L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad (L.A. Candy #1)

Jane Roberts and her best friend, Scarlett Harp, moved to L.A. so that something interesting could happen to them. Jane has a job working as an intern for a famous event planner, and Scarlett is studying at the university. Getting to know the city is tough, and Jane isn't having the greatest time at work. Everything changes when the two girls get an offer to star on a new reality show and are thrown into fame and the world of Hollywood. At first, Jane adores the spotlight and attention. However, as time goes on, she finds herself unable to tell what's real or fake, and her "friends" aren't above tripping her up to get a piece of stardom.

Jane is creative, reserved, and friendly, if a little naïve and inexperienced. She's also very optimistic, always trying to see the bright side of things no matter how unpleasant. Of the two friends, she's the more "girly" one, and she enjoys dressing up and looking nice. Jane second-guesses herself and cares what people think about her, completing her extreme relatability.

Scarlett is the exact opposite of her best friend. She's rebellious, stubborn, and outgoing. She's not as trusting as her best friend and is a bit suspicious of new people. Scarlett takes everything in a stride and is more attuned to people's unpleasant qualities. She doesn’t care about fame and has no wish to be a star.

I found the girls a bit boring, to be honest. They're polar opposites of each other, which leaves them predictable and uninteresting for me. I wasn't impressed with the people around them, either. The stereotypes range from the backstabbing diva to the ditzy blond, all overseen by the producer who doesn't care what the girls think as long as the rating are high and the fans are a happy. I was interested by the idea and was intrigued at the beginning of the story, but as it wore on, I became bored and a little frustrated. The plot was slow until the very end, where it picked up just a smidge. There weren't any good plot twists, and while the characters are relatable, they weren't complex and certainly didn't feel real. I also found the book clichéd and unoriginal. L.A. Candy was fine if you need a book to kill some time, but I wouldn't recommend it as a great read. 2.8/5 stars.

#contemporary #seriesstartandstandalones