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A review by jacki_f
Movie Star by Lizzie Pepper by Hilary Liftin
4.0
I devoured this book in hungry gulps - it's such an addictive read. Essentially, it's a fictionalised take on the marriage of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, with just enough changes to hopefully spare the author a lawsuit. Our narrator is Lizzie Pepper, a pretty TV actress on the rise who meets mega movie star Rob Mars. Rob has a "mega watt" smile, a sibling who manages his PR, is the subject of persistent rumours about his sexual orientation and is a avid disciple of the secretive "One Cell" studio. He promptly sweeps Lizzie off her feet with a series of completely OTT dates, introduces her to a One Cell assistant/new BFF and renames her "Elizabeth". Sound familiar?
What is so enticing about this book is the idea that you could be reading what really went down in Tom & Katie's marriage (although I suspect that One Cell is significantly more benign that the COS). The way that Lizzie is wooed and manipulated is both fascinating and chilling to read. Obviously the author has used her imagination but it all feels chillingly plausible. What adds to the book's allure is that the author has co-written or ghost-written several celebrity memoirs herself, which gives credibility to the way that she discusses some aspects of celebrity - as examples, the way that stars are paid cash to wear particular clothes, the way that they manage photo-opps, the realities of press tours and how you plug the film that you aren't happy with.
A few years ago I read [b:American Wife|2807199|American Wife|Curtis Sittenfeld|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1437363047s/2807199.jpg|2833088] which was a fictionalised autobiography of Laura Bush and I found that book equally compelling. Movie Star is not the best written book I've read and it certainly won't win any literary awards, but it's addictive reading material.
What is so enticing about this book is the idea that you could be reading what really went down in Tom & Katie's marriage (although I suspect that One Cell is significantly more benign that the COS). The way that Lizzie is wooed and manipulated is both fascinating and chilling to read. Obviously the author has used her imagination but it all feels chillingly plausible. What adds to the book's allure is that the author has co-written or ghost-written several celebrity memoirs herself, which gives credibility to the way that she discusses some aspects of celebrity - as examples, the way that stars are paid cash to wear particular clothes, the way that they manage photo-opps, the realities of press tours and how you plug the film that you aren't happy with.
A few years ago I read [b:American Wife|2807199|American Wife|Curtis Sittenfeld|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1437363047s/2807199.jpg|2833088] which was a fictionalised autobiography of Laura Bush and I found that book equally compelling. Movie Star is not the best written book I've read and it certainly won't win any literary awards, but it's addictive reading material.