No Ordinary Life

February 1, 2016

Faye is dead broke, with three kids to support after her husband walks out on them. Then one day, a video of her precocious four-year-old, Molly, dancing with a street performer goes viral. Suddenly, Hollywood beckons, with its siren song of cash. From then on their story is not so much a roller coaster as a runaway train with obstacles and pitfalls such as stalkers, a greedy dad, a relentless producer, and a tween sister unhappy about no longer being the most favored child. Faye's also dealing with problems relatable to most women: a nagging mom, poor taste in men, a child with an anxiety disorder, and so on. Sometimes the protagonist seems so naive as to be unbelievable, but it's probably the reality for a college dropout who has never gone swimming with Hollywood's special breed of sharks. VERDICT Redfearn's second novel (after Hush Little Baby) is a riveting story that will have readers wishing it could be even longer, especially with an ending that feels too neat and too rushed.--Amy Watts, Univ. of Georgia Lib., Athens

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2016
After her deadbeat husband abandons her, Faye Martin and her three children are desperate to make ends meet, so they move to Los Angeles to live with Faye's mother. When a chance encounter captured in a viral video lands her precocious 4-year-old daughter, Molly, a role on a hit television series, Faye is thrust into the role of stage mothersomething she never expected. Trying to manage her daughter's budding career is more than a full-time job, and the reappearance of her estranged husband makes the task challenging. Meanwhile, 12-year-old Emily feels left out, leading to a series of rebellious acts that could shatter what's left of the family. Redfearn specializes in tales of families in crisis, and her exploration of the emotional price families pay for fame reads like a lurid tabloid article. Everything bad that could happen to the Martin family does, and it's up to Faye to save her children from the tragic ends often faced by child stars. Fans of Steena Holmes and Amy Hatvany will appreciate Redfearn's family drama.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)