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FOR THE RECORD

Name: FOR THE RECORD
Author: Charlotte Huang
ISBN: 978-0-553-51182-6

by Charlotte Huang ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 10, 2015

A pleasant read for teens who dream of a glamorous lifestyle.

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Eager to leave her small-town life behind, a high schooler embarks on a whirlwind tour as the new lead singer of an established rock band.

Huang’s debut novel delves into the typical turbulent relationships between teens but against an unusual backdrop. Even after losing a reality TV singing competition, Chelsea jumps at the opportunity to replace the lead singer of popular band Melbourne. She’s thrilled about her band’s summer tour but has a tough time breaking into the group’s well-established chemistry. Her new rock-star status earns the attention of teen movie star Lucas, whose narcissism threatens to derail her fragile relationship with her band members. Chelsea is determined to embrace the adrenaline rush, and she has a real passion for performing. However, her growing feelings for a fellow band member make things even more complicated….Huang is married to a music agent, and she draws upon her knowledge of the industry to create a behind-the-scenes look at tour life. This, realistically, includes drinking and sex but more as backdrop than plot elements. Just as Chelsea’s excitement about joining the tour quickly fades when reality sets in, the novel’s glamorous atmosphere loses its luster due to its slow pacing.

A pleasant read for teens who dream of a glamorous lifestyle. (Fiction. 14-17)

Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-553-51182-6

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Delacorte

Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2015

Categories:

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION

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BENEATH THE GLITTER

by Elle Fowler & Blair Fowler ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 4, 2012

There’s a built-in audience for the London sisters’ adventures, but beneath all the glitter is a bunch of blah.

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Hardworking sisters face glamorous romantic and professional challenges in Los Angeles.

Approachable fashionista-next-door video bloggers Sophia and Ava London have built an impressive reputation as savvy guides to fashion, accessories and personal grooming and are thrilled to be moving up in their shared career. An award naming the tightknit sisters Best Webstars of the Year leads to a licensing deal for their own makeup line—London Calling—with LuxeLife Cosmetics, and now the hottest men in Los Angeles are falling at their feet. Ava begins dating paparazzi-bait–turned–doting boyfriend Liam Carlson (but she continues to enjoy flirtatious banter with Dalton, a fellow volunteer at the local animal shelter). Meanwhile, Sophia, “boytoxing” after being blindsided by a terrible breakup, finds herself torn between wealthy smoothie Hunter Ralston and gorgeous Italian bartender-sculptor Giovanni. The Fowlers—who, like their protagonists, are beauty-and-fashion video bloggers—let their otherwise-effervescent modern fairy tale of sisterly love and self-actualization get bogged down in a dreary subplot of sibling separation anxiety and jealousy, basing it on the flimsiest of serial miscommunications and resolving it in a single paragraph. A last-chapter twist threatens the sisters’ reputation (and sets up a potential sequel), making the novel simply stop, rather than resolve.

There’s a built-in audience for the London sisters’ adventures, but beneath all the glitter is a bunch of blah. (Chick lit. 14-16)

Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2012

ISBN: 978-1-250-00618-9

Page Count: 288

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Review Posted Online: Aug. 7, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2012

Categories:

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION

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THE AFTER GIRLS

by Leah Konen ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 18, 2013

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After their best friend takes her own life, recently graduated high school seniors Ella and Sydney are left behind to pick up the pieces and cope with the gnawing guilt that there was something they might have done to prevent Astrid from doing the unthinkable.

While Sydney opts to quell the voice inside with booze and music, Ella is plagued by nightmares and visions she can’t escape. When she confesses that Astrid has been sending her text messages and phone calls from the grave, Ella’s friends begin to question her sanity. The circumstances surrounding Astrid’s death grow even more mysterious when her cousin Jake comes to town, and it becomes clear that Ella and Sydney didn’t know their friend quite as well as they thought. Teen suicide is hardly new subject matter for young-adult fiction, and this debut fails to really distinguish itself from the rest of the pack. Though the layers of mystery surrounding Ella’s visions of Astrid add intrigue, the relationships among the girls are disappointingly underdeveloped. Konen gives lip service to the depth of the threesome’s friendship, but their connection and underlying love for one another never passes the believability test. Astrid remains an enigma throughout the story, while Sydney and Ella feel more like friends of convenience as opposed to high school besties trying to cope with a tragic loss.

Skip. (Fiction. 14-17)