Secrets Of My Hollywood Life (2007) - Plot & Excerpts
242pp. Park Avenue, New York.Little,Brown and Company. $7.99ISBN: 978-0-316-15443-7“What if? Your picture was taped inside teenage boys' lockers across America, your closets were bursting with never-worn designer clothing, and the tabloids constantly asked whether you were losing your "good girl" status?”The quote above was how this book, Secrets of the Hollywood by Jen Calonita grabbed my attention, I' m pretty sure it pulled yours too. You will really gobble this one up. The narrator is Kaitlin Burke, one of the hottest teen celebrities in town who stars in an OC type prime time soap. Calonita sold me on the idea that Kaitlin life, though more glamorous, has some of the same problems any typical teenager has. Exhausted, Kaitlin is tired from all the expectations of her parents and her attempts to please them. So, she cooks up a plan to get the break she wants, a very interesting one too. Fans of Meg Cabot’s Princess Diaries or Ann Brashares’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants will totally love this one. 16 year old Kaitlin Burke has been on the same nighttime soap -- Family Affair -- for the past twelve years. In between interviews, press junkets, trips abroad, and other smaller parts, she's had to deal with her mother who seems to be living her own life through that of her daughters, and her lifetime enemy, Sky Mackenzie. Kailtin has everything, from friendship to enemy, love to hate, career to school and every single problem a teenager faces. But she never gives up. Sounds grim, doesn’t it? Nope, it’s pretty interesting. A fantastic author like Calonita includes interesting plots that brings you to a whole different world – filled with love, hate, friendship, betrayal and family, better yet, it contains humor too.As times flies, Kaitlin realizes that there's more to life than being on Teen People's list of hottest young stars, Sure, there's an audition for a new movie by hot director Hutch Adams that she'd love to land, but she's also supremely fatigued. Working nearly nonstop for twelve years has comes to the end of the line, when Kaitlin has cooked up the perfect plan to take a break over hiatus-- she'll attend Clark Hall, not as Kaitlin Burke, BUT as regular student Rachel Rogers, a girl from London visiting the U.S. for two months.Absorbing and extraordinary, Kaitlin, or should I say Rachel, will experience everything for the first time. Behind the Gucci bags, Abercrombie & Fitch, and more, Kailtin is just a typical teenager, overcoming obstacles she faces one step at a time, with a helping hand of her extremely bad temper makes things even more exciting! Just when she thought everything is going along according to plan, rumors start to spreads and as her double life is threatened by exposure, Kaitlin will have to learn what's really important in life-- true friends and family, whether they know her as Kaitlin or Rachel; the belief in herself as an actress; and the blessing and curse that is the media. From this book, I learned that no matter what happens, your family will still be by your side, even if it’s a selfish act, they will still stand by you and they got your back, just like Kailtin’s parents, they helped her went through the bad times.This fascinating book kept surprises around every corner and I never knew what was coming. Along with the problems that most teenagers faced, you will devour it in no time. Not everything is as great as Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, or Nicole Richie would like us to believe, but it sure is filled with excitement!
Summary of Novel: Kaitlyn Burke is a Hollywood actress. She hates her co-star named Sky Mackenzie and Sky hates her too. Kaitlyn just wants to see what a regular teen is like. She talks to her manager about disguising herself as Rachel Rogers. Kaitlyn finds out that high school is just like her Hollywood life. The dance that is about to happen, is where Sky is coming as a star guest for the dance. Sky and Kaitlyn got to the dance, and Sky got into this big argument of who Rachel really is. Her boyfriend Austin wasn't very happy about who she really was. Neither was her friends. She about lost her career doing all the disguise in the school. In the end, Kaitlyn got her boyfriend, friends and her career back.Main Characters: Kaitlyn Burke is a Hollywood actress for "Family Affair." She just wants to be a regular girl for awhile. She really likes this guy named Austin. Sky Mackenzie is a co-star of Kaitlyn. She despises Kaitlyn. She is also an actress on "Family Affair." Austin is a regular, hot, and attractive guy at "Rachel's" school. He plays lacrosse for his school. He had a girlfriend named Lori. Main Idea: The main idea is Kaitlyn knows now that being a regular teen is the same as her Hollywood career. Setting of Book: In Hollywood at L.A.Conflict: She wants to see what is like a normal teenage girl.Resolution of conflict: She finds out that high school is just likie a regular Hollywood actress. Main Characters: Kaitlyn Burke is a Hollywood actress for "Family Affair." She just wants to be a regular girl for awhile. She really likes this guy named Austin. Sky Mackenzie is a co-star of Kaitlyn. She despises Kaitlyn. She is also an actress on "Family Affair." Austin is a regular, hot, and attractive guy at "Rachel's" school. He plays lacrosse for his school. He had a girlfriend named Lori. Main Idea: The main idea is Kaitlyn knows now that being a regular teen is the same as her Hollywood career. Main Idea: The main idea is Kaitlyn knows now that being a regular teen is the same as her Hollywood career. Opinion of Book: I thought the book was fantastic! I think you should read this book!Recommendation: I think you should read this book because it is a very good book to read.
