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marceelf's review
4.0
http://www.anurseandabook.com/2016/02/no-ordinary-life-by-suzanne-redfern.html
I finished this book in one day, it was pretty compulsively readable. Why? I have no idea.
Faye was the worst character. She literally just sat back and let everyone do whatever they wanted, to her and her children. I don't usually care too much what people do with their own lives, but when you aren't a tiger mom for your kids, that's when you lose me.
Faye has been abandoned months before by her long distance truck driver husband, but she hasn't done anything about it. She's not working, not paying the bills, not doing too much, so she ends up having to move to L.A. to live with her mom.
As she attempts to get a waitressing job, her four year old daughter is "discovered" by an agent. Suddenly, they are making a Gap commercial and spending the money. This leads to a part on a family television show. Faye isn't sure if she wants this, but she knows she needs the money, so after a few minutes of angst, she just goes along with the plan.
Faye says, "There are those who lead their lives, and those whose lives lead them, and I am the latter....". That is the perfect description of Faye's life, which drove me crazy! I wanted her to stand up and get it together as her family kept falling apart.
Then her son becomes involved in the show, which is a blessing for him, as he has been suffering from selective mutism. But as things get worse and worse with Faye's older daughter, and her ex-husband comes back into town looking for a big payday, Faye can't decide anymore if she wants this or not.
I think that is the thing about her that made me the craziest, it was back and forth all of the time.
SPOILER ALERT!!
The ending with her husband didn't seem very real - one minute he's saying he's back and she better get used to it because that money is his, and then he makes an abrupt about face and does the right (?) thing and walks away from the kids and money. That didn't make much sense.
I also didn't agree with how she got her daughter off the show. Making a very public accusation that a writer on a children's show is a pedophile, even when you know for a fact that it's not true, but you edit film to make it look like he's pulling a girl's shirt up instead of trying to pull it down, that's pretty low. His wife leaves him, the whole world thinks he's a child molester, and this doesn't seem to bother Faye at all. This is the woman who offers her missing husband apple pie because she knows it will make him happy, and she's suddenly so ruthless that she can ruin an innocent man's life.
And she doesn't consider how this will impact her son, who has only had positive experiences on the show. I'm just not buying it.
But none of this stopped me from staying up late to finish this book!! I couldn't put it down!
I finished this book in one day, it was pretty compulsively readable. Why? I have no idea.
Faye was the worst character. She literally just sat back and let everyone do whatever they wanted, to her and her children. I don't usually care too much what people do with their own lives, but when you aren't a tiger mom for your kids, that's when you lose me.
Faye has been abandoned months before by her long distance truck driver husband, but she hasn't done anything about it. She's not working, not paying the bills, not doing too much, so she ends up having to move to L.A. to live with her mom.
As she attempts to get a waitressing job, her four year old daughter is "discovered" by an agent. Suddenly, they are making a Gap commercial and spending the money. This leads to a part on a family television show. Faye isn't sure if she wants this, but she knows she needs the money, so after a few minutes of angst, she just goes along with the plan.
Faye says, "There are those who lead their lives, and those whose lives lead them, and I am the latter....". That is the perfect description of Faye's life, which drove me crazy! I wanted her to stand up and get it together as her family kept falling apart.
Then her son becomes involved in the show, which is a blessing for him, as he has been suffering from selective mutism. But as things get worse and worse with Faye's older daughter, and her ex-husband comes back into town looking for a big payday, Faye can't decide anymore if she wants this or not.
I think that is the thing about her that made me the craziest, it was back and forth all of the time.
SPOILER ALERT!!
The ending with her husband didn't seem very real - one minute he's saying he's back and she better get used to it because that money is his, and then he makes an abrupt about face and does the right (?) thing and walks away from the kids and money. That didn't make much sense.
