Saturday, June 29, 2013

Family Secrets and the Tragedy of Stardom

Logan and Kelsey grew up together, cousins, but closer than sisters. Then something happened. Kelsey's family moved away, and the girls haven't seen each other since. Now Kelsey is a famous singer living an incredible life at the top of her profession. Logan struggles with a job that isn't as fulfilling as she'd hoped, a roommate that leaves the condo a mess and a boyfriend who appears and suddenly disappears.

All this changes when Delia, another cousin and Kelsey's personal assistant, invites Logan to come to California for a reunion with Kelsey. At first Logan is overwhelmed with the beautiful home, cars, clothes, and servants, but as she and Kelsey reconnect, she realizes that there is a darker side to Kelsey's stardom. Her boyfriend, Eric, is marrying someone else; her life is completely controlled by her parents, who manage her career; she has a killing performance schedule and no friends. After a confrontation with Kelsey's father, Delia quits and Logan becomes Kelsey's assistant. Neither set of parents is happy about it. The incident that drove the families apart is still an issue. For awhile, it looks as if things will work out, but Kelsey is being pushed closer and closer to the breaking point, and hard as she tries, Logan can't save her cousin.

The background of the book is fascinating. It feels voyeuristic to peer behind the scenes and see how the stars
live. The connection between the cousins is well done. You can't help but hurt for Kelsey and root for Logan to be able to help her, but sometimes things have gone past the point where there are easy fixes.

The family secret that caused the original estrangement is used effectively to keep the reader turning the pages to find out what really happened. It's not the center of the story, but it does keep the action moving.

The characters are the center of the story. I found it very easy to dislike the parents who kept Kelsey tied to them like a little girl although she was twenty-five years old. I liked Logan. She was independent, worked hard, and genuinely like Kelsey and tried to help her, but in the end, she had to save herself.

I recommend this book if you're looking for a good beach read for the summer. It will definitely entertain.


I reviewed this book for Net Galley.  

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