Broadway Lights (Secrets of My Hollywood Life) [Hardcover]

Jen Calonita (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 3, 2010 | Series: Secrets of My Hollywood Life

Her star power in demand on a hit Broadway play, Hollywood teen starlet Kaitlin Burke packs up her entourage (ok, her showbiz family, friends, assistant, and publicist, but not the dreamy boyfriend) and moves to the Big Apple for the summer. Kaitlin is the toast of the town and she hits the most exclusive New York nightspots, enjoys the best food (Hello, Magnolia Bakery), and even guests as a celebrity host on Saturday Night Live! But New York isn't all cupcakes and virgin daiquiris. Long distance and a handsome new costar put a huge strain on her relationship with Austin, and it turns out Broadway divas are a whole different breed of neuroses and competition from Hollywood starlets.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

It's no secret how Jen Calonita knows the inside scoop on young Hollywood. As a former senior editor at Teen People, and a journalist for TV Guide, Glamour, and Marie Claire, Jen has interviewed everyone from Zac Efron and Venessa Hudgens to Justin Timberlake and Reese Witherspoon. She lives in New York with her husband Mike, sons Tyler and Dylan, and their Chihuahua, Captain Jack Sparrow.

Jen is currently working on the sixth book in the Secrets of My Hollywood Life series, coming in March 2011, as well as a new hardcover novel about the harsh truth of being a teen reality show star, Reality Check, coming in May 2010. Jen invites you to visit her online at: www.jencalonitaonline.com.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Poppy; 1 edition (March 3, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316030651
• ISBN-13: 978-0316030656
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 1.2 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #621,450 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

It's no secret how Jen Calonita knows the inside scoop on young Hollywood. A former Senior Entertainment Editor at Teen People, Jen has interviewed everyone from Reese Witherspoon to Zac Efron. An entertainment journalist for the past ten years, Jen has written for TV Guide, Glamour and Marie Claire.

It was her work in the entertainment world that inspired her first series, Secrets of My Hollywood Life. The six-book series is about a teen starlet named Kaitlin Burke who grows weary of the fame game, but loves being an actress. The series has been published in Germany, Brazil, Portugal, Japan and Russia.

Jen has also published two stand-alone novels. Booklist called Sleepaway Girls: "The picture-perfect setting, the sweet little kids, the seductive freedom from parents, and the lure of adult-like responsibility make this the perfect read-alike to suggest to fans of Ann Brashares' Traveling Pants series."
Reality Check is about best friends who get their own reality TV show. Booklist said: "Fans of Meg Cabot's Airhead series and Calonita's Secrets of My Hollywood Life will eat this fun, timely, cautionary tale right up."

Jen is hard at work on a new teen series that will debut in 2012.

When the self-professed entertainment junkie is not working, she can be found doing one of three things: scrapbooking, watching Glee, or going to the movies. Jen resides in Merrick, New York with her husband Mike, sons Tyler and Dylan, and their Chihuahua, Captain Jack Sparrow.

For more about Jen, check out her website: www.jencalonitaonline.com, follow her on Twitter at: www.twitter.com as JenCalonita or on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/jen.calonita

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great addition to a fun series, February 28, 2010

By 

Alison "AlisonCanRead" (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Broadway Lights (Secrets of My Hollywood Life) (Hardcover)

I am a huge fan of the Secrets of My Hollywood Life series and eagerly awaited the arrival of the fifth book. Broadway Lights is just as cute, fun, and sweet as its predecessors.

Hollywood switches to New York for this installment (as you might guess from the title). Kaitlyn is starring in a Broadway play for the summer. Her entire world makes the move to NYC with her - Liz, her family, Nadine, Rodney, and even Sky. Lauren and Ava are continual crashers as well. The only missing character is Austin, who is at Lacrosse camp in Texas. The two struggle to keep their relationship going as obstacles come between them - bad phone skills; a cute Lacrosse girl; Kaitlyn's handsome co-star Dylan; etc. The Broadway scene matches the LA scene in cattiness, as Kaitlyn learns from her co-star Riley.

