Beneath the Glitter: A Novel [Hardcover]

Elle Fowler (Author), Blair Fowler (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 4, 2012

From internet stars Elle and Blair Fowler comes a scintillating new novel that takes readers Beneath the Glitter of the glitzy L.A. social scene.

Welcome to a place where dreams are made.  And where nothing—and no one—is ever what it seems.

After their make-up and fashion videos went viral on YouTube, sisters Sophia and Ava London are thrust into the exclusive life of the Los Angeles elite.  Here fabulous parties, air kisses, paparazzi and hot guys all come with the scene. Sophia finds herself torn between a gorgeous bartender and a millionaire playboy, and Ava starts dating an A-list actor.  But as they’re about to discover, the life they’ve always dreamed of comes with a cost.

Beneath the glitter of the Hollywood social scene lies a world of ruthless ambition, vicious gossip…and betrayal.  Someone close to them, someone they trust, is working in the shadows to bring the London sisters falling down. And once the betrayal is complete, Sophia and Ava find themselves knee-deep in a scandal that could take away everything they care about, including the one thing that matters most—each other.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-The Fowlers of YouTube's AllThatGlitters21 and juicystar07 have written their first novel, a seemingly fictionalized account of their own lives. Sisters Sophia and Ava London, young and beautiful, are Internet sensations due to their video blog makeup tips. In short order they meet a movie star, win the prestigious Best Webstars of the Year, and are offered their own cosmetic line, London Calling. Sophia, the serious older sister, is recovering from a bad break-up and goes on a hiatus from dating, aka a "boytox," until she finds two very different men attractive: Hunter, who appears too good to be true, and Giovanni, an artist/bartender. Ava, the impulsive younger sister, is torn between Liam Carlson, a movie star, and Dalton, a mysterious animal-shelter volunteer. In the sisters' alternating narratives, readers see the romantic entanglements and sibling misunderstandings that threaten their relationship and new business. Ultimately all is resolved, and the girls seem headed for a happy ending until they are arrested at a benefit they are throwing. The mystery involving their arrest is forced and poorly set up and the epilogue is even more baffling. The book makes a serious attempt to explore relationships between sisters, but the emphasis on clothes, parties, and makeup detracts from this effort and gives the book an air of frivolity.-Kefira Phillipe, Nichols Middle School, Evanston, ILα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review

Praise for Beneath the Glitter

“Fast, snappy and filled with great insider knowledge of the beauty industry.” – RT BOOKREVIEWS

“Fans of Lauren Conrad's L.A. Candy are going to sweep up Beneath the Glitter, the debut novel from YouTube style sensations Elle and Balir Fowler.” – Justine Magazine

“An end-of-summer fun read . . . quick, lighthearted [that] makes us feel as if we’re actually living a glitzy, glamorous life. Oh, how we wish!” – Miss Literati

 “A GREAT book and even better beach read. It's fun, light hearted and a book that everyone should add to their collection.  I can't wait for the next one!” –loveforlacquer.com 

“This book was delicious and addicting and wonderful.  The characters were well-developed, the plot line was delish, and the entire idea was fantastic.  It reminded me of L.A. Candy in a way, but there was better drama…I highly recommend this book.  It’s absolute awesomeness.” –Willa’s Ramblings

“An enthralling, lighthearted, irresistible, and romantic story…fans of contemporary, chick lits and quick paced funny reads will certainly find delight in this one.” –Itching for Books

“An enjoyable read that is perfect for the beach…about two sisters who'd do anything for each other but have to realize that life might not be as easy as they want it to be. If you're looking for an easy and fast read, be sure to consider reading this one - especially if you're someone who, like me, is easily pulled in by a world of beauty, glamour and gossip.” –Fictional Distraction

“If you are a fan of the Fowler sisters I would definitely suggest picking up this book because it is a great insight into their world!” –Charming Chelsey’s

“ Fun characters combined with the always interesting plot line - which included mingling with movie stars, rescuing animals, 46 courses of champagne tasting, and even sabotage - made for a quick, fun read that I finished in under a day.” The Mortal’s Library

“Ava and Sophie seemed really down to earth and were just trying to make it big in a city notorious eating up people and spitting them out.  I really enjoyed watching their relationship grow through the tribulation that comes with success.” –Charlotte’s Web of Books

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (September 4, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 125000618X
• ISBN-13: 978-1250006189
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.4 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #290,273 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 40 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Review: Beneath The Glitter September 4, 2012

By Zellie VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Beneath The Glitter is about two sisters -- Ava and Sophia London (one blond, one brunette. One has a dog, one has a cat) who rise to fame thanks to their beauty and fashion videos going viral on YouTube. Sound familiar?

I've been watching Elle and Blair's videos since 2009 when I was making videos for the beauty community and I've seen how much they've grown through out the years. But to be honest, I wasn't expecting much from their debut novel since it sounded extremely way too similar to their real lives. There's nothing wrong with that, but it sort of just put me off.

The beginning to Beneath The Glitter really pulls you in. You want to know who framed the London sisters and why were they being arrested. But as the book went on, I felt like that expectation started to slope downwards.

Maybe I should start with the things I liked: The really strong bond between Ava and Sophia was cute. I'm not super close to my sibling and sometimes I wish I was, the bond between the two sisters in this book make me feel like I'm really missing out on something special. There is a rift in the book where the two sisters start to bump heads (like sisters should at times) but the way they patch things up was really heartwarming. Another thing I really liked in this book was Gio, he was like Sophia's guide, if you will. He always said the right things at the right time and he was like a Mastercard, everywhere you wanted to be! I enjoyed scenes with him the most because he really seemed like the only sane and non superficial person in the book.

Now the things I didn't like: within 27% of the book, there were multiple ENTIRE PARAGRAPHS that were in all caps. Then scattered through out the book were multiple sentences that were in all caps. Maybe it's just me, but it really annoyed me. Like that entire paragraph did not have to be in all caps. There's a lot of telling and not showing and the transition from not only scene to scene but from one sisters POV to the next was really choppy and confusing. I don't know if it's just because I was reading an ARC but I thought I would throw that in there.

I was also under the impression that it would be a little bit about their beauty and fashion videos (or even tips) but it has nothing to do with that at all. The book starts off with them already in LA and their careers starting to take off. Then basically just their day to day life in LA. Networking, promoting, fighting, trusting people they probably shouldn't be trusting... maybe it's just me but if I had to pick someone from the cast of characters to figure out who would betray the sisters, it wouldn't take me long to figure it out. I guess there's a reason for his name!

Overall, while I did really like the two points I mentioned about the book, the rest of it wasn't my cup of root beer. Rise to fame LA books aren't really my thing but I thought since I've been a long time YouTube follower of these girls I'd give it a go. The ending also ends in way that seems to set it up for a sequel which I just found out will be out Summer of 2013.

*Copy provided from publisher in exchange for an honest review.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Yikes. September 9, 2012

By Jessica Hart

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I swear, I really did give this book a fair shot.

I have been watching both Elle and Blair's videos for years. I've watched them rise from nobodies, to Youtube fame, to the *almost* celebrities they are now. They really have built an empire out of the beauty "guru" world both pioneering multiple brands of their own as well as being sponsored by countless others. They really learned how to play the game, and play it well. When they announced they were coming out with a book, I couldn't help but laugh. A book? Seriously? Not only is it based on their own lives, but is an overly romanticized version. It made me want to throw up a little. It was that cheesy.

I gave it a fair shot and really tried to go into reading this novel in as unbiased a try as I could. Maybe it would be a really nice, light-hearted piece of chic-lit ala Confessions of a Shop-o-holic. Obviously I never expected it to be the next great American novel, but I promise I really gave it an honest shot.

The story is... okay. I mean, it's nothing remarkable but it's not remarkably terrible either. It's an incredibly over-enthusiastic look into Elle and Blair's real life or "Ava and Sophia" (Victorian? Seriously? Talk about romanticizing...). It's what you expect--- two sisters who also happen to be best friends move to LA together and make something of themselves. There is lots of love drama and friend drama and blah blah whatever.

My real issue is the way this book is actually written. It reminds me of fan-fiction you'd write as a 13-year-old. It's choppy and repetitive. Everything is overly-descriptive and just BORING. It constantly switches points-of-view without any warning in a very confusing manor.

This book will obviously attract an audience of some sort. Probably a very young "tween" group, but there is no Pulitzer Prize or Prince award heading toward our fashionistas turn authors this time.

22 of 27 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Immature fluff... September 5, 2012

By Viewer

Format:Hardcover

I was curious about this book as I have watched both Blair and Elle Fowler on YouTube, and their "rise" to fame and eventual authorship. The first warning signs were Victorian names issued to modern day young women and men. Ava, Lily, Sophia, etc. One of the first rules of writing is don't romanticize. It turns into fluff and the novel immediately loses both the audience and any hopes of a redemptive plot. The situations become repetitive and redundant, characters living mundane and pointless lives, focusing on the trivial issues. This is where the authors' immaturity seeps through. Even fairy-tales and children's literature show the dark side of humanity and people desperately scrounging in everyday life for mere existence. Put it in the frame of the glamour world in LA, the struggles of even the most famous should be universal and therefore something the reader can connect to. Here they are nothing to blink an eye at. Not a keeper, quick and unexciting read, not interested in the sequel. Let these young ladies grow and experience life a bit more before putting their pens to the pages of another book. It is never good to be a Jack of All Trades and Mistress of None!