If you cannot take the heat, stay out of this kitchen! In Insatiable: The Rise of a Porn Star, legendary adult film actress, Heather Hunter, takes readers into the steamy world of the porn business through the fictional character, Simone Young. At 17, Simone dives head first into the fast lane in her quest for stardom. She has dreams of becoming a rap star, but is easily lured into a life of using what she has to get what she wants: fast money and all it could buy, adoration, and opportunities to meet people who may be able to help her come up.
Money and fame come easy to the comely Simone as she moves fluidly from a life of prostitution to stripping to starring in adult films. Everything seemed to come naturally to her, and soon she is in high demand. However,she finds her life spinning out of control as she quickly learns that the industry is one that will chew you up and spit you out. Will Simone escape before it is too late?
Fans of urban fiction will undoubtedly love this book. Hunter certainly delivers plenty of details about life in the fast lane. Simone's sexual exploits are vividly recounted in ways that make you feel like a fly on the wall. The reader that likes to be entertained in those kinds of way will not be disappointed.
Personally, there were several elements of the story that did not click for me. For example, there was a lot of flowery romance novel language that stood in too stark of a contrast to the harsh, explicit language you would expect in the adult film industry. At times, it felt like I was reading two different books. Also, I would have liked to see more of an interior conversation going on. If this is ultimately supposed to be a tale of growth and redemption, we need to hear more of what Simone is feeling and thinking. I think the ending would have been more believable if we had seen some growth in the character along the way. Even as she begins to feel that she needs to escape the business, she still continues to put herself in situations where she can be used up. By the end, I do not get the sense that she will ever change. There was no lesson learned. If she is left with no other option, she will always revert to using her body to get what she wants.
Overall, for anyone that simply wants a racy read along the lines of similarly released books, this will certainly fit the bill.
Reviewed by Danielle H.
APOOO BookClub