CELEBUTANTES

A debut novel from Goldberg (daughter of producer Leonard Goldberg) and Hopper (daughter of actor Dennis Hopper) about a career-challenged Hollywood princess who tries to make her mark on the fashion world during Oscar week.

Realizing, at age 26, that perhaps there is more to life than being arm candy for a rotating series of A-list movie stars, Lola Santisi, stylish daughter of Academy Award–winning director Paul Santisi, decides to parlay her passion for fashion into an actual job “dressing” the stars for Oscar night. Her close friend Julian, a talented designer, only needs to have one of his mouthwatering gowns appear on the red carpet to ensure his backers keep funding his struggling business. The gig is a lot harder than it looks, though, even with Lola’s connections, and she must contend with big-time competitors (hello Prada) and the general lunacy of the celebrity world. When her sure thing—foul-mouthed rock singer Candy Cummings—is arrested for drugs and indecent exposure, Lola is forced to pin all her hopes on Olivia Cutter, a spoiled best actress nominee who refers to herself in the third person. But kowtowing to the capricious Olivia—while humiliating—is still not nearly as difficult as treating her admitted “actorholism,” or irrational attraction to the narcissistic hunks who make up her social circle. Vowing to only fall for “a real man,” “not someone who plays a man,” Lola has her resolve tested by SMITH, an up-and-coming leading man who already broke her heart once. He wants another chance, but can she trust him? And, perhaps more tellingly, can she trust his new costar, Olivia?

A featherweight Tinseltown send-up with a surprisingly well-balanced heroine.