I also didn't agree with how she got her daughter off the show. Making a very public accusation that a writer on a children's show is a pedophile, even when you know for a fact that it's not true, but you edit film to make it look like he's pulling a girl's shirt up instead of trying to pull it down, that's pretty low. His wife leaves him, the whole world thinks he's a child molester, and this doesn't seem to bother Faye at all. This is the woman who offers her missing husband apple pie because she knows it will make him happy, and she's suddenly so ruthless that she can ruin an innocent man's life.
And she doesn't consider how this will impact her son, who has only had positive experiences on the show. I'm just not buying it.
But none of this stopped me from staying up late to finish this book!! I couldn't put it down!
joliebeth23's review
4.0
I enjoyed the book, especially in the sense that Faye was written very realistically. Sometimes I really liked her, and at other times, I wanted to shake her, which made her seem very human. I also enjoyed the character of Faye's mother and would have liked even more of her in the book.
One point that others have mentioned, writing Molly's dialogue with tons of "Ws" in every word to indicate her lisp was annoying to the point of being grating. It was unnecessary and could have been handled so much better. The reader would get the point without that trick.
One point that others have mentioned, writing Molly's dialogue with tons of "Ws" in every word to indicate her lisp was annoying to the point of being grating. It was unnecessary and could have been handled so much better. The reader would get the point without that trick.
ithaka2022's review
3.0
Как всегда у нее, хороший, занимательный страдариум про женщину-Иова (денег нет, работы нет, муж сбежал, трое детей, один с особенностями, одна противный подросток и одна солнышко). Солнышко приглашают сниматься в кино (это не спойлер; точнее, все заспойлено уже в эпиграфе), ну и дальше понятно что.
tltorrez's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Not her best. I love Redfearn but the protagonist in this one just spends way too much time walking around clueless. Making desperate decisions is one thing but no one who has ever seen a tabloid headline is that oblivious to the fate of child stars. And the ending is pretty ridiculous.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Suicide, Rape, and Pedophilia
Minor: Eating disorder and Drug use
ssebens's review
3.0
I don't normally read this genre of book. I'm more of a historical fiction, fantasy, sci fi reader. But I figured, Goodreads giveaways would be the perfect opportunity to expand my literary tastes. I could hopefully find some new authors that I liked and it would give me a break from historical fiction. At first, I didn't think this book was going to be one that I enjoyed. While the idea seemed interesting, (a single mom struggling to make ends meet until, out of nowhere, Hollywood comes calling) I almost immediately disliked the mom.
I have a little boy and I would defend him with my life. I'm not a terribly confrontational person, but if I felt he wasn't getting fair treatment or his life was in danger, I would become a different person. The mother in this book is a self described pushover. She doesn't become the overbearing stage mom, she just lets her children be put into situations where they aren't safe or where all the rules are bent and her four year old becomes exhausted. And her youngest child's career outshines everything so she completely ignores her eldest child, leading to that girl's self destruction. But, you know what, I became impressed by her anyway. She tried so darn hard. Originally, she let her youngest be swept into Hollywood because it was more money than she could imagine and her daughter was enjoying the job. Along the way, she slowly comes to realize the toll that a life of fame would take on her family and the consequences of being a child star. At that point, she realizes they have to escape.
So the question became, if I was all alone and broke and I really did have a fear of confrontation that was almost too hard to overcome, would I have acted any differently? She makes mistakes, she makes lots of mistakes, and some of them have terrible repercussions. But she really does try to be a good mom and she has some really hard things to deal with. I ended the book with more respect for her than I expected and I really enjoyed myself.
I would also like to mention that the author is an expert at getting you hooked and the adrenaline going. The chapters are short which encourages you to read "just one more" and I always needed to find out what happened next. It is really well written and I couldn't put it down. So thank you to Goodreads and the author for giving me the chance to win this book and try it. I definitely would recommend it.
