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A review by csquared85
Hollyweird by Terri Clark
3.0
An e-ARC was provided by the publisher through NetGalley, with no obligation to provide a positive review.
I found Hollyweird very fun and enjoyable, though the writing doesn't really do much to elevate the story or the characters beyond the cliche.
Aly and Desi are two polar opposite best friends that have won a contest to meet Dakota Danvers, the hunky star of their favorite television show, Paranormal P.I.. When they get to Los Angeles with Aly's self-obsessed, wannabe actress sister Missy as a (conveniently inattentive) chaperone, the girls get the star treatment courtesy of Dakota and his cute, young personal assistant Jameson. When it becomes clear that Dakota's good looks aren't the only thing about him that's devilish, it's up to Aly, Desi, and fallen angel Jameson to save the world from a supernatural takeover.
Aly and Desi are spunky and fun, but not especially well-rounded. Desi is portrayed as the goth-punk one, but it's all surface. If you weren't reminded that she had hot pink streaks in her hair or Chucks on or a wardrobe straight out of Hot Topic, her goth status wouldn't even register. Aly is more straight-laced than her friend, and as our protagonist, she comes with some cursory emotional baggage (a recently deceased mother). Missy is pretty much a one-note diva, but she and Aly predictably make up in the midst of all the chaos. Jameson and Aly fall in love in the blink of an eye, and while they're both pretty earnest characters, the romance feels like just another item on the author's YA novel checklist. I could take it or leave it, quite honestly.
In spite of these criticisms, I still enjoyed myself quite a bit while I read the book. It went down easy, and while Aly, Desi, and Jameson are kind of generic, they still seem like they'd be fun to hang out with. Paranormal P.I. sounds like a slightly tweaked version of Supernatural, a show I unabashedly fangirl over, and Dakota as described sounds like a mix of the best parts of Supernatural stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, and I am all over that, lol. Our main characters' hijinks and Dakota's temptations are entertaining and a little slapstick, kind of like a cracked-out episode of Supernatural.
I think Hollyweird is a good fit for a lot of teens looking for something paranormal but light. While there's a little bit of romancing on the side, it's not the focal point of the story, and Clark doesn't take things too seriously. I could see Meg Cabot fans getting a kick out of it. It's precisely the thing I would've gravitated to when I was 17, so even though I can't quite make myself rate it higher than 3 stars, I'd still happily recommend it to my patrons.
I found Hollyweird very fun and enjoyable, though the writing doesn't really do much to elevate the story or the characters beyond the cliche.
Aly and Desi are two polar opposite best friends that have won a contest to meet Dakota Danvers, the hunky star of their favorite television show, Paranormal P.I.. When they get to Los Angeles with Aly's self-obsessed, wannabe actress sister Missy as a (conveniently inattentive) chaperone, the girls get the star treatment courtesy of Dakota and his cute, young personal assistant Jameson. When it becomes clear that Dakota's good looks aren't the only thing about him that's devilish, it's up to Aly, Desi, and fallen angel Jameson to save the world from a supernatural takeover.
Aly and Desi are spunky and fun, but not especially well-rounded. Desi is portrayed as the goth-punk one, but it's all surface. If you weren't reminded that she had hot pink streaks in her hair or Chucks on or a wardrobe straight out of Hot Topic, her goth status wouldn't even register. Aly is more straight-laced than her friend, and as our protagonist, she comes with some cursory emotional baggage (a recently deceased mother). Missy is pretty much a one-note diva, but she and Aly predictably make up in the midst of all the chaos. Jameson and Aly fall in love in the blink of an eye, and while they're both pretty earnest characters, the romance feels like just another item on the author's YA novel checklist. I could take it or leave it, quite honestly.
In spite of these criticisms, I still enjoyed myself quite a bit while I read the book. It went down easy, and while Aly, Desi, and Jameson are kind of generic, they still seem like they'd be fun to hang out with. Paranormal P.I. sounds like a slightly tweaked version of Supernatural, a show I unabashedly fangirl over, and Dakota as described sounds like a mix of the best parts of Supernatural stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, and I am all over that, lol. Our main characters' hijinks and Dakota's temptations are entertaining and a little slapstick, kind of like a cracked-out episode of Supernatural.
I think Hollyweird is a good fit for a lot of teens looking for something paranormal but light. While there's a little bit of romancing on the side, it's not the focal point of the story, and Clark doesn't take things too seriously. I could see Meg Cabot fans getting a kick out of it. It's precisely the thing I would've gravitated to when I was 17, so even though I can't quite make myself rate it higher than 3 stars, I'd still happily recommend it to my patrons.