Customer Reviews

From Hood to Hollywood

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

 

 

How far would you go to pursue your dreams to get into Hollywood? From Hood to Hollywood by Sasha Raye introduces the reader to some colorful characters that will have you laughing, crying and saying I know someone just like that. Meet Demi Rodriguez an aspiring actress, model and mother. Living in the projects Demi has experienced her share of losers, druggies, and fake ballers. When her live-in-boyfriend gets locked up for selling drugs, Demi is forced to move back into the projects with her out-of -control mother and good for nothing brother. What is a girl to do when all she can dream about is bright lights and the big screen?

Do not judge a book by the cover is a famous quote, which Ms. Demi will learn to live by as she drops everything and goes on a whim to LA in pursuit of her dreams. Jorel is a producer who promises her the world if only she would come out to LA. You guessed it Jorel was a fraud and Demi got more than she bargained for once she hit LA. She was introduced to drugs, prostitution and porn this is not what Demi signed up for, but when she gets connected to the Crips there is only one way out and that is death. Can Demi reach her full potential as an actress under these stressful conditions? What happens to her daughter that she left behind? Porn was not her ideal big screen dream, but what happens when her mother gets a hold of the DVD and sees what her daughter is doing?

Is it too late to turn back the hands of time? What were Jorels' intentions? Is Demi trapped in this lifestyle or can she truly get her focus and be the star she was meant to be? Who will come to her rescue? From Hood to Hollywood is full of drama, graphic descriptions and a race for fame and stardom at all costs. Ms. Raye's raw, detailed account of how a young girl can be misled to believe was eye-opening and refreshing. I recommend this book to readers of all genres and especially young girls who do not want to listen to that inner voice that is warning them to beware. I look forward to reading Ms. Raye's next book.

Reviewed by: Cheryl Hayes
APOOO BookClub

Demi Rodriguez is a beautiful half black & puerto rican woman has dreams of becoming an actress or model in Hollywood.She is living the life with her drug dealing boyfriend,Perry. She has a five year old daughter name Aliyah who is autistic.Perry ends up doing time. With no money,Demi has to return to her mother's crib in the projects in Harlem.Her mother's apartment is already cramped.Her brother Dennis who lives there and he is lazy and will not get a job.Their mother has many men in and out of the apartment.Demi works but is barely making it.One night she runs in to Jorel who has some connections out in Hollywood.Jorel gives Demi a business card and decides to go out to Cali.Not wanting to blow any chances she decides to leave Aliyah at home with her mother and Dennis while she decides to make a better life for herself and Aliyah.They arent happy with Demi's sudden departure to Cali but what's done is done.
When she arrives in Cali she soon realizes her quest for fame and fortune doesnt come easy and that it isnt what she thought it would be.She becomes friends with Brenda whose into a little bit of everything.Brenda takes Demi under her wing and Demi does what she has to,to make some money.Demi soon realizes that she misses Harlem but still remains hopeful that she will make it and doesnt wanna go home as a failure.

Demi was extremely naive and you would think she would learn and grow some what throughout the story.I will give the book credit for moving at a fast pace but I cant get over how it sounds exactly like something I already read before.It seemed predictable and the ending was rushed and just ended all of a sudden.The book was just an okay read.

Reviewed by nicole098
Street Lit Clique

Who knew what someone would do for power? Loved it from the beginning to end! Demi went through a lot... Can't wait for part two!

This was an ok read,I actually expected better though.As for the main character Demi...I didnt know wether to love or hate her.She had alot of knee-jerk reactions and came off as very naive.I mean she just up and left for LA and didnt even tell the guy she was on her way until she got there.She played herself alot and sometimes I couldnt even feel sorry for her.

I feel like the whole gang scenario and the change in Brenda's attitude came out of nowhere.I really wasnt expecting that!
Also the cursing in this story was just so over the top..It seems like every sentence started with B this or F that.

The ending was very abrupt and just when all the action was picking up it was over.I really would like to have known what became of Demi(as well as her daughter) but it sounds like there would or could be a sequel in the works.The author does have potential and yes I will read another book by her.

