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The A-List: Hollywood Royalty #1 (A-List Novels (Quality))

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The A-List, that elite group of Hollywood's finest, is back. But while some people are born into that kind of glory, such as the golden couple Myla and Ash, others have to work their way up the celebrity ladder to even be deemed worthy. And that's what outsiders like the good girl Amelie, the reformed geek Jake, and the nobody who's just discovered her Hollywood connections, Jojo. But making it to the A-List and staying on are two completely separate things, and being included among these privileged ranks calls for a whole new set of drama, not to mention a whole new playing field for it. Each of these teens will have to decide, is it all worth it?

Dean brings back the high fashion, sneaky lies and deception, and good old-fashioned unrequited love characteristic to the first ten installments of The A-List series in its next generation. The cast may be all new, but the plot remains much the same--a covert name-dropping, rumor-spreading, boyfriend-stealing war between the insiders and the outsiders. Yet even though I question the value in reading about retail therapy and the drama of Hollywood High, I can't resist indulging in this guilty pleasure that realistically portrays the spoiled and sometimes scandalous lives of the young and filthy rich, and those trying to get there. There are really two ways to look at novels like this: as a guilty pleasure read or an inadvertent social commentary. Although I highly doubt it was Dean's intention to truly criticize the glamorous lifestyle, it's pretty plain to see that there is something seriously shallow and wrong about how people pay so much attention to the latest styles and celebrity gossip. Nevertheless, Hollywood Royalty is a quick read perfect for a sunny day at the beach.

Fans of any teen guilty pleasure, such as Dean's original A-List series, The Elite series by Jennifer Banash, the Private series by Kate Brian, and the Gossip Girl series by Cecily von Ziegesar, is sure to enjoy Hollywood Royalty. Though not exactly brain stimulating material, I will probably check out the sequels to this gossipy read.

I actually thought I was purchasing the first book of the regular A-List series-I didn't realize there was this "spinoff" Hollywood Royalty. It's good though, obviously alluding to Brangelina and their kids. The characters are easy to connect with because they're real, down to earth people underneath all the Hollywood fuss. Great book for teens or anyone who enjoys Gossip Girl.

This new spin-off is way better than the original - though those were okay as well.

In Hollywood Royalty there is no boring Anna Percy, fat sam, or wannabe Pinelli brothers.

I love all the characters so far:

Myla - daughter of Hollywood's hottest couple, and sometimes a bitch (similar to Cammie in the original series)

JoJo - the outsider, she is sister of Myla, feels totally out of place in Beverly Hills - at first.

Ash - Myla's ex. Hollywood hottie-rocker type. (Like Ben Birnbaum)

Amy a.k.a. Fairy Princess - children tv star.

Jacob - geek-turned-into-hottie, tutoring Amy. (Adam-type)

Cant wait till August to see what happens next!

THE A-LIST: HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY (BOOK 1)
ZOEY DEAN
Contemporary YA
Poppy

Rating: 4.5 Enchantments

Meet the latest HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY. There's Myla, the oldest adopted daughter of Barbar, the hottest couple in Hollywood; Amelie, the teen star who's desperate to shed her goody-goody image, or at least her pink fairy inspired wardrobe and grow up a little; JoJo, the biological daughter of Barbar who's about to meet her parents and family for the first time and Jake, well Jacob, who wants to shed his old geeky image and finally be accepted.

HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY is a really fun read. If you like reading about the Hollywood scene, you'll definitely enjoy Ms. Dean's brand new series. I have to say I was pretty partial to Amelie and JoJo, the two girls who were a little more outcast. I love how Ms. Dean connected the characters, including the unlikely pairing of Amelie and Jake, and JoJo and someone who used to be really close to Myla. Even though Myla could be a bit of a bitch at times, even she was relatable at times. Hands down my favorite scenes in the book were the ones between Jake and Amelie, especially the first meet and when Myla discovers JoJo hanging out with her recent ex. I can't wait to see what Ms. Dean has in store for these four great characters!

Learn more about this new series and check out an excerpt at http://www.pickapoppy.com/books/the-a-list/ and look for THE A-LIST: HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY #2: SUNSET BOULEVARD coming August 2009!

Lisa
Enchanting Reviews
January 2009

The A-List Hollywood Royalty is not my usual reading fare, but after a friend noticed how entranced I could get watching Gossip Girl she recommended I pick this book up. I have to say I'm very glad I did.
While some of the characters are thinly veiled takes on tabloid magazines favorite fodder like Brangelina, it is the relationships between the original characters that really draw you in to this book.
The main cast all are dealing with issues teens across the country, not just in Hollywood, have to deal with. You have the teenage starlet, Amelie, dealing with meeting the high expectations of her mother, plus crushing on a boy who just doesn't seem to see her `that way.' Then there is Jojo, the new girl in town trying to find a whole new way of life with her superstar biological parents Barbar. Jojo's story is intertwined with Myla's, who not only has to deal with having a brand new sister stealing her thunder, but also figure out who she is sans longtime boyfriend Ash (who has parental issues of his own.) My favorite character by far is Jake (formerly known as Jacob), the nerd who has grown out of being Mr. Math and is trying to take the role of Mr. Cool. There is also a rich cast of secondary characters who add to the story and I can only hope are further developed in the next book, give me more Miles.
There are some really funny lines and scenes throughout, including an unfortunate, but hilarious vomit incident.
It has all the pressure of being a teenager with the added elements of being insanely rich and in the public eye. You think it was bad when your parents caught you getting drunk at a party, amplify that by 10 when Amelie gets caught clubbing by her mother after reading about it on TMZ. You want to be cool as Jake does; well try being cool driving a beat up Toyota Corolla while the kid next door has a '69 Camaro.
I can't wait to see the next book and I hope that we get some more interaction between all of the characters. Just how will snobby Myla handle nerdy Jake? Or what boy could catch Jojo's eye? Hopefully, we'll see in #2.

This is another book that continues that latest trend in YA fiction these days. Take a popular series, write 10-12 books in that series, then end it. Begin again in the same setting with a new set of characters that have absolutely nothing to do with the old ones but keep the series title the same. If it sounds confusing, it's really not. This series could be compared to what the new version of 90210 is like. It even takes place in the same high school.

I thought it was really interesting to learn about the life of young Hollywood. Amelie's story is my favorite. She wants to progress to older roles but she still has the young fans that she has to cater too. It's very reminiscent of someone like Hilary Duff or Miley Cyrus. It'll be interesting to see whether she can successfully move away from the Fairy Princess act and change into to a teen star. Myla's life story is interesting too, as her parents are an obvious play at Brangelina with their adopted brood. I do like it that the story features a minority as a main characters being that the setting is California and not everyone is Caucasian there. The other characters are interesting but I felt like they were rather one dimensional. First impressions of Ash were not very impressive as he seems too emotional and dramatic for a 16 year old guy. Hopefully in the next few books they'll evolve into more multi dimensional characters.

I was rather disappointed that there was absolutely no reference at all to the cast of the original series. I know this is a reboot spinoff but it would have been nice for someone to mention Anna or Cammie or maybe even have Sam have a walk by cameo. The thing that really bugged me the most though was the way the book was written. POVs would switch not only in the middle of chapter but in the middle of a paragraph. This would get very confusing when you go from Ash's thoughts to Mayla's within sentences of each other. It was worse when the POVs of two female characters would switch in a paragraph. It might be a stylish technique but it's a little sloppy because of the confusion. I'm fine with the switching between chapters if there was a little divider between the train of thoughts. However switching in a paragraph needs to be taken out completely.

Fans of the original series will probably enjoy this books. There's no sex in this story but there is some cursing and underage drinking. If you've ever wanted to know what it's like to be young, rich and famous in the Hollywood industry, this is the book for you.

Anna, Ben, Sam, Cammie, Dee, and Adam made readers fall in love with THE A-LIST. Now it's time for those A-Listers to take a bow and the next generation to take the stage.

First there is Amelie Adams, the Hollywood starlet. Famous for her role as the Fairy Princess, Amelie has little girls screaming, asking for her autograph. Unfortunately, starting out as an actress on a child's show never benefits you when you're trying to land a more mature role. Amelie is ready to grow up and break out of her good-girl shell. She is ready to show the world that she has more potential, but is the world ready for her?