What do You think about Secrets Of My Hollywood Life (2007)?
*********SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!*******Secrets Of My Hollywood Life was one of the best books I have read in a long time. It was one of those books you just can not put down. I finished it in less than a day and could not wait to start the next one! I love this author. Jen Calonita has written all of my most favorite books. In fact, this whole series was so good I could barely put them down! I really wish that the series could go on forever until Kaitlin dies and then continue to her children. I fe
—Allison
Secrets of my Hollywood LifeThis book is about this girl named Kaitlin. Kaitlin is a famous actress. She plays on a TV show called family affairs. The two things she wants the most is to be normal, and for her co- worker, sky, to leave her alone. Sky is trying to be on top of the list in Hollywood, but there are a lot of people standing in her way including Kaitlin. She enjoys playing on family affairs but she just wants to get away from her Hollywood life for a little while. So what she did was she signed up at her best friends Liz’s school. So what she did was to get her makeup artists to make her to look like a totally different person. She gave herself a new name, Rachel Rogers. She went to her new school, but she didn’t know half of the stuff there. Eventfully she got the hang of it. Then she met a boy named Austin. Even though he had a girlfriend he liked her. He said he wanted to be with someone who he knew wouldn’t backstab him. So he broke up with his girlfriend for her. She signed up for the dance committee and soon enough it was about time for the dance. Austin asked her. She said yes. When they arrived at the dance there was a magazine reporter there. She wasn’t worried though. Then just when she got comfortable the reporter crashed the dance and found out Rachel was Kaitlin. They ruined her career and her relationship with Austin she thought. Then she had one interview that changed everything and it was much better.Kaitlin burke is a nice polite girl. She has long thick blond hair. She has blue eyes and she says she has fat ankles and big feet. Rachel Rogers (a.k.a. Kaitlin in disguise) is nerdy kind of. She has green eyes (colored contacts) and thick rimmed glasses. She wears a brown wig and normal clothes (not designer).Austin is on the lacrosse team. He has dirty blond hair with sky blue eyes that sparkle. He is buff too. Liz is really nice. She isn’t the most popular girl but she knows how to look like it. She always adds her own accessories.The setting of the book is in a lot of different places. One includes the set of Family affair. The other is at her house that is decked out with designer furniture. Another is at the school. It’s big and it has a lot of studentsThe conflict of the story is that she wants to be normal like everyone else. Then when she does she ruins what she really does not want to lose. Another conflict id Sky. Sky has known Kaitlin her whole life and has never liked her. She has tried to ruin Kaitlin’s career for a long time.The resolution to the conflict is that she goes to school to be normal. And to fix the problem with her friends and career she apologized and they felt like their new lives where built with her in it so they forgave her and carried on. The conflict with sky was never really resolved not until the third book.My opinion of the book is that it is amazing. I can connect to everything. I absolutely love this book. I love the characters and the settings. I love everything about this book.I recommend this to any girl who can read it.it is amazing and I know everything will love it. There is always something you can connect to. The details are exact and exiting any girl would love this.The main idea of this girl is that there is a girl who just wants to be normal and when she does she hurts her friends and her career. The conclusion of this story is that Kaitlin won back all of her friends. She always can depend on her friends that play on family affairs. She knows that she will always have a friend.
—Lilliana
I have one word to describe this book: AWFUL.It is incredibly poorly written. Was this meant to be a published book or Hannah Montana fanfiction? Seriously, I wonder. Kaitlin is boring, stupid, and immature. The author made a poor attempt at making her relatable and likable; but she comes off as an annoying as hell Mary sue. Really, she is such a good person she barely harbors any hate towards anyone and is just so nice. Please get real. Also, the love interest Austin is also a total male mary su (I believe the term is gary stu). At some point, Kaitlin even says that he seems too perfect which made wonder that maybe the book isn't meant to be taken seriously. Every character in the book is cardboard, completely one dimensional, and obviously transparent. I have cero clue why would someone rate this book any higher than 3 stars. It's actually so bad, it's pathetic. The storyline is 100% predictable. It is a bit interesting otherwise I wouldn't have read it. But in the end, this book completely and utterly sucks.
—Montse db
