Book: Secrets of My Hollywood LifeAuthor: Jen Calonita
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: teen superstar goes to high school in a wig and discount clothes
Kaitlin Burke is the sixteen-year-old star of Family Affair, the hottest show in primetime. She really needs a break from her back-stabbing co-star, Sky Mackenzie, so she enlists the help of her only "normal" friend, Liz. She convinces her mom, dad, personal assistant, publicist, bodyguard, and all the other people controlling her life to let her enroll at Liz's public school during a break in filming- in disguise, of course.
With her plain brown wig and clothes from the equivalent of K-Mart, Kaitlin is definitely safe from admirers. In fact, the In clique pegs her immediately as a big loser and treats her accordingly. One exeption is Austin, the cute, popular captain of the lacrosse team who, of course, likes Kaitlin and shrugs off his bitchy rich girlfriend to show interest in Kaitlin- for herself, not her money and fame, which is what she's always wanted. But when Kaitlin is mysteriously not part of the Rich & Famous scene as much, Sky smells a chance to get one up on her more popular costar, and Sky's celebrity guest appearance at the school's spring dance could ruin everything.
There's nothing all that different or memorable here; this book is likable but predictable. I will say that good-natured Kaitlin's story is a refreshing change from the glut of high society bitch-fest books out there to choose from (A-List, The Clique, etc. etc. ad nauseum). In the negative column, it really annoys me in books, this one included, when the author resorts to lots of high-end brand-name-dropping to pound home the fact that yes, these girls are really rich; stuff like "she grabbed her Gucci purse and Dolce coat and ran out the door." What do I care? A few times, okay. But constantly? Ugh. It also dates the book. My pet peeves aside, if you're looking for some decent chic lit, this fits the bill.
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