CHEATING AT SOLITAIRE
by Ally Carter
A self-help writer becomes embroiled in tabloid escapades.
Julia James has made a name for herself in the book world by championing single women. In New York City to promote her latest book, 101 Ways to Cheat at Solitaire, Julia expects a standard week of interviews and book signings. While she waits at a restaurant to meet her editor, Lance Collins plops down at her table. Lance is a dashing actor/waiter looking for his big break. Through curious circumstances, Lance and Julia keep running into each other, and Lance’s agent decides to exploit the situation. In a ploy to drum up buzz for the unknown actor, the agent fabricates a romance between the wannabe movie star and America’s most notorious single woman. The agent hires a photographer to snap photos making the twosome look deceptively intimate. Paparazzi jump on the story, forcing Julia and Lance to deal with a stressful media blitz and a mutual attraction. Tension brings this mismatched pair together, but Julia simply can’t give in to her feelings—if she attaches herself to a man, it will destroy her credibility and alienate her fans. Carter’s romance is a hard sell; Julia comes across as frosty and stubborn, and it’s difficult to know what Lance could possibly be drawn to.
Lacking humor and panache, Carter’s debut falls short of a full deck.