Customer Reviews

Hollywood Nobody (Hollywood Nobody Series, Book 1)

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's great to find good teen fiction. This one is a winner. Scotty Fitzgerald is a fifteen-year old girl, who has a most unusual lifestyle. Her mother, Charley, is a food designer for movie sets, a former hippy, and a vegan. She's also not one to follow the rules too closely. Even lets Scotty drive their travel trailer, although she's underage. It worries Scotty, but Charley thinks it's okay. Scotty is a good kid, a computer geek with a blog called Hollywood Nobody. She knows the movie industry from the inside out, and isn't impressed. Her only rebellion is sneaking a slice of cheese once in a while when she can't take the vegan diet any longer.
Then Scotty meets Seth Haas, actor, and an all around nice guy. He treats her like a sister, and that's fine, but she wants him to be more than a friend. Just as Scotty begins to feel like a normal teenager for a change Charley begins acting even more strange than usual. Scotty realizes she's been trying to evade someone all along, and they might have just run out of luck.

Quirky characters, snappy dialogue and deft touches of humor set this book apart. Hollywood Nobody is the first book in a new series and it's one teenage girls are going to love.

To most teens in America, Hollywood stars are royalty. In her Christy award winning young adult novel, Hollywood Nobody, Lisa Samson shows us that celebrities are people, just like everyone else.

Blogger Scotty Dawn has a unique life. She lives in an RV because her mom, Charley, is a food stylist. The two travel from movie set to movie set giving Scotty the up-close-and-personal on many of Hollywood's A-list. She secretly blogs about these superstars on her Hollywood Nobody blog, which is growing in popularity every day.

But Scotty is lonely. On the set of her mother's latest job, Scotty makes friends with newbie actor, Seth Haas, but is disappointed when he starts dating snotty "it girl" Karissa Bonano. Scotty keeps her distance from the new "couple," thankful she's able to vent incognito via her Hollywood Nobody blog.

When Charley starts getting suspicious phone calls, Scotty wonders what's up? Why do they always have to run? Who is Charley hiding from? And does it have anything to do with Scotty's father?

Scotty Dawn is a joy to read. I loved her antics from her blogging rants to her acting debut as a life-size mustard bottle. For a quick and fun read, with some surprise plot twists, Hollywood Nobody is a winner. Highly Recommended.

Check out book two: Finding Hollywood Nobody (Hollywood Nobody Series, Book 2).

Aren't YA books written by the same moms and dads their readers declare out of touch? Read this one, and you'll either swear your best friend collaborated with the author, or wish to the high heavens you had a friend as cool as Scotty. She has guts, is plenty confident about plenty of things and somehow avoids adding obnoxious to her list of descriptions.
I'm 41, bought this for my 14 year old who hates to read, and am now convinced this book will forever cure her. I peeked inside to get a feel for the story and a few hours later closed the back cover, the book completely read. I write this review on the heels of just finishing John Steinbeck's East of Eden and can say without hesitation that I didn't have to dumb down to read this YA novel. I just may, in fact, have been reading up. Lisa Samson should be like brand recognition, if her name is on the cover, it's definitely brilliant.

Lately, I seem to picking up YA book after YA book about teens in Hollywood. They've been ranging from teen actors to behind the scenes looks but each has given a unique perspective into what it's really like in the movie industry. Some have been more realistic than others but overall I've found them to be really fun to live vicariously through these characters. What makes this book stand out from the others is that even though it's a Christian YA book, it has all the fun, wittiness and snarkiness as the general market books.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Samson makes Scotty into an actual believable 15 year old. It didn't seem at all that an adult was writing this book, it felt more like a teen was the one who penned the novel. Also, I really liked how real celebrities were used in the story. Obviously the main characters were going to be fake stars, but actual real life actors are mentioned throughout the book adding a touch of realism to the story. Somehow this makes the book more credible and realistic than books that make up stars. Scotty (and Samson as the author) shows that she actually knows her way around the movie industry and is not just a rabid fan who's in love with a teen heartthrob. There's lots of humor in the book and even a touch of mystery as well.

