Not in the Script

September 1, 2014
It's the ultimate chick-lit romp when a teen movie star finds herself cast with two of the hottest young actors around. Emma has been having serious bad luck with cheating boyfriends, with all the drama publicized in the celebrity media. She despairs of ever finding true romance. The problem: She's had a long-distance crush on famous actor Brett for years, but she's instantly attracted to Jake, a male model whom her best friend back home in Arkansas, Rachel, has been crushing on. Now Emma, Brett and Jake will work together on a new TV series that promises plenty of on-screen romance. In real life, Jake turns out to be down-to-earth and quite nice. Though she's lost interest in Brett, the paparazzi manage to keep catching them in seemingly romantic encounters. While the world thinks she's in love with Brett, her relationship with Jake steams up behind the scenes. And when Rachel visits, expecting Emma to set her up with Jake, the pot really starts to boil. Finnegan divides the chapters between Emma and Jake, keeping the plot moving at a good clip. Emma and Jake come across as attractive not just in looks, but in personality too, and the rest of the cast provides spice. Readers who've logged plenty of Disney Channel hours should enjoy this inside look at celebrity life. (Chick-lit romance. 12-16)

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July 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-Emma Taylor is a Hollywood starlet who is used to living her life in front of the camera. In the tabloids, she's developed a reputation as the good girl who falls for bad boys. When she is cast in a lead role on the television show, Coyote Hills, with reformed Hollywood bad boy Brett Crawford, both of their reputations are on the line again. While the media concocts a romance between the two, Emma is secretly falling hard for another castmate, fashion model-turned-Hollywood newcomer Jake Elliott. Mystery surrounds Jake's family life. Emma learns that his father abandoned the family when Jake was young and his mother is dependent on him due to a stroke that caused irreversible damage. Their under the radar budding relationship is threatened when the tabloids reveal footage of a kiss between Emma and Brett. But are the photos really what they seem? Teens will appreciate the behind-the-the-scenes look at celebrity life and the entertainment industry. The drama between Emma and her childhood best friend Rachel, as well as between the protagonist and her manager mother is realistic and relatable. Although the plot gets slow at points, Emma's wit and humor will keep readers with her right until the end.-Nicole Knott, Watertown High School, CT

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2014
Grades 6-10 This fun, fluffy romance settles nicely into a comfortable and well-worn formula, and the fact that the girls (and guys) in question are some of Hollywood's top stars adds to the intrigue. The story alternates in perspective between famous actress Emma Taylor and the object of her forbidden affectionacting newcomer and former male model Jake Elliott. There are some standard roadblocks, including a jealous, less successful friend; an A-list bad boy; and a director who would rather that his stars avoid romance. While there's nothing really new here, Finnegan adds dimension to the story by focusing on Emma's relationships with her female friends (and frenemies), in addition to her romantic entanglements, and by Emma's growing realization that toxic relationships are something to run from and not toward. A breezy romance that should have appeal, particularly, for younger teens.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)