Tis the Season!

August 18, 2008
Just in time for Christmas, Landvik gets into the head of a Paris Hilton–like celebuditz in this lively “novel” propelled by e-mails, tabloid gossip and letters primarily written by, about or to young celebrity bad girl Caroline “Caro” Dixon. The gorgeous heiress's boozy rampages have made her notorious, but now she's considering a 12-step program, hence the bitter apology letter she writes to “everyone I have supposedly hurt.” She tosses it out, and, in true Hollywood fashion, the catty missive turns up in a trashy tabloid. The ensuing firestorm of negative publicity and hate mail convinces Caro to give sobriety a shot. Caro's effort to dispel her image as “Little Miss Hangover” has its moments, but the choppy epistolary structure leaves much to be desired. Still, readers who love snark—it's doled out here by the shovelful—will dig this.

October 15, 2008
Landvik's first holiday novel features her signature sense of humor and quirky characters. Young socialite Caroline Dixon gets out of rehab and attempts to live a more stable life. Having alienated everyone she knows, she goes into hiding and tries to reach out to people from her past. Narrated in a series of letters, emails, and gossip-column snippets, this quick, charming read is suitable for all popular fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 7/08.]

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