Likely Story [Hardcover]

David Van Etten (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 13, 2008

MALLORY IS A teenage girl living in L.A. and her mother is the oftnominated, never-winning star of a daytime soap; she is, in fact, the ultimate drama queen. After yet another blow-out about her mother’s awful plotlines and overacting, Mallory starts blogging about how she wishes soap operas were more like real kids’ lives instead of the ridiculous storylines the shows usually feature.
When her mother’s agent reads the blog, Mallory ends up in her own whirlwind drama, both at school and on the lot, as she works to protect the integrity of her original idea, cope with her mother’s jealousy, and get her best friend a lead role on the show. Factor in her boyfriend with the girlfriend, the cute but bad brother to said-best-friend, and the super-cute male lead on her show, and Mallory’s got plenty of her own melodrama to cope with.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up—Mallory's mother is a big-name soap-opera star. When Mallory comes up with an idea for a daytime soap aimed at teens that would deal with real-life situations, this pedigree helps her get a shot at creating and writing it. In the process, she learns to stand up for herself and to do what is right—even if it means facing tough consequences. A collaboration among three authors—soap-opera writer Chris Van Etten, David Ozanich, and David Levithan, who is known for sensitive portrayals of teens—Likely Story occasionally has an uneven tone, as tender moments are blended with a realistic look at the soap-opera business. Still, Mallory comes across as a likable, regular teen despite growing up on television sets and having a mother as selfish and manipulative as any daytime-drama villain. Her snappy narrative is filled with a believable mix of self-doubt, scathing humor, and real emotion. The book never indulges in the glamour of the television lifestyle, but focuses on the story and characters. The novel ends abruptly with a cliff-hanger climax, leaving an opening for the next book in the series.—Amelia Jenkins, Juneau Public Library, AK
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About the Author

David Van Etten is actually three writers: Chris Van Etten is currently a fulltime writer for ABC’s One Life to Live; David Ozanich is a freelance writer and playwright; and David Levithan is the author of Boy Meets Boy, and many other young adult novels for Knopf.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 230 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; First Edition edition (May 13, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 037584676X
• ISBN-13: 978-0375846762
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.9 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,045,855 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great read, with humor, May 22, 2008

By 

Tina "Tina" (Montreal, Quebec) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Likely Story (Hardcover)

I picked up this young adult book because the storyline sounded fun. The idea of a teenager, who grew up with a famous soap opera mother, who has decided to "pitch" her own "teen" soap opera to the newtwork brass. The only hick? her best friend needs to be the lead and oh yeah, she is falling for the lead actor - oopss! did I forget to mention the neat little plot twist (which I will not reveal) at the end of the book?

What I really enjoyed about this book is the lead character Mallory could have been written as a vain, stuck up teenager - but rather the authors decided to make her the exact opposite of her shallow, rude tv-star mother. The interaction between mother and daughter is sometimes painful to read, but you get the distinct impression that both are putting up a front for the benefit of the other.

Mallory's dialogue with her boyfriend, best friend and even the producer of her newly developing soap opera are all believable and enjoyable. I like the idea that this teenager is brainy and can stand up for what she wants and believes in.

There is very little sexual content (and when there is, it is very mild), basically this book is about a young woman who has an idea and gets this idea off the ground.

It is obvious that this book will become a series - bring it on.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT BOOK!, August 10, 2008

By 

Frances J. Rogers - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Likely Story (Hardcover)

Great, fun read! Can't wait for the SECOND and THIRD books to be published!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Soap Star vs. Soap Writer, June 13, 2008

By 

The Book Muncher (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Likely Story (Hardcover)

Mallory is fed up with her life. Her mother is a soap opera diva, and Mallory can't stand her fake lines and fake attitude. She can't understand why soap operas are so phony, just like her mother. So when she vents one day on her personal blog about this and how if she had her own show, it would be much more realistic, she never expects anyone except maybe her best friend Amelia to see it. But it turns out that her mother's agent Donald saw the blog entry. Soon, Mallory's ideas are being turned into reality, and Mallory gets caught up in making decisions for her show and in her own life.

I didn't really know what to expect when I started reading Likely Story, because I had never read anything quite like it before. The plot was unique, but I didn't really like how Mallory's life seemed to revolve around soap operas, although it was all she knew. I also found it kind of ironic that Mallory always thought that soap operas were so phony when her own life seemed played out like a soap opera. Besides this, I found Likely Story a refreshing break from other over-dramatized and -glamorized tales of Hollywood. The characters were easier to relate to than those in, for example, the A-List series.

Likely Story is not a particularly exciting novel all the time, but it was an enjoyable read. Readers looking for a milder version of the A-List will enjoy this novel too.

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