Customer Reviews

Starring in the Movie of My Life

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"She's simply been starring in her own life-movie, and it was in conflict with mine" (298).

Laurel Osterkamp's novel, Starring in the Movie of My Life tells the story of two seemingly different women who have one thing in common, Nate. At 35, Samantha is ten years Nate's senior but the newly weds' love seems fresh and easy. Samantha has about 15 years of baggage that she is still working through; but too many years with an immature, drug using and dealing boyfriend, who still lives in the same apartment building, will do that. Meanwhile, Melody is a high school senior who has given up on being popular and is investing her energy in snagging her Knight in Shinning Armour and teacher, Mr. Linden (Nate).

I greatly enjoyed this novel. I connected with Samantha's character immediately. Being a woman who is staring down 30 and arguably have accomplished little, while many of my peers have gone on ahead, I understood Samantha's feelings of being stuck, left behind, or wasting time. However, Melody took a little more time for me to understand. Her scheme to 'steal' Nate made me want to smack her. Melody's lack of empathy or compassion even made me hate her at times. I had to keep reminding myself that she was a product of an abusive mother and this helped explain her actions. Yet, even though Melody's background may explain her behaviour, it doesn't give her licence to be a terrible person. And that thought brought me to the realization of how much this book affected me. Melody was deep enough that I wanted to help her. She wasn't just some bratty, evil, manipulative teenager. She had a complexity to her that over-road any definitive desire to write her off.

The third person is this love triangle, Nate, was the most frustrating for me. At first I was really rooting for him, but it became difficult because as the story progressed I never knew what he was thinking. I knew how both women felt about him and what they thought about him and even what they thought he thought about them. But the reader never knows for sure what is going through his mind. Ultimately, I was disappointed in him and the course he takes in the story.

Starring in the Movie of My Life is about second chances at any age. It's also about discovering how to fulfil your needs without expecting an outside source, especially a relationship, to magically fix everything. I can understand why Nate's character was ultimately silent because in a way, his personality or motivation was not important. He was a symbol for Samantha and Melody, only meaning one thing, escape. They both thought he was their salvation from circumstances they wanted out of. It may be easier to let someone else save you but then you are without the tools to save yourself the next time around.

As a random aside I just wanted to mention how I chuckled at every description of Melody's part-time job at Subway. Having worked for several years at Subway I can say the description was spot on! The contempt for the abusive, overly entitled customer makes me think that author has had her own Sandwich Artist experience!

Starring in the Movie of My Life is a duel narrative that creates a multifaceted understanding of the characters and circumstances that rejects any concept of wholly good or wholly evil. The novel has a quick flow making this an intriguing read. The story is constantly moving from one present day issue or crisis to then uncovering a past, back-story element. I really enjoyed reading this novel and look forward to more of Laurel's work.

This is one of those rare reads I come across where I'm so enthralled from the first page that I can't stop reading and nothing else gets done until the book is finished.

The story narration alternates between Melody and Samantha. This works very well. It allows the reader to understand the motivations and emotions of both characters. I found myself really not liking Melody. After all, she's self-centered, manipulative, and doesn't care that she's trying to destroy a marriage. I also found myself feeling a bit sorry for Melody. She learned manipulation from her mother, who only relates to Melody in terms of what Melody can do for her. And towards the end of the story, we see Melody evolving, growing. I don't want to give away anything, but Melody does learn to see things from points of view other than her own, realizing that while she may be the star in the movie of her life, sometimes the rest of the cast is valuable.

Samantha, too, is flawed, although in different ways than Melody. She's sort of fallen into her life, never taking big chances and going after what might be the best thing for her. Part of this is the pull of her ex, for whom she still has lingering, albeit conflicting feelings. Things start happening, though, when Samantha impulsively volunteers an enormous favor to her best friend and is forced to confront her past, her commitment to her marriage, and what is best for her in the long run.

Throughout the book, I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. I couldn't wait to turn the page, yet at the same time, I sort of dreaded it. I cared enough about all the characters that I didn't want to see anything irreparable happen to them. I didn't want Melody to "win" because I didn't like the way she was manipulating so many people. But at the same time, I didn't want her to become so damaged there was no hope for her redemption. Similarly, at times I wanted to shake Samantha so she'd have to face her past. We all have to do that at some point. We're just running aimlessly until we do it. And we won't be happy, be able to forge our true path until we do it.

Without giving away anything, I think Osterkamp wraps up the story nicely. It's a satisfying ending, although not what I expected at the beginning of the book. I'll definitely be reading more of Laurel Osterkamp.

Starring in the Movie of My Life, goes back and forth between two females. At the beginning there doesn't seem to be any connection between the two. Samantha and Melody are two very different characters. Samantha is a 35 year old married woman who works at a video store. She is a great friend, who would do just about anything to help someone out and has a fantastic relationship with her father. She is flawed when it comes to her lack of direction for her future and still seems to carry a torch for her ex-boyfriend, Collin-who just happens to be the manager of the apartment complex where her and her husband live.