The book follows the same plot formula as the entire series - Kaitlyn is a sweet, normal girl who goes through life trying to be the best she can be and please everyone while still having some backbone. She loves fashion and embraces the celebrity culture without becoming status-obsessed like her mom or conceited like her brother Matty. In some ways Kaitlyn never grows in these books, other than to rediscover that she's already a great person and just needs to stay true to herself. But she's such a likable character that I don't mind at all. She needs to stay the same more than she needs to change. On the other hand, Liz and Sky both grew as characters in this book. Broadway Lights also continues with the insider information about Hollywood and Broadway culture. I love learning "how things really work," whether it's true or not. The book also has lots of information about NYC, especially the cupcake shops. I get a kick out of the script excerpts from the play at the beginning of each chapter - mostly because it's so ridiculous - I can't imagine it being a Broadway production.

My chief complaint about the series is the name-dropping of celebrities. I enjoy the detailed description of fashion and name brands; it's fun to hear about what people are wearing. But the name-dropping is rather silly - "my friend Miley...my friend Vanessa." Some is fine, but I got tired of it after awhile. More importantly, the name-dropping of celebrity and fashion brands dates the books. In five years, the celebrities and fashion will be old news. That's sad because the characters and basic plot are timeless. I'd hate to see the books disappear.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet, quirky, fun, March 7, 2011

By 

N. Taylor "Dancing Mom" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Broadway Lights (Secrets of My Hollywood Life) (Paperback)

Jen Calonita is a Hollywood journalist. I haven't checked her work, she might be a gossip columnist. Regardless, she knows Hollywood, she knows the stars, she knows who is IN, who is OUT, and she knows the Hollywood drama. She gives the reader a backstage pass to how stuff really works.

Kaitlin is a star. A really big star. The kind that gossip magazines LOVE to torture. The kind that attract the D-Listers (Reality TV with surgery) to engage. So Kaitlin's series ends. Kapoot. Not canceled but completed. She's now a child star without a job. So she takes on Broadway. This means that her family moves to New York City so she can pursue this dream. Meanwhile, her boyfriend, Austin is at lacrosse camp which is coed. Just a heads up here - this is the sweetest romance without any salaciousness. Very, very sweet - without being cheesy.

During this summer on the opposite coast, her former co-star, Sky the Total Diva, drops in to visit. Turns out that Sky and Kaitlin were the recipients of a paparazzi feeding frenzy because former friends, thinly veiled caricatures of Paris and Nicole (Ritchie) fight for validation through association or mud slinging. This is a hilarious aspect to the story. It's not essential for the overall story but it certainly is entertaining. Jen also takes just a few other shots at well-known untalented Hollywood clingers. Without naming names.

So Kaitlin's summer gig will be ending soon. Sooner than later if she can't handle another darling Diva while her former enemy, Sky, becomes her frenemy then friend. Co-star in the play is a total hottie who is definitely interested in K. But she has Austin. But he's in Austin (Texas).

Kaitlin's character is completely likeable. The romances are sweet, fun, and honest. Kaitlin, for all her Hollywood trappings, is surprisingly down home-cooked pie. Her mother is hilarious. Her dad is lost. Her brother is diva-esque, Sky is growing on me, Her supporting cast and crew (publicist, assistant, etc.) each have their quirkiness and clear personalities. Fun, clean read. I loved it.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, June 18, 2010

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Broadway Lights (Secrets of My Hollywood Life) (Hardcover)

Gold Star Award Winner!

Kaitlyn's leaving for New York City and ready to make her Broadway debut. She's not happy about leaving her boyfriend behind for so long, but she's convinced they can make it. She's not ready for a costar who likes her and a jealous boyfriend.

She and Austin keep missing phone calls and thus stop sharing details. Kaitlyn has enough on her mind trying to get ready for a live audience, a snarky costar, adjusting to a new city, and a media fight with two former friends.

As Kaitlyn explores the city, she can't help but wonder why her relationship is falling apart. Nor can she help but question the future. There's a great pilot she read, but it might mean working with Sky again. With Sky, in the city for work, they've moved towards friendship. Could she risk it all by attempting to work with her again? All she knows is that she's not letting the future scare her anymore and she's ready to take back control of her life.

I love this series: it's fun, flirty, and even though it's about Hollywood, Kaitlyn is a down-to-earth girl adjusting to life's curve balls. This fifth book in the series is next to last, and I can't wait to see how it wraps up.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel