So 5 Minutes Ago: A Novel [Kindle Edition]

Hilary De Vries (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this fun, lightweight and gossipy first novel, veteran Hollywood reporter de Vries explores the life of a Hollywood publicist who's looking for love, better clients, a little appreciation ("a publicist is one notch above a maid") and some "authenticity that doesn't come saddled with celebrity." "I hate my life because everyone thinks I have the most FABULOUS job and no one wants to hear anyone complaining about mopping up after stars," rants Alex Davidson; her agency, DWP, represents only faded stars, though, so while golden boy–cum–druggie Troy Madden is just the kind of client she knows best, he's not going to make her life any easier. When cutthroat BIG buys out DWP, Davidson's future at the firm is in jeopardy. Amid the professional shakeup, though, she falls for Charles, because "in L.A., a WASPy heterosexual male with a sense of humor and his natural nose approached deity status." The plot thickens when G, a name partner of BIG, resorts to unsavory tactics, including kickbacks, and pulls Davidson into the quagmire. The plucky protagonist turns into a modern-day Nancy Drew, solves the mystery and appears to win her man. The story, which has sharp prose, crisp chapter endings and snotty cameos of real stars, develops into a fluffy page-turner. Although improbable fictional celeb names like Scooby, Scrappy and the Phoenix are distracting, this entertaining novel is sure to appeal to stargazers.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Alex Davidson has been a celebrity publicist for three years at an L.A. public relations firm that has seen better days. She is a professional hand-holder, little better than a nanny, to some famous and not-so-famous stars. When the company is bought out, Alex is unsure how long she'll be kept on board. In between juggling stars who are just out of rehab, arranging photo shoots, orchestrating red-carpet events, and spinning publicity stunts that went bad, Alex has to decide if she is going to look the other way as her old boss gets pushed out and how to handle the partner who may or may not be hitting on her. Told with biting humor and an insider's edge, this novel takes us behind the glitz and glamour of Hollywood and exposes the secrets of celebrity publicity. In a purely fictional first novel that often reads like a gossip column, de Vries drops numerous well-known names. A fun read for anyone interested in a behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood. Carolyn Kubisz
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 380 KB
• Publisher: Villard; 1st edition (February 10, 2004)
• Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000FC1AE8
• Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #455,512 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Breakout book!, February 17, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: So 5 Minutes Ago: A Novel (Hardcover)

Hilary DeVries did what many of her celeb journalist peers would love to do -- see the truth that surrounds them day-to-day clearly enough to rise above it and write an hilarious and smart novel about what it's like to be a Hollywood striver swimming with sharks. So Five Minutes Ago couldn't be better even if DeVries had written about herself, but aside from some characters who bear a striking resemblence to real show biz denizens, this isn't a roman a clef or DeVries's diary made public. This is real writing.The characters are fully-formed and by turns funny and touching. The prose literally zips and zings. There's a laugh on every page -- and even better an insight about human nature that resonates long after the book in finished. In Hollywood-speak one might call DeVries a new Nora Ephron meets Carrie Fisher meets Helen Fielding, but I think this book is really the beginning of an original career.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Hollywood Shmollywood, October 20, 2004

By 

Antimony3 (Budd Lake, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: So 5 Minutes Ago: A Novel (Hardcover)

I am not entirely sure how this book got as many stars as it did. It really wasn't that great. The main character Alex was not a nice person at all. She's whiny and seems to think way too much of herself when bothers to think at all. Her best bud Rachel is snotty and over the top. The other main characters are not much likable either. The development of the non-central characters was pretty bad too. I'll cite C Se. as an example. She was quite obviously J Lo. but for God's sake just say so or don't try to pretend she is someone else. Come up with something original at least. I am giving the book 2 stars because I actually liked the plot (when they finally got to it that is). Too bad the unlikable characters ruined it. I didn't mind the cut throat image of Hollywood. I actually expected that -- I just wanted a character to like. A good girl stuck in a bad world if you will.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Refund please, June 22, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: So 5 Minutes Ago: A Novel (Hardcover)

Alex is self-centered, whiney and about as deep as a puddle. Her friends consist of her admin, who is probably too afraid of her bitter tongue to admit he can't stand her, and another PR-type who's as one dimensional as Alex.

And that's just the first page.

I'm not sure when "chick lit" characters became so unlikable, but this is not a book I'd recommend to anyone. It's dull, the plot isn't revealed until nearly halfway through (the first half of the book is spent name dropping) and the story isn't engaging (I kept with it so I could "discuss" it during book club).

Fans of Bridget Jones will want to stay clear. Alex isn't a character you'll like or want to get to know. Period.