The dark side of celebrity and fame is something that has always fascinated me. Beneath the red carpet glamour and sparkle lies a seedy underbelly of desperation, especially for those still grafting to make a name for themselves, at any cost. The trials of auditions and casting, the pressure from both paparazzi and peers, the fear of putting a foot wrong.
Lily Thane isn’t a famous actress, at least not yet. She’s a familiar face from a famous acting dynasty, a former child star now approaching her mid thirties. Enter stage Adam Harker, an old acquaintance from pre-teen stage school on the cusp of Hollywood stardom, and in need of a fake girlfriend. It’s too good an opportunity for Lily to refuse, but as the relentless press tours and photo ops take their toll Adam’s dark side begins to emerge.
The ‘fake dating’ idea is a trope as old as time, but this time it goes horribly wrong. You know from the start that something happens to Adam, a spoiler that grabs you and keeps you reading in anticipation of the aftermath of the event.
The culture of fame is presented as drug fuelled and debased. The references to casting couches, to Weinstein, Epstein and #MeToo all ground the novel firmly in the harsh reality of celebrity. I don’t think there was a single character that I liked (not a bad thing), and even Lily as a narrator had some questionable morals, but I did empathise with her and will her to find out the truth about Adam before it was too late. I couldn’t put this book down!
It certainly makes you think about current high profile couples, and wonder how many of them are genuine...
Lily Thane isn’t a famous actress, at least not yet. She’s a familiar face from a famous acting dynasty, a former child star now approaching her mid thirties. Enter stage Adam Harker, an old acquaintance from pre-teen stage school on the cusp of Hollywood stardom, and in need of a fake girlfriend. It’s too good an opportunity for Lily to refuse, but as the relentless press tours and photo ops take their toll Adam’s dark side begins to emerge.
The ‘fake dating’ idea is a trope as old as time, but this time it goes horribly wrong. You know from the start that something happens to Adam, a spoiler that grabs you and keeps you reading in anticipation of the aftermath of the event.
The culture of fame is presented as drug fuelled and debased. The references to casting couches, to Weinstein, Epstein and #MeToo all ground the novel firmly in the harsh reality of celebrity. I don’t think there was a single character that I liked (not a bad thing), and even Lily as a narrator had some questionable morals, but I did empathise with her and will her to find out the truth about Adam before it was too late. I couldn’t put this book down!
It certainly makes you think about current high profile couples, and wonder how many of them are genuine...