Hello, Sunshine

May 15, 2017
After Becca Harrington is rejected by every college she applies to, she moves to Los Angeles with a single goal: become an actress within a year, hoping it will boost her resume when she reapplies for school. Becca assumed that Alex, her boyfriend of two years, would be her rock, but plans change when he breaks up with her after dropping her off in Southern California with her cousin. So Becca draws up a 12-point list on how to get started on the path to success; steps include “Get an agent!” and “Get a job to make $$$!” Howland (Nantucket Blue) expertly navigates the ups and downs of a struggling actress in Hollywood. While she doesn’t skimp on the glamour (labels, parties, beautiful people), the narrative focuses on how Becca evolves into a confident and self-sufficient young woman. Howland portrays a grounded version of Hollywood (in a classic move, Becca takes a job as a waitress to make ends meet) while keeping the story fun, engaging, and splashed with romance and wish fulfillment. Ages 14–up. Agent: Sara Crowe, Pippin Properties.

June 1, 2017
A college reject pursues an acting career in Los Angeles.After failing to get into college, Becca Harrington gives herself a year to live in Los Angeles and pursue her passion for acting. With little money in the bank and her mother hounding her to form a backup plan, the white 18-year-old tries her best to land an agent and get over her ex-boyfriend, who dumped her before heading off to Stanford. Raj Singh, the cute, Indian-American college-student filmmaker who lives in her building, may be able to help her on both counts. The author perfectly captures the feeling of fledgling independence, with nothing but wits, hopes, and a few hundred dollars in the bank. The narrative is well-built, charting Becca's ups and downs in the entertainment industry and in her social life. Supporting the episodic narrative are some winning characters, primarily Becca, whose motivations are rooted not in the desire for stardom but in the need for artistic expression. Her ambition and ability to get out of her own way make for an engaging protagonist, and her command over her own sexual wants and needs is refreshing in a sea of demure female protagonists. The novel's tone strays from the usual "dreams do come true" trappings and maintains an honest, grounded depiction of a young person's first steps into the real world. An engaging take on the pursuit of creative fulfillment. (Fiction. 14-18)

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2017

Gr 8 Up-Becca Harrington is going to be a star. Or at least that's what she hopes. After being rejected from 11 colleges, Becca decides to head out to Hollywood to become an actress and make it on her own terms. With her "life list" in hand and her boyfriend in tow, she sets her sights West. How hard can it be to make it in Hollywood? Does it matter that her rival in prep school got into her dream college and is already the fresh face of a national ad campaign? But often, big dreams come with big disappointment, and Becca experiences this firsthand. Clueless, dumped, and broke, the teen finds out the hard way just how difficult "making it big" really is. She realizes that paying rent, obtaining an agent, and trying to land acting work can't be accomplished in the 30-minute time span of a TV episode. When all the smoke clears and the dust settles, Becca embarks on an online video project with new friends and learns the meaning of true friendship, love, and identity. In this quirky tale of independence and triumph, a heroine takes a journey of self-discovery. VERDICT Give this to romance readers and anyone who seeks adventure in the great wide somewhere. Purchase where fans of Jenny Han and Susane Colasanti are in abundance.-Margie Longoria, Mission High School, TX

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.