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A review by mollyringle
Between the Lines by Tammara Webber
5.0
If you harbor a guilty pleasure for reading about the private lives of your favorite actors--and don't we all, sometimes?--you'll be able to appreciate the appeal of this novel. 17-year-old actor Emma, a mostly-unknown, lands the lead role in a teen chick flick opposite the hottest teen male actor going, Reid Alexander. What girl wouldn't lose her head a little when said hottie actually takes a off-screen romantic (or at least sexual) interest in her?
Webber doesn't sugar-coat the Hollywood life, that's for sure. This book confirmed what I already guessed: namely, I'd advise most teens to run as fast as they can *away* from a life of movie-based fame. These kids drink, swear, try drugs, and have sex (some way more than others on all counts, but still, everyone takes a taste of those behaviors), and have to suffer the ridiculous speculations of tabloids on top of it all. The thing that really shows Webber's writing skills is that I *liked* all of them. Even Reid, who I often wanted to shake violently for being such a thoughtless slut, had his charms and his moments of depth. (It was an interesting choice for Webber to use him as one of the two POV characters--but now that I'm done, I see why she couldn't use Graham, and in any case it did help me not hate Reid, which I might've done if I hadn't seen life through his eyes.)
Poor Emma is *mostly* an innocent, and gets blindsided by the nasty side of fame at the same time that she's getting dazzled by the perks of it. I found her thoroughly lovable, and even understood when she got tempted onto unwise paths with Reid.
But naturally it's Graham (in which role I would cast Joseph Gordon-Leavitt) who we all really swoon for, and are impatiently waiting for Emma to get together with. I won't give spoilers on that, except to say that there's a really unexpected and bittersweet twist at the end, despite which I was left with a warm glowy feeling about the future of the characters. So glad there are sequels to look forward to!
Webber doesn't sugar-coat the Hollywood life, that's for sure. This book confirmed what I already guessed: namely, I'd advise most teens to run as fast as they can *away* from a life of movie-based fame. These kids drink, swear, try drugs, and have sex (some way more than others on all counts, but still, everyone takes a taste of those behaviors), and have to suffer the ridiculous speculations of tabloids on top of it all. The thing that really shows Webber's writing skills is that I *liked* all of them. Even Reid, who I often wanted to shake violently for being such a thoughtless slut, had his charms and his moments of depth. (It was an interesting choice for Webber to use him as one of the two POV characters--but now that I'm done, I see why she couldn't use Graham, and in any case it did help me not hate Reid, which I might've done if I hadn't seen life through his eyes.)
Poor Emma is *mostly* an innocent, and gets blindsided by the nasty side of fame at the same time that she's getting dazzled by the perks of it. I found her thoroughly lovable, and even understood when she got tempted onto unwise paths with Reid.
But naturally it's Graham (in which role I would cast Joseph Gordon-Leavitt) who we all really swoon for, and are impatiently waiting for Emma to get together with. I won't give spoilers on that, except to say that there's a really unexpected and bittersweet twist at the end, despite which I was left with a warm glowy feeling about the future of the characters. So glad there are sequels to look forward to!