The only thing I question is how quickly her blog achieves fame. While I really liked the blog posts and appreciated the realistic comments, I just found it a bit hard to believe that so many people found it so fast. There are LOTS of Hollywood blogs out there and it would take a long time to achieve the popularity as them. But I did love how Perez Hilton's blog gets a small shoutout. Overall I really enjoyed reading this book. The storyline draws you in and the characters really get to you. Scotty is a very likable character, mainly because she's so easy to relate to. You really want to root for her and her fight for the right to eat cheese. While this book is published as a Christian novel, I didn't find it preachy at all. Scotty explores learning more about the faith but it's not done in a pushy way. I can't wait to read the rest of the books in the series.

I ordered this book because it was a Christy winner. When I discovered it was also "young adult" fiction, I was bummed; young adult fiction is usually written in the "See Jane run. Run, Jane, run"-style (okay, a bit elevated from that, but not by much).

I read it anyway. I got a big surprise!

Lisa Samson is a good writer and I didn't feel like I was reading an 8th-grader's attempt at "serious fiction". The characters and story were interesting enough that I even forgot it was young adult fiction. I can hardly wait to read the next books!

So to summarize: Good writing, great characters, a great read. Good job, Lisa Samson!

Lately I've been on a streak of reading on-the-edge-of-your-seat thrillers, so I felt it was time to take a break and let my heart rate slow down. I'd gotten this one as a Kindle freebie, so I chose it to read next.

What an enjoyable read - a little (heavy emphasis on little)suspense, but mostly just a nice read of a story told from the perspective of the 15 year old main character. I see it's no longer free, and I can't say I'd be willing to buy it at the present price of 7.99.

I also see there are some follow up books to read, but they also seem to be priced at the higher price, so unless there's a serious price break on these at some point I can live without them.

If you've already got this one and want a nice summer break with something that won't cause any angst, this is your book.

Hollywood Nobody, a surprisingly refreshing read that is obviously targeted for young adult readers, but enjoyable still for folks my age (undisclosed :). It is categorized in Christian Fiction, but not the type to force religion down your throat. Hollywood Nobody is the first in a series, as well as first young adult book, from Lisa Samson.

Written in blogging style, which I find cute, Scotty , a 15 year old girl, shares with readers her account of life and the strange things in it, especially her own.....which you will find is quite different from the average teenager. Scotty keeps a blog about Hollywood and in it you'll find some funny inserts of her thoughts on some real celebrities. She and her Mother, Charly travel around from movie set to movie set for Charly's job as a food stylist. Throughout the book, and their travels, there is an unknown person that they seem to be running/hiding from that kept me reading because I wanted to know what the underlying story was to that. Towards the end of the book there is an unexpected reveal that put a lump in my throat. I wasn't expecting it, but you'll have to read it to see. I love mystery.

My two oldest sons, 13 and 10, also read this, mostly because they ran out of their own books, and actually they also enjoyed it. They said it was probably more for girls because there was "girl stuff " in it. But it gave them something to read.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, even though it is geared more towards younger audiences, and I would recommend it for any teenage girl, or parent wanting a clean and enjoyable book for their teen.

Win This Complete Hollywood Nobody Series: http://pinkmonkeyprincess.blogspot.com/2011/05/hollywood-nobody-complete-4-book-set.html

I received this book (Hollywood Nobody book 1) free to review from NavPress. This does not affect my review of the book in any way, all my reviews whether requested or items I bought myself are 100% true and genuine.

Hollywood Nobody by Lisa Samson
NavPress, 2007
209 pages
YA; Contemporary
4/5 stars

Source: Library

Scotty and her mother Charley spend their time on film sets as Charley is a food stylist. This peripatetic lifestyle is largely to Scotty's taste as she has a good relationship with her mother, she gets to meet lots of cool people (including up-and-coming hottie actor Seth Haas), and she's very independent. There are downsides though. Charley won't tell Scotty anything about her father, Charley's vegan lifestyle keeps Scotty from her beloved cheese, and sometimes moving around isn't all that fun.

