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Review: L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad.
Rowena's review of L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad.
Main Characters: Jane Roberts, Scarlett Harp.
Grade: 3.5 out of 5
I have been a fan of Lauren Conrad since the first episode of Laguna Beach aired on MTV. I've followed her from Laguna Beach to the Hollywood Hills where she branched off on her own reality TV Show, The Hills and I just like her. When I found out that she was writing a book, I knew I was going to read it but if I'm being honest, I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did.Los Angeles is all about the sweet life: hot clubs, cute guys, designer . . . everything. Nineteen-year-old Jane Roberts can't wait to start living it up. She may be in L.A. for an internship, but Jane plans to play as hard as she works, and has enlisted her BFF Scarlett to join in the fun.
When Jane and Scarlett are approached by a producer who wants them to be on his new series, a "reality version of Sex and the City," they can hardly believe their luck. Their own show? Yes, please!
Soon Jane is TV's hottest star. Fame brings more than she ever imagined possible for a girl from Santa Barbara -- free designer clothes, the choicest tables at the most exclusive clubs, invites to Hollywood premieres -- and she's lapping up the VIP treatment with her eclectic entourage of new pals. But those same friends who are always up for a wild night are also out for a piece of Jane's spotlight.
In a city filled with people chasing after their dreams, it's not long before Jane wakes up to the reality that everyone wants something from her, and nothing is what it seems to be.
L.A. Candy is a deliciously entertaining novel about what it's like to come of age in Hollywood while starring in a reality TV show, written by a girl who has experienced it all firsthand: Lauren Conrad.
Sorry Lauren.
I did enjoy the book though. I thought the story flowed well and I enjoyed getting to know Jane and Scarlett and reading about their adventures in Hollywood. Now, I'm not usually a fan of books set in the Hollywood because some of the books that are set in the celebrity world have really tanked with me (anyone remember my review of Trading Up by Candace Bushnell?) but I'm glad to say that I liked this one.
This story follows Jane Roberts and Scarlett Harp as they make their move from Santa Barbara to the bright lights of Los Angeles, California. It follows them as they learn what it's like to live in a big city and we watch as they're thrown in the spotlight and treated as celebrities. What I really enjoyed about this story is the behind the scenes look we got into the whole reality t.v. world. I knew that it wasn't exactly real, that the TV Producers throw the characters on the shows into different situations and watch as the characters work through the situations on their own so it was fun to see how things are done because though L.A. Candy was based on The Hills, the characters were different and the storylines were different.
I'm a fan of Jane Roberts and Scarlett Harp but I hated both Gaby (who I think is reminiscent of Audrina "Ceiling Eyes" Patridge) and Madison. I couldn't stand either of them and my eyes kept rolling down the street every time they got page time. The other thing that I was a fan of was the love triangle between Braden, Jane and Jesse. As much as I liked Braden (I'm Team Braden), I really liked Jesse too and I couldn't tell which one was supposed to be Brody, I'm going to go with Braden since he was the on again and off again relationship guy that is sooo Brody. While I can enjoy the love triangle that was thrown into the mix (very nicely too), the way this book ended gave me pause. The ending was so abrupt and the cliffhanger felt as if it was just thrown out there and my enjoyment of the book suffered a little because of it but I will be reading the next installment in these books because I enjoyed this story enough to want to keep with it.
I think fans of The Hills and Lauren Conrad will enjoy this book because I know I did and I'm glad that I read this one. It's not my favorite read of the month (that title goes to Instant Gratification by Jill Shalvis so far) but I thought it was a pretty decent read and I look forward to more from Lauren Conrad.
GO LC!
This book is available from Avon. You can buy it here or here in e-format. Share this post!
5 comments:
What happened at the end. You can tell me. :)
I'll call you and tell you, I don't want to spoil it for everyone.
Thanks for your excellent review of this book. I'm an "on-the-fence" fan of the Hills and LC. Ever since her book has come out I've read a lot of different feed back - yours seeming the most honest. Your review has helped me make up my mind, and read it. Thanks again :)
Hey Margo,
Welcome to Book Binge, I think fans of The Hills and of LC will enjoy this book (even if it's because they're biased, ha!) because it gives a glimpse of what happens behind the camera's of the reality TV show that we all watch. It was a pretty decent read and it's piqued my interest enough that I want to continue the series so I think the book did its job. =)
Happy reading!
i saw it today at Wall-mart and almost bought it (along with Janet Evanovich new book!!!!) but since my basket was full i didn't. I'll probably get it tomorrow. When LC was on Good Morning she said she was almost done with the 2nd book (me thinks).
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