But Madison Brooks took destiny and made it her own a long time ago.
Layla, Aster, and Tommy find themselves with a VIP invite to the glamorous and gritty world of Los Angeles’s nightlife and lured into a high-stakes competition where Madison Brooks is the target. Just as their hopes begin to gleam like stars through the California smog, Madison Brooks goes missing. . . . And all of their hopes are blacked out in the haze of their lies."
I had planned to review this series only after I read all three books. I found it hard to say how much I had liked one without knowing the full story. The start of this book had been slow, which is why I would give it three-and-a-half stars, but I feel like the next two books will be more interesting. The basic plot and story-line were quite interesting, and if not for the time it took to pick up, I would have liked it much more.
It follows three people as they lead their Hollywood lives in LA. Layla wants to be a news reporter someday, and for now, runs a blog called Beautiful Idols. Tommy moved to Los Angeles from Oklahoma. He dreams of becoming a musician and works in a shop to earn money till his career takes off. Aster has always wanted to be a famous actress. Although her parents are rich, they do not provide her with the means to do so. They want her to attend college and get married when she is still young.
Madison Brooks is a famous celebrity who everyone adores and looks up to. She leads a luxurious life in her home in LA. She has all the things she has ever wanted. The interest of the readers is aroused by showing her as having a murky past. Although she is very famous, nobody knows the truth about where she came from. She has been feeding lies to the public and goes to great lengths to hide her actual background.
This book has been called a suspense and thriller novel, which I didn't find it to be. The mystery of Madison Brooks going missing only started when there were about fifty pages left. The rest of it was about the lives of the three protagonists in Hollywood. All three of them had signed up to promote Ira Redman's club, where they met. It was quite interesting to read about but soon started to feel repetitive.
Every time the three of them met, the same kind of conversations ensued. The chapters from Madison's point of view were all very similar. They described her life at her house and her thoughts about everything happening. I liked how the author kept switching the POVs to keep things interesting and to inform us about all four of their lives. However, that also made the book more repetitive, as the basic events in all three of their lives were the same.
I didn't like any of the characters too much. They were all shallow and unfriendly. It was fun, though, to see them lie to one another and get caught up in other's traps. Lalya considered herself too less, while Aster thought too much of herself. Tommy hardly had any personality, apart from running after girls. Madison was okay, but not much about her characteristics were revealed. Rather than make her an intriguing person, it only made her chapters boring.
I liked how the chapters were short and the book was fast paced. Since the scene and setting kept changing after every few pages, with the change in the chapter, it kept me curious. This book felt like a build-up to the second. As if it were an introduction to all the characters, and that in the second book the exciting part of the plot will finally begin.
I have rather mixed feelings. Some parts of the book were nice, and the cliff hanger which the author leaves us on promises a better second book. I'm hoping, since the story would have to start right from the beginning, it'll be more exciting than the first. I also liked how all the chapter names were names of famous songs, both old and new. Sometimes they didn't really match the content in the chapter, but I can't blame her for not being able to find so many matching titles. It was also a great idea and made the book feel nicer.
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