Melody is a high school senior looking to escape her reality. Melody doesn't have much going on in the friend department. The one friend she has is Kelsey and Melody really is more interested in using her `friend' than being a friend. Her relationship with her mother is dysfunctional to say the least and as the novel progresses the more manipulative Melody becomes.

These two stories collide one night during a high school dance when Melody is almost raped. Her teacher Mr. Linden comes to Melody's rescue and she now has her heart set on attaining him. The only problem is, he is married to Samantha. Melody doesn't seem to think that is going to be much of a problem once she enacts her five point plan to make him hers. As Melody chips away at making Nate Linden hers, Samantha is going through her own real life drama with her friend in an accident and her dad with a medical issue. Sam's distractions and baggage makes Melody's plan all the more easier to implement.

Starring in the Movie of My Life is a story of flawed characters looking to find happiness in their not so perfect lives. The book has dark moments and witty, fun moments. I never really connected to any of the main characters, but I could emphasize with their struggles. I loved how all the characters in the novel have flaws even one that I was expecting. Even the end was unexpected, in my mind. I didn't always know where the story was going to go and I found it refreshing. Let's be honest that is how real life works!

**This review is from my blog, StephTheBookworm [...]

Summary: This story centers around two women. Samantha is a 35 year old with a good heart, but next to no ambition, and a lot of hang ups. She's never had a career, has had a disastrous on-off relationship with her ex, Collin, for many years, and still seems to be hung up on him, despite her growing denial that she's not. She doesn't want to be a mother but is newly pregnant... as a surrogate for her best friend about which she is making her first film.

Melody is a cold manipulative 18 year old high school senior with a careless mother and a lot of hang ups of her own. What Sam and Melody have in common is Nathan, Sam's new 25 year old husband, and Melody's English teacher. Melody has become oddly attached and obsessed with Nate after he saves her from being raped at a dance at the high school, and schemes to get him to leave Sam for him. While Sam loves Nate, there is still that lingering doubt about Collin, who also happens to manage their apartment building.

The story is told in alternating chapters between Melody and Samantha. Both of these women are deeply flawed but striving for love, redemption, and acceptance... it just happens to be from the same man.

My Thoughts: I'm not one for giving out 5 stars all willy-nilly. I am deadly serious about my 5 star rating and have only given out two so far this year. Pretend you can see my serious face. Okay? Well, I am giving my third 5 star rating for this incredible and surprising novel by a new favorite author, Laurel Osterkamp.

This story was so unexpected. I thought it was going to be light and fluffy, which is totally a good thing, but it was dark and serious, an even better thing in the right circumstances. These were the right circumstances.

These characters and their issues were so... I don't even know... wild? Intense? Fascinating? Yes, let's go with fascinating. I was sucked into their stories from the very first page in which Melody is nearly raped then rescued by Nate. For me, Melody was a difficult character, in that she was a total jerk and a master manipulator, and I didn't like her, yet, my heart went out for her... sometimes. Even though I didn't like her, I was captivated by her nonsense, total disregard for other people, and sense of entitlement.

Sam was also frustrating in the sense that she has no idea what she wants, acts on total impulse, and lacks ambition. But I liked her. She was a good person and I felt a lot of sympathy for her. Her chapters are interesting because they flash a lot from past to present so that we end up getting the back story on her and her ex, Collin, while also seeing her present life with Nate.

What's funny is that while I was reading Melody's chapters, I couldn't wait to get back to Sam's story, and when I was reading Sam's chapters, I couldn't wait to get back to Melody's story. That's how great this book was; I was totally captivated by both characters and raced through the pages to get to the next chapter.

Not only was the story line SO. GOOD. The writing was, too. Laurel writes in a slow, subtle, quiet way. It's hard to explain, but it's excellent and realistic, from both viewpoints.

I loved this book and I am now dying to read Laurel's first novel, Following My Toes. I've been really lucky lately, in that my last few reads have been amazing (especially this one, and Exposure by Therese Fowler). Don't let the female protags scare you off if you're not into women's lit or chick lit. In fact, I would say this book is not chick lit. This book has wide appeal, and is a great read for all fans of contemporary fiction and drama. I highly recommend it. Read it now, please and thank you. :)

My Rating: 5/5

When Laurel Osterkamp approached me about reviewing her book, Starring in the Movie of My Life, for the Blog Tour de Troops this weekend, she told me it didn't fit my preferred genres of mystery or thriller. I am so glad she decided to ask me any way because this is an excellent book.

Chapters alternate between the stories of Melody, a high school senior, and Samantha, a 35 year old newly wed. At first it's difficult to determine why these two stories are being told, but it soon becomes clear. It is also clear that there's no way these stories are going to end pleasantly.

This book has it all: problems with mothers, problems with the opposite sex, marital problems, crushes, surrogate pregnancy, to name some. But this doesn't mean this book is all over the place. It's tight and concise and you find yourself cheering for both women.

