Better-than-average teen fluff from a reigning queen of the genre. De la Cruz quickly—and broadly, at first—sketches her three co-heroines: Devon is the back-from-rehab pop tart; Livia, the newly svelte daughter of an über-producer; Casey, the fresh-faced ingenue toiling as an underappreciated personal assistant to her hometown best friend, Summer. The four girls convene in Saint-Tropez for the summertime shoot of a biopic about imaginary 1970s showbiz casualty Juicy Joslyn; Devon and Summer are starring and Livia’s dad is the producer. Readers will relish the on-set dramas and ever-changing constellations of romantic entanglements, but those expecting a cynical tale of Cavalli- and Hermès-draped bitchy catfights will be largely disappointed: The only backstabber in the bunch is the All About Eve–channelling Summer. Although celebrity and brand names festoon every page, Devon, Livia and Casey’s considerable appeal is rooted in their realistic flaws and down-to-earthiness as they navigate the tricky business of being themselves, not what the paparazzi expect of them. Readers looking for a Gossip Girl with heart will be thrilled. (Fiction. YA)