Then there is Myla Everhart. Famous just for being adopted by Hollywood's golden couple, Barbar (short for Barley) Everhart and Lailah Barton, Myla has the paparazzi tracking her every move. Every time she turns around, not only is a picture taken, but it seems like her parents adopt another child to be her sibling. However, that really doesn't matter to Myla, since the only thing she cares about right now is her longtime boyfriend, Ash.

Ash Gilmour, the son of record producer Gordon Gilmour, has everything going for him, but his laid-back exterior gives no sign of it. Together, Ash and Myla are Hollywood's next golden couple. Of course, this is Hollywood, and relationships always take a turn for the worst. Are they any different?

Next is Jacob Porter-Goldsmith. With a mom as a publicist, Jacob knows who is falling and who is rising in Hollywood. Jacob has always been the geek, the one who never has had a girlfriend, the one who has never had a girl even look his way. But that has all changed. Back from math camp, Jacob has an entirely new look, going from looking like a dork to being transformed into a complete hottie. He knows now he can get any girl he wants, but will a certain starlet he has an eye for look his way?

Last but certainly not least is Jojo. Nowhere near the other A-Listers, literally, Jojo has managed to adapt to her normal life with two dads and a wardrobe that isn't fit for a celebrity. Her life takes a major turn when she discovers who her biological parents are. With that kind of connection she just entered into the A-List world by default. But is the A-List that welcoming? It's not going to be easy, but Jojo is determined to be accepted, even if she has to play a little dirty.

This new cast of A-Listers are just as devious, scandalous, and gorgeous as the first, something fans of the first generation have grown accustomed too. Fans of the original series will not be disappointed. It will be good to see how this series progresses - can it possibly outlast the original?

Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen

The A-List Hollywood Royalty is the next generation of the A-List series. The main characters are Amelie: a children's TV show starlet looking to break her innocent reputation (think Miley Cyrus), Jacob a guy who was a geek but is now a hottie, Myla who was adopted when she was ten from a third world country by an A-List Hollywood couple nicknamed Babar who is obviously supposed to be Brangelina (I mean it's SO obvious with the way they got together and the adopting of third world kids, and it's kind of annoying that the author copied them). Myla and her boyfriend Ash are THE it couple at school and Myla is the apple of her parents eyes that is until Jojo, her parents birth daughter who was given up for adoption, comes back and they offer her a place to stay. Myla is immediately jealous of Jojo and treats her horribly: She leaves her stranded on the first day of school and leaves her waiting in the lobby of the Beverly Hills hotel during a party. Jacob gets a job tutoring Amelie who he has a crush on and at first it seems like she's interested in him but she's more into a Hollywood actor named Hunter, who seems to be a bit of a jerk, but Amelie can't see it.
So far the new characters don't hold my attention too much. The original series was just okay so I'm not expecting much from this series either. Jojo and Jacob are easily the best characters in the book. Myla was okay at the end and Amelie annoyed me the way she was throwing herself at Hunter. Jojo and Myla's story sort of read like the first couple of books in The Clique series with Myla being Massie and Jojo being Claire. So far I'm not that impressed but it's not completely awful either so I'll recommend it for anyone who loved the original A-List series but be warned it's not as good as the original but I'm optimistic that it will get better.
Grade: C+

I hadn't read any of Zoey Dean's original A-List titles. However, I am glad that I have them sitting on my shelf. I have every intention on reading the original series and continuing to follow this new spin-off. While I would consider this a fluff read, this book differs from the typical "rich kid scene" because the characters have issues that most teenagers can relate to. However, it still includes plenty of drama and excitement that will satisfy readers of celebrity gossip magazines and other YA series, such as Gossip Girl!

This was a fast and juicy read that kept me intrigued. I cannot wait to find out what becomes of each of the characters in the next A-List: Hollywood Royalty novel!

My niece has been reading the A-LIST series for a some time now. It wasn't until this book came out that she insisted I read something. Keep in mind, I'm the farthest thing from this book's intended readership, and still I'm getting hooked.
Good characterization, great descriptiong, and a nice glimpse into a world I'd otherwise never see.
Actually looking forward to the next book and even thinking about tracking down more of Dean's works.