but it was definitely a painful process and overall she doesn’t feel more mature.
The plot was amazingly fast paced, which I loved. What I didn’t like was how Menna transitioned from scene to scene. Whenever the characters had to travel, it was like they’d magically pop there without any clues for the reader to understand they’d hopped on a train or walked. They were just suddenly at their destination. Or, when it seemed like things were slowing down, some new drama would just pop up out of nowhere that was not really relevant to the plot. Despite this, I’m actually quite fond of her writing style overall. Aside from scene transitions, the amount of description and dialogue was balanced perfectly and the plot did move along quite nicely.
There were some unexpected plot twists and there were some important messages about self-esteem and how sick the entertainment industry can be, but on the whole Piece of My Heart was okay. It isn’t great, but neither is it bad; it falls somewhere in the middle. Despite some hiccups, it’s a strangely addictive story, possibly because of the premise and how it was generally executed well. What I’m trying to say is that it’s light reading for the most part: it’s really good until you think deeply about it. And for some people, that’s perfectly fine. I just think Lynn Maddalena Menna missed an opportunity to really send out a great message to readers. Still, there is so much potential here that yes, I will be checking out her future books. I’m sure she is one of those writers that will improve with more experience.
I give this book 3/5 stars.
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.
Why do you Read?
Why do you read? That’s a question I get a lot, mostly because I have my nose in a book over 50% of the time. But really, why do I read? Here are just some of the reasons.
1. Enjoyment.
Books are great entertainment and they’re certainly better than what’s on TV 99% of the time. Hmm…’reality’ TV or a good book that makes me laugh, cry and genuinely care about the characters? I think that’s a pretty easy decision most of the time. Of course not all books are great books and some have certainly been much worse than reality TV, but there’s certainly less chance of being lied to constantly when you’re reading. At least most editors try to get their writers to stick to the facts, whereas most television shows seem to not care as long as they’re getting views.
Good books make you laugh at the characters’ antics, cry at their losses and your heart race when they are in danger. Movies have the advantage of visuals and audio, but books allow readers to (generally) see inside the characters’ heads and have more in-depth knowledge of what’s going on. I personally find it easier to connect with characters in books than in movies or television because of that, but that might just be me. Continue reading
Son of the Mob 2: Hollywood Hustle by Gordon Korman
(Cover picture courtesy of Scholastic Canada.)
When Vince heads out to sunny L.A. to go to film school, he’s sure he’s left his family and their criminal dealings behind him.
But then Vince finds out the hard way that you can take the kid out of the mob, but you can’t take the mob out of the kid. Soon, his brother Tommy is shacking up in his dorm room, and a steady stream of “uncles” are showing up with his mother’s homemade rigatoni, and a whole lot of trouble, in hand.
Fans of Son of the Mob will enjoy reading more about Vince as he navigates his way through another hilarious adventure, while trying to keep his integrity—not to mention his life—intact.
Most sequels to originally stand alone novels are horrible, but Son of the Mob 2: Hollywood Hustle is definitely a great sequel to Son of the Mob. Gordon Korman fills every page with his usual over-the-top sense of humour that will literally make you laugh out loud in parts. But it does tackle some serious issues and not every part of the book is hilarious, which is partly why I love it. Gordon Korman is one of the few authors I know of that can tackle serious issues with a good sense of humour.
Vince Luca is a great protagonist and is very three dimensional. He is a good guy at heart, but he is definitely not perfect. With his newfound freedom, Vince gives in to the temptation to be lazy, but what college student doesn’t? Despite his faults, readers will cheer him on the whole way through the novel, especially during the climax.
Of course the plot of Hollywood Hustle zips right along in the usual Gordon Korman fashion. It goes along quite quickly, but the pace fits the story without being ridiculous. For young adults who are sick of all the doom and gloom that seems to be the trend in YA literature, this is the perfect book.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
*For some reason, Barnes and Noble does not have this book. The link will take you to their home page, so maybe you can find it and prove I’m blind.