I don't like to cry, but this book made me sob like a baby. And I didn't mind. There were some button-pushing themes here. I wonder how much of these Laurel has experienced herself because she captured the angst and difficulty with such clarity.

Do yourself a favor and pick up Starring in the Movie of My Life. It's a fast read because you want to keep going to find out what happens. Actually, because you need to find out what's happening!

Laurel is making it super easy for you to read this book. Anyone who comments below will be sent a code to receive the book for free from Smashwords and will earn a book for the troops!

This review originally appeared on [...]

I loved Laurel Osterkamp's novel "Starring in the Movie of My Life". There are so many reasons that I loved this book. First, I felt for and so liked the main character Sam. She was funny, quirky, a bit immature and such a generous, yet confused spirit! I was very caught up in the conflict of the book and it made me feel so many emotions. I didn't want it to end yet I couldn't stop reading because I had to know how it wrapped up. I thought I knew how it was going to end. I was so sure and then it went and completely surprised me! That is my favorite quality in a book - surprises! I read so much that I can usually guess the tidy ending of most "chick-lit", but this one kept me quessing until the very end. I also thought that the ending I had in my head was the "right" ending and when it turned out so differently....I loved it even more. It was even better and even more fitting! I enjoyed this book so much that when I finished, I went out and bought Osterkamp's first novel, "Following My Toes" and loved it as well! Can't wait to read even more by this fantastic author!

Starring in the Movie of My Life was one of those books that I didn't want to stop reading once I picked it up. Osterkamp is a beautiful writer and wonderfully captures the essence of the two female leads. Everything from their thought process to word choice feels authentic and accurate for their ages. I was amazed how well she was able to transition between each narrator as well as past and present events; not once did I find myself confused or lost. The pace of this novel was perfect and I quickly became engrossed in the novel and tied up in the complications of these character's lives.

In my opinion one sign of a great novel, or a great author, is the ability to create characters that not only force me to care about them, but make me forget that this is a work of fiction. They need to feel real and authentic for me to completely lose myself and the fact that Osterkamp was able to do this so well puts her at the top of my list of favorite authors from 2011. Melody was a villain; a manipulative, immature and selfish villain who was also raised by a manipulative, immature and selfish mother who provided her with no moral compass. As the novel went on I went from hating Melody to feeling sad for her and the path that her life taken. Sam was also one of those characters who I started off disliking. She seemed so lost and aimless, two qualities that I do not usually appreciate in a main character. As the novel moved on and I got to know her and her past a little better I actually started to appreciate her more. My favorite parts of the novel involving Sam were the flashbacks into her past - it made the person she was in the present make so much more sense.

The way that Osterkamp tied the two storylines together was brilliant and I truly was not expecting to find so much depth and emotion based on the book description. This book is about so much more than a high school girl trying to get her young teacher to fall in love with her. Not only does she write about Melody's obsession with her teacher, but readers are also given a glimpse into the past that caused Melody to behave the way she did. I loved how Melody grew as a person towards the end of the novel and was really happy with the direction that she was headed in. I wasn't as thrilled with Sam's ending, it felt a little obvious and I think I would have preferred to see Sam standing on her own two feet for once. It started to look as though she was moving in the direction of becoming a stronger, more confidant woman and I felt like the ending diminished that a little bit.

Starring in the Movie of my Life is a truly engaging read that I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys dramas with well fleshed out characters and storylines. The narration from multiple points of view was done extremely well and really allowed the readers to get inside the heads of these two very different women. It was impossible to not become engrossed in their stories and root for a happy ending for each of them.

I received a review copy of Starring in the Movie of my Life from the author (thank you!!!) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars, originally posted on www.handsandhome.ca

I loved this book. It had me hooked right from the start and it was the type of book that once you start you don't want to put down. I kept telling myself "just one more chapter!" I really enjoyed hearing the lives of Sam and Melody and how they inter-twinned. About half way through it became apparent what was going to happen, but a bit of predictability doesn't spoil it for me, provided it's an enjoyable read.

It was interesting to see how the various relationships unfolded - some destructive relationships and some great ones.

I don't understand the car crash - and what that really added to the storyline - but it didn't distract from it any.

Definitely one to put on your wish list!

I totally enjoyed this book.

Other reviewers have done a REALLY good job of details, so read them.

I'm here for the vote.

This book hooked me right from the start! The plot unfolds in such a way that you are continually excited to turn each page and anxious to find out what will happen next. I greatly appreciated the ability of the author to present each character so that the reader gets a clear understanding of how their particular life experiences influences their motives. The writing is purposefully done to effectively create multi-dimensional characters. Although Melody seems more of the antagonist in the story, by the end of the book I had some sympathy for her situation. At the same time, Samantha is not perfect by any means. The complexity of each character is refreshing. This book is a thoroughly enjoyable read....I highly recommend it!