Scotty is incredibly likable, smart, funny, friendly, creative, and adventurous. Everything you could want in a narrator. Her constant pursuit of cheese was especially funny to me. She also loves movies and creates a blog celebrating the hot guys, the normal-sized women, and the talented in Hollywood (among other things).

On the latest film set in North Carolina, she embarks on a new set of adventures from the mundane like reading The Great Gatsby and conquering geometry to keeping the very cute Seth Haas from the clutches of rude Karissa Bonano, exploring Christianity, helping new friend Joy Overstreet, and escaping from the big biker dude.

The presence of said dude leads to a shocking revelation of Scotty and Charley's past. I spent much of the book wondering about the twist and hoping that Samson would tell in this book despite it being only the first in a series. And we do find out. There are good reasons for Charley keeping it hidden but I found the reason outlandish and not in keeping with the general tone of the book.

I also mentioned Christianity above. This is a Christian series but it's not a big part in this first book. Scotty has no religious background but becomes intrigued by tent meetings in the small town where they're living. While she finds the events of the tent meetings uninspiring, she does find Jesus compelling. That rings so true with me; even if ritualistic and legalistic actions threaten to engulf Christianity, I turn to Jesus and it's alright.

Overall: A cute and funny story with a fantastic main character.

Cover: Actually quite accurate with her glasses and not straight hair.

Hollywood Nobody was really a great book, even as a read for a mom like me. The main character, Scotty Dawn, has grown up on numerous Hollywood movie sets but only because of her mom's job. Scotty therefore describes herself as Hollywood Nobody, secret author of an inside Hollywood gossip blog. The author of Hollywood Nobody Lisa Samson, uses the blog parts of the book to show the crazy, backwards and dangerous pitfalls of keeping up with the fake lifestyles of Hollywood. Throughout the book, author Samson brilliantly points out the downfalls of trying to be a Size 0 or drinking and doing drugs way too early. It's pure genius to have a fifteen year old character as the Hollywood insider, drawing attention to the liars and fakeness that all girls feel they must emulate. With a teen narrator, the book never seems preachy and always seems to convey a clear message that girls should just be who they are. Loved that!

Another GREAT part of Hollywood Nobody is the mystery that unfolds in the last part of the book. Just when readers are getting into Scotty Dawn's unconventional life and schooling methods, a HUGE shocking mystery is revealed that leaves everyone wondering what will happen next! A few questions are answered in this book, but not surprisingly readers will have to read books 2-4 of the series to find out the rest. Without revealing any plot spoilers, the mystery slightly gruesome, but not too much, especially if you have an older teen that is used to those over-the-top TV dramas. The mystery itself is really intriguing, so much so that I myself might just have to read the rest of the books in the series just to find out what is going to happen!

I'm giving this book five of five stars. It's a book for teens, but I enjoyed this book. The non-preachy "just be yourself" message combined with the mystery really is a book that teens will enjoy. This book covers many topics that parents want teens to learn such as the dangers of drugs and the dangers of placing Hollywood starlets on a pedestal. Got a teen girl that needs a good series to read for the summer? Give this book series a chance!

The first book in a series, "Hollywood Nobody," by Lisa Samson seems like a winner for young adult fiction!

Scotty Dawn is a fifteen year-old girl that teenage girls would be able to relate to, not exactly her lifestyle, but who she is. Scotty travels with her mom, Charley from movie set to movie set as her mom's job. While Scotty enjoys her life and her interactions with actors and actresses in Hollywood, she does not really know who she is and who they have been running from. Scotty documents her life on her blog that is becoming increasingly popular and allows Scotty to vent and process events in her life.

This is a fun read! While reading it appears as if Scotty is actually writing the novel as it sounds just like a teenage girl. The blog posts and comments are fun to read as they are interspersed throughout the book. This is a great series for teenage girls as it is positive, realistic and can be related to!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."