Customer Reviews

Flavor of the Month

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For a lover of crime fiction, this has got to one of the best books around that is definately not crime! I could not put this book down, I was even reading this at work! It was a very long book (800+ pages) but believe me, you will not notice it as you will just wanting to read one more chapter...

This book is a real eye-opener into the beloved world of Hollywood and L.A. Even though this is a fiction book, you can't help but wonder if that what REALLY goes on in Tinsel Town (and I am SURE that it does!).

This centres around the lives of three young actresses - Jahne Moore, Lila Kyle and Sharleen Smith, each with their own style, each trying to make it big in Hollywood, each with their own problems and secrets. I am definately not into books by Jackie Collins etc but this was one trashy, hilarious, sexy, excellent book that has a serious undertone and an insight into the false world of the entertainment industry.

If you REALLY want to know what goes on 'behind the scenes' with all your favourite actors, producers and directors or if you just love a wickedly funny, trashy book, then definately do yourself a favour..pick this up, have a couple of days off work and READ IT!!!

I am usually a reader of murder mysteries and just happened to pick up this book. Without a double this is the best contemporary trash i have ever read. finished it in no time, laughing myself silly through the entire read. Several of my friends have recently become seriously ill and i have bought them copies of this book - they all report how it helped take their minds off of the illnesses. I have probably bought over 2 dozen copies of this book to give to family and friends. I hand it over with the words "enjoy - it's a terrific ride!". Thanks Olivia Goldsmith. This was the best book you've written so far - although Bookseller wasn't bad either.

I liked reading this book very much. I'm on my second read now and the first time I read it, I could hardly put it down.

But it's unique to me in that I've never read a book where almost all the characters were so unlikeable. I even wanted to smack the nice girls, Jahne and Sharleen, for just acting stupidly. Evertime I would feel sympathy for a character, they would start acting hateful(Neil Morelli), and I thought Sam was just dispicable. But nobody was worse than queen bitch supreme Lila Kyle. I have never seen such an entitled, self-centered, crazy, and all around mean character, and yet once in a while, I had to admire her ability to get what she wanted.

It was a real eye-opener to read a book where there were really not many characters to root for, but I guess that's what intrigued me about it the first time. It kind of turned my expectations upside down, and that wasn't a bad thing.

olivia goldsmith is a higher brow talent than jackie collins. so with this assault on the hollywood star making system, you may think of hollywood wives, but this is a more indepth look at the hollywood insider's system.
true the cliches are overripe: southerners, agents, and actresses do not get off easily, but it's easy to watch goldsmith ridcule them and you don't necessarily feel too badly about their troubles.

the ending's way over the top also, but it kinda all feels like a good 80's primetime soap opera a la dynasty.

a long but fun read like most of goldsmith's novels.

i have never finished such a long book so fast-i whizzed through 800 pages as if they had caught on fire! the scenes were hot and delishously juicy and what an ending i didnt see that one coming! well all i can say is that it is such a summer read! while lying under the starz or under the sun its a must-have for a sizzling vacation! it was so wonderfully provacotive and sexy-but it was also a wonderfull insight to the way hollywood REALLY works everything in there usually happens well not those xact things but the same process--all i can say is WOW!

Fat, dumpy actress Mary Jane loses her man, her role and her self-esteem all in one fell swoop. She's on the verge of suicide when her mean grandmother conveniently dies and leaves her several thousand bucks. Hmmm, what to do with the windfall? How about full-body plastic surgery and a ticket to Hollywood?

Throughout this book I wanted to smack most of the characters. They do the dumbest things to cover their foibles that it's maddening. But that said, I still enjoyed this book and read it voraciously. It's mindless escapism, not meant to make you think about anything, not so engrossing you'll read past your bedtime. Nobody is dumber than Sharleen, nobody is meaner than Lila's superstar mother and nobody is a bigger brat than Lila. But it was a pretty entertaining read - fast-paced and gossipy.

For lovers of _The Bestseller_, you will also love _Flavor of the Month_. A delightfully witty, clever, creative romp through the lives of three women who stumble into great luck in Hollywood, and all the people who try to make money off them. I read this book on vacation after reading _Valley of the Dolls_, and I must say that I much preferred it. In fact, I could barely put it down. I have since sent it to all of my friends in the entertainment business. Even though it is about 10 years' old, it still feels very current (with the exception of one plot twist which is far less shocking these days than it was even 10 years ago). A great book.

I didn't think I could like any book of Goldsmith's as much as "Best Seller" but this novel is every bit as good. The primary character, Mary Jane, cannot get ahead in the acting world due to her looks despite her considerable talent. She thus transforms herself via extensive plastic surgery to Jahne and her acting opportunities at last open up. Or do they? Remember that adage of "Be careful what you wish for," for Jahne faces a whole new set of problems. Two other primary characters are two other women she acts with on a series, one on the run from murder and the other on the run from her aging but leading lady star mother. If you love Hollywood sagas, this one is a doozy!

I know what you may be saying...you never read these type of books. Treat yourself to a guilty pleasure.

Flavor of the Month deals with this simple idea, we live in an age where beauty can be bought, and if bought does it really make a difference. The book was engaging I flew through it in about two days. Since reading it, I've loaned it out to friends who remove the cover jacket so as not to be seen reading it, but pretty soon their recommending it themselves.

A genuine page-turner! From the instant FLAVOR OF THE MONTH opens, you're caught. Goldsmith takes you on a roller coaster ride through Hollywood (where three aspiring actresses make it big),and never let go. What makes FLAVOR... different from other «Hollywood» novels is that the author succeeds, besides having a cleverly crafted plot, and a witty, unique dialogue, in making you care about her characters. Especially the one of Sharleen Smith, the innocent Texan who has a hard time dealing with the price of fame. The scene where she is abused on the Hollywood hills is heartbreaking. It is written with such skills that you find yourself with a lump in your throat. This is Olivia Goldsmith second novel and a far better book than her previous one. Better written, better structuted, better plotted. It is «the» ultimate Hollywood novel. Imagine what La-La land could make of this one. It has to be a television mini-series, though. Two hours is not just long enough to capture the essence of that wonderful, impossible-to-put-down novel! Hats off, miss Goldsmith!