"From Hood to Hollywood " tells the story of a young, beautiful woman, Demi, in pursuit of a better life. Life was good until her boyfriend catches a bid leaving her to fiend for herself with a 5-year-old daughter. From New York to California she takes a lot of blows and set backs but continues to push on.

"From Hood to Hollywood " was overall a good read. To be from the projects of Harlem , main character Demi should have been more hip than the author portrayed her. She should have seen a lot of things coming. She was simply too naïve. Descriptive and full of drama and action, this is a book I'd recommend.

Reviewed by: R.L.
3.5

I was surprised when I read this book because I didn't expect it to be so entertaining and hard core. People are killing me by calling Demi so naive. Just because you're from New York, you're considered naive, if you fall into a few bad circumstances and don't know which way to turn? Please...Demi was just trying to survive like so many other mothers out here. A do whatever it takes type of chick. I enjoyed this book, and look forward to anything else written by Sasha Raye.

Demi Rodriguez, an explosive black and Puerto Rican beauty, is desperate to create a better life for herself and her daughter. Being the long-time girlfriend of a prominent Harlem drug-dealer has afforded her the luxuries of expensive clothes, a high-priced apartment, and extravagant jewelry. But when her life of affluence and prestige is violently flipped upside down, she vows to do whatever is necessary to make her dreams of stardom come true so she can live the life both she and her daughter deserve.

When Demi's boyfriend and the father of her five-year old daughter is sentenced to ten years in prison, the beautiful young mother is left to fend for herself in the cold, harsh streets of Harlem, New York. With seemingly no other options, she is reduced to working for nearly pennies and moving in with her acrimonious mother and brother. When Demi is presented with the opportunity to start a promising acting career in Hollywood, she jumps at the chance with an eagerness only matched by her desperation.

Within her first few hours in Hollywood, the multi-cultural bombshell quickly finds out that Tinsletown is not all about the glitz and glamour. When she is thrown into one detestable situation after another, she finally decides to swallow her pride and use her desirable beauty and sexy demeanor to make a lucrative, yet loathsome living. When life in Hollywood gets to be too much to bear, Demi knows she has to fight to regain her dignity and her sanity, but it may be too late to elude her ugly reality as she barely escapes with her life.

Sasha Raye's FROM HOOD TO HOLLYWOOD is a provocative and intriguing novel of sex, lies, and fame. The story is brought to life with characters that leap off the page with spice and eroticism. The plot is fast-paced and hard-hitting and the cliffhanger ending will have you impatiently waiting for the sequel. However, I did find Demi's character to be extremely naive and gullible, which made me increasingly impatient and annoyed with her as the story progressed. Aside from the few grammatical and typographical errors sprinkled throughout the pages, I recommend the novel for those seeking a salacious urban tale with a violent twist.

Reviewed by Monique D. Mensah
For RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Man where do I start?....this book was so good I finished it in two days, I really felt for the main character she really only wanted to be actress but was only trickd, and lied to.....this book was so good I was at work reading it...excellent job Sasha Raye...you did your thing with this book

Beautiful half Black, half Puerto Rican Demi Rodriguez was living a good life with her big time drug dealing baby's father, Perry, in Harlem. When Perry gets locked up, the money runs out and the lavish lifestyle is over. Demi and her five year old daughter Aliyah return to her mother's low income apartment. Demi must now deal with her trifling mother and lazy brother Dennis. Demi is working a minimum wage job and barely making it.

Once Demi meets a dude named Jorel, at a club who has Hollywood connections, she decides on a whim to go to Los Angeles and pursue her lifelong dream of being an actress or a model. Leaving her daughter in Harlem with her mother, Demi takes a major risk and hops on a plane. Only when Demi arrives in L.A. her "connection" is not all he is cracked up to be and Demi is in a strange place with no friends or barely any money. Demi ends up doing some shady things to make some cash and hopefully pursue her dreams of acting. Only Demi soon learns Hollywood is not all peaches and cream and you need to be strong to survive.

This book is hard to put down and full of drama. I was often so annoyed and frustrated at the main character Demi for being so NAIVE (she is a chick from Harlem so I expected her to peep game) but this was still a great read, even though Demi is a little airheaded at times.