I have a little boy and I would defend him with my life. I'm not a terribly confrontational person, but if I felt he wasn't getting fair treatment or his life was in danger, I would become a different person. The mother in this book is a self described pushover. She doesn't become the overbearing stage mom, she just lets her children be put into situations where they aren't safe or where all the rules are bent and her four year old becomes exhausted. And her youngest child's career outshines everything so she completely ignores her eldest child, leading to that girl's self destruction. But, you know what, I became impressed by her anyway. She tried so darn hard. Originally, she let her youngest be swept into Hollywood because it was more money than she could imagine and her daughter was enjoying the job. Along the way, she slowly comes to realize the toll that a life of fame would take on her family and the consequences of being a child star. At that point, she realizes they have to escape.
So the question became, if I was all alone and broke and I really did have a fear of confrontation that was almost too hard to overcome, would I have acted any differently? She makes mistakes, she makes lots of mistakes, and some of them have terrible repercussions. But she really does try to be a good mom and she has some really hard things to deal with. I ended the book with more respect for her than I expected and I really enjoyed myself.
I would also like to mention that the author is an expert at getting you hooked and the adrenaline going. The chapters are short which encourages you to read "just one more" and I always needed to find out what happened next. It is really well written and I couldn't put it down. So thank you to Goodreads and the author for giving me the chance to win this book and try it. I definitely would recommend it.
marceelf's review against another edition
4.0
http://www.anurseandabook.com/2016/02/no-ordinary-life-by-suzanne-redfern.html
I finished this book in one day, it was pretty compulsively readable. Why? I have no idea.
Faye was the worst character. She literally just sat back and let everyone do whatever they wanted, to her and her children. I don't usually care too much what people do with their own lives, but when you aren't a tiger mom for your kids, that's when you lose me.
Faye has been abandoned months before by her long distance truck driver husband, but she hasn't done anything about it. She's not working, not paying the bills, not doing too much, so she ends up having to move to L.A. to live with her mom.
As she attempts to get a waitressing job, her four year old daughter is "discovered" by an agent. Suddenly, they are making a Gap commercial and spending the money. This leads to a part on a family television show. Faye isn't sure if she wants this, but she knows she needs the money, so after a few minutes of angst, she just goes along with the plan.
Faye says, "There are those who lead their lives, and those whose lives lead them, and I am the latter....". That is the perfect description of Faye's life, which drove me crazy! I wanted her to stand up and get it together as her family kept falling apart.
Then her son becomes involved in the show, which is a blessing for him, as he has been suffering from selective mutism. But as things get worse and worse with Faye's older daughter, and her ex-husband comes back into town looking for a big payday, Faye can't decide anymore if she wants this or not.
I think that is the thing about her that made me the craziest, it was back and forth all of the time.
SPOILER ALERT!!
The ending with her husband didn't seem very real - one minute he's saying he's back and she better get used to it because that money is his, and then he makes an abrupt about face and does the right (?) thing and walks away from the kids and money. That didn't make much sense.
I also didn't agree with how she got her daughter off the show. Making a very public accusation that a writer on a children's show is a pedophile, even when you know for a fact that it's not true, but you edit film to make it look like he's pulling a girl's shirt up instead of trying to pull it down, that's pretty low. His wife leaves him, the whole world thinks he's a child molester, and this doesn't seem to bother Faye at all. This is the woman who offers her missing husband apple pie because she knows it will make him happy, and she's suddenly so ruthless that she can ruin an innocent man's life.
And she doesn't consider how this will impact her son, who has only had positive experiences on the show. I'm just not buying it.
But none of this stopped me from staying up late to finish this book!! I couldn't put it down!
I finished this book in one day, it was pretty compulsively readable. Why? I have no idea.
Faye was the worst character. She literally just sat back and let everyone do whatever they wanted, to her and her children. I don't usually care too much what people do with their own lives, but when you aren't a tiger mom for your kids, that's when you lose me.
Faye has been abandoned months before by her long distance truck driver husband, but she hasn't done anything about it. She's not working, not paying the bills, not doing too much, so she ends up having to move to L.A. to live with her mom.
As she attempts to get a waitressing job, her four year old daughter is "discovered" by an agent. Suddenly, they are making a Gap commercial and spending the money. This leads to a part on a family television show. Faye isn't sure if she wants this, but she knows she needs the money, so after a few minutes of angst, she just goes along with the plan.
Faye says, "There are those who lead their lives, and those whose lives lead them, and I am the latter....". That is the perfect description of Faye's life, which drove me crazy! I wanted her to stand up and get it together as her family kept falling apart.
Then her son becomes involved in the show, which is a blessing for him, as he has been suffering from selective mutism. But as things get worse and worse with Faye's older daughter, and her ex-husband comes back into town looking for a big payday, Faye can't decide anymore if she wants this or not.
I think that is the thing about her that made me the craziest, it was back and forth all of the time.
SPOILER ALERT!!
The ending with her husband didn't seem very real - one minute he's saying he's back and she better get used to it because that money is his, and then he makes an abrupt about face and does the right (?) thing and walks away from the kids and money. That didn't make much sense.
I also didn't agree with how she got her daughter off the show. Making a very public accusation that a writer on a children's show is a pedophile, even when you know for a fact that it's not true, but you edit film to make it look like he's pulling a girl's shirt up instead of trying to pull it down, that's pretty low. His wife leaves him, the whole world thinks he's a child molester, and this doesn't seem to bother Faye at all. This is the woman who offers her missing husband apple pie because she knows it will make him happy, and she's suddenly so ruthless that she can ruin an innocent man's life.
And she doesn't consider how this will impact her son, who has only had positive experiences on the show. I'm just not buying it.
But none of this stopped me from staying up late to finish this book!! I couldn't put it down!
jillhannaha's review against another edition
5.0
I seriously love this author's books and wish she could publish one a week! Her first novel, HUSH LITTLE BABY, was fantastic, and this advanced copy (comes out Feb. 2016) didn't disappoint me - another great book by Suzanne.
It really made me think about actor's lives, esp. child actors, and the peaks and pain of being famous. She did a lot of research and it paid off. Great read!
It really made me think about actor's lives, esp. child actors, and the peaks and pain of being famous. She did a lot of research and it paid off. Great read!
tjlcody's review against another edition
4.0
In the process of reading.
I'm on page 71, and I have a prediction to make:
I feel like this book is being set up as "let's talk about the evils of Hollywood and show-business and child-acting".
And I have a feeling that that's going to be the endgame-message here, rather than "maybe parents need to be a bit more cautious about the things they choose to allow their young children to be involved in, by doing research and asking questions and demanding to be kept in the loop instead of strictly trusting the people around you to know what they're doing. And taking responsibility for themselves and their choices when things go poorly instead of scapegoating everyone and everything else."
IDK, it's just a feeling I'm getting.
Maybe the book will surprise me.
[FINISHED]
*Throws my hands to the sky*
PRAISE JESUS HALLELUJAH, THE BOOK SURPRISED ME.
Faye dug herself into a lot of holes in this story, and to be perfectly frank, my sympathy for her was limited.
And there's the fact that Faye apparently didn't "feel as bad as she should have" about painting a man as a sexual predator and pedophile, when it turns out that he wasn't doing anything of the sort, and was genuinely trying to help the girls make a name for themselves in Hollywood. Like... Wow, Faye, I feel like you should maybe feel a bit worse, since your own life was almost destroyed by untrue accusations?? Pot?? Kettle?? You're such a hypocrite??
The constant preaching about the evils of Hollywood and how it destroyed children was annoying too... But only for a bit, thank God.
It was to my great relief that I read the author's note in the back and read that the author was not attempting to generalize all child stars (she even says straight up that many child stars have and are thriving now in spite of and because of their time as child stars), and was trying to paint a picture of a woman who gets carried away and lets her kid's fame go to her head; in short, not all kids go off the deep-end from being stars, not all parents allow them to go off the deep-end from being stars, and no, Hollywood is not necessarily filled with sexual predators waiting to take advantage.
(That was a nice subversion by the way, Mitten ending up to be an honest guy. I appreciated that.)
Which was a very nice clarification, because it takes away my uneasy sense of "is this person legit trying to blame Hollywood for stage moms' crappy parenting decisions?" Because to be frank, as far as real-life decisions go, I really think that's all it is: As the author said, a lot of child stars ARE thriving and had pretty good childhoods, and I think that's a lot to do with their legal guardians taking steps to make sure they never went off the deep-end. They were probably the ones putting their foot down and saying "No, my child has worked the limit allowed by the laws today, he's going home and doing his homework now."
Usually I regret reading the author's notes, but I'm glad I kept read with this one.
I'm on page 71, and I have a prediction to make:
I feel like this book is being set up as "let's talk about the evils of Hollywood and show-business and child-acting".
And I have a feeling that that's going to be the endgame-message here, rather than "maybe parents need to be a bit more cautious about the things they choose to allow their young children to be involved in, by doing research and asking questions and demanding to be kept in the loop instead of strictly trusting the people around you to know what they're doing. And taking responsibility for themselves and their choices when things go poorly instead of scapegoating everyone and everything else."
IDK, it's just a feeling I'm getting.
Maybe the book will surprise me.
[FINISHED]
*Throws my hands to the sky*
PRAISE JESUS HALLELUJAH, THE BOOK SURPRISED ME.
Spoiler
Faye I found to be pretty irritating at a lot of points- I mean, seriously, the red flag should have been around the time they were asking you to lie to subvert child labor laws, which are literally in place to protect children from the kinds of things Molly was being put through.Faye dug herself into a lot of holes in this story, and to be perfectly frank, my sympathy for her was limited.
Spoiler
Lying to the emergency room staff was complete crap: Doctors are bound by law not to share medical information with anyone. They could lose their careers if they breach the confidentiality agreement. And lying to the doctors about how your kid got hurt, especially when it's clear they KNOW you're lying, is pretty much the numero uno way to get a visit from CPS.And there's the fact that Faye apparently didn't "feel as bad as she should have" about painting a man as a sexual predator and pedophile, when it turns out that he wasn't doing anything of the sort, and was genuinely trying to help the girls make a name for themselves in Hollywood. Like... Wow, Faye, I feel like you should maybe feel a bit worse, since your own life was almost destroyed by untrue accusations?? Pot?? Kettle?? You're such a hypocrite??
The constant preaching about the evils of Hollywood and how it destroyed children was annoying too... But only for a bit, thank God.
It was to my great relief that I read the author's note in the back and read that the author was not attempting to generalize all child stars (she even says straight up that many child stars have and are thriving now in spite of and because of their time as child stars), and was trying to paint a picture of a woman who gets carried away and lets her kid's fame go to her head; in short, not all kids go off the deep-end from being stars, not all parents allow them to go off the deep-end from being stars, and no, Hollywood is not necessarily filled with sexual predators waiting to take advantage.
(That was a nice subversion by the way, Mitten ending up to be an honest guy. I appreciated that.)
Which was a very nice clarification, because it takes away my uneasy sense of "is this person legit trying to blame Hollywood for stage moms' crappy parenting decisions?" Because to be frank, as far as real-life decisions go, I really think that's all it is: As the author said, a lot of child stars ARE thriving and had pretty good childhoods, and I think that's a lot to do with their legal guardians taking steps to make sure they never went off the deep-end. They were probably the ones putting their foot down and saying "No, my child has worked the limit allowed by the laws today, he's going home and doing his homework now."
Usually I regret reading the author's notes, but I'm glad I kept read with this one.
momadvice's review against another edition
4.0
I received an ARC from NetGalley. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
I am a big fan of Suzanne Redfearn and this book does not disappoint. In this quick page-turner, a single mother's daughter is discovered after a YouTube video goes viral of her singing and dancing, at the tender age of four. She is immediately picked up for commercial work and then auditions & wins a lead role in a television show. Going from having nothing to having everything, you follow this mother as she juggles the demands of being a stage mom, the intrusive media, and protecting her children from Hollywood & her ex who just wants the biggest piece of the financial pie.
Redfearn effectively utilizes other famous stars and their stories to craft a compelling piece on the many pitfalls of growing up a child star and the rarity of survival in the industry.
I am a big fan of Suzanne Redfearn and this book does not disappoint. In this quick page-turner, a single mother's daughter is discovered after a YouTube video goes viral of her singing and dancing, at the tender age of four. She is immediately picked up for commercial work and then auditions & wins a lead role in a television show. Going from having nothing to having everything, you follow this mother as she juggles the demands of being a stage mom, the intrusive media, and protecting her children from Hollywood & her ex who just wants the biggest piece of the financial pie.
Redfearn effectively utilizes other famous stars and their stories to craft a compelling piece on the many pitfalls of growing up a child star and the rarity of survival in the industry.
tmaturino's review against another edition
3.0
Note: I received an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.
Ok parents, tell me the truth now. Have you ever thought, “I’ve got the cutest kids in the world, they should be in the movies.” You dream of the luxurious and glamorous Hollywood life. Not a care in the world, besides having fun and being pampered.
Well in No Ordinary Life, author Suzanne Redfearn explores what happens when 4-year old, Molly Martin, with the bouncing blonde curls and angelic face, skyrockets into stardom when her YouTube video goes viral. Molly’s mom, Faye, discovers how hard it is for a newbie to navigate Hollywood life and crack into the business.
I think Suzanne did an excellent job giving the reader a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into making a TV show. Suzanne weaved the technical details of show production in with the emotional and physical impact the demands of the show bring on the child actor and her family life.
Suzanne was so skillfull at telling the Martin family’s story that I felt a part of the family myself. Don’t you love it when you feel like part of the story? I know I do. I just wanted to eat up precocious 4 year old Molly. I wanted to hug Faye and reassure her she was doing the best she could by her kids and situation. I could’ve punched Faye’s estranged husband for the way he left and magically reappears into their lives when Molly becomes famous. I would’ve lectured the teenager and tried to talk some sense into her. All my Mama Bear instincts were activated in this book and they weren’t even my kids!
No Ordinary Life took me on an emotional and dramatic journey through the Hollywood lifestyle. Though fictional, No Ordinary Life provides insight into the lives of child actors for anyone whose wondered why child actors often turn into troubled teens and adults or drop out of the business.
Ok parents, tell me the truth now. Have you ever thought, “I’ve got the cutest kids in the world, they should be in the movies.” You dream of the luxurious and glamorous Hollywood life. Not a care in the world, besides having fun and being pampered.
Well in No Ordinary Life, author Suzanne Redfearn explores what happens when 4-year old, Molly Martin, with the bouncing blonde curls and angelic face, skyrockets into stardom when her YouTube video goes viral. Molly’s mom, Faye, discovers how hard it is for a newbie to navigate Hollywood life and crack into the business.
I think Suzanne did an excellent job giving the reader a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into making a TV show. Suzanne weaved the technical details of show production in with the emotional and physical impact the demands of the show bring on the child actor and her family life.
Suzanne was so skillfull at telling the Martin family’s story that I felt a part of the family myself. Don’t you love it when you feel like part of the story? I know I do. I just wanted to eat up precocious 4 year old Molly. I wanted to hug Faye and reassure her she was doing the best she could by her kids and situation. I could’ve punched Faye’s estranged husband for the way he left and magically reappears into their lives when Molly becomes famous. I would’ve lectured the teenager and tried to talk some sense into her. All my Mama Bear instincts were activated in this book and they weren’t even my kids!
No Ordinary Life took me on an emotional and dramatic journey through the Hollywood lifestyle. Though fictional, No Ordinary Life provides insight into the lives of child actors for anyone whose wondered why child actors often turn into troubled teens and adults or drop out of the business.