Between You and MeAuthor: Emma McLaughlin and Kicola Kraus
Publisher: Atria Books
Release Dates: June 12, 2012
Number of Pages: 272
Synoposis of Goodreads
What happens when you are followed by millions . . . and loved by none? Twenty-seven-year-old Logan Wade is trying to build a life for herself far from her unhappy childhood in Oklahoma. Until she gets the call that her famous cousin needs a new assistant— an offer she can’t refuse.
Logan hasn’t seen Kelsey in person since their parents separated them as kids; in the meantime, Kelsey Wade has grown into Fortune Magazine’s most powerful celebrity. But their reunion is quickly overshadowed by the toxic dynamic between Kelsey and her parents as Logan discovers that, beneath the glossy façade, the wounds that caused them to be wrenched apart so many years ago have insidiously warped into a show-stopping family business.
As Kelsey tries desperately to break away and grasp at a “real” life, beyond the influence of her parents and managers, she makes one catastrophic misstep after another, and Logan must question if their childhood has left them both too broken to succeed. Logan risks everything to hold on, but when Kelsey unravels in the most horribly public way, Logan finds that she will ultimately have to choose between rescuing the girl she has always protected . . . and saving herself.
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MY THOUGHTS:
Logan Wade is drifting through life in New York. She has a job she doesn't like, is in a non-relationship with a jerky boy, and is estranged from a portion of her family. When her cousin calls her asking if she wants to visit another of their cousins, the famous Kelsey Wade, for a week, Logan jumps at the chance. She and Kelsey were extremely close as children, but after Logan ended up in the hospital after an 'accident' caused by Kelsey's father, Andy, Logan's parents cut off that side of the family and Michelle, Kelsey's mother, fled with Kelsey to LA.
After a somewhat uncomfortable week in LA where Logan doesn't get to see much of Kelsey, let alone catch up with her, circumstance leads her to become Kelsey's new assistant. Before she knows it she is on a tour bus for Kelsey's European tour along with the dancers, crew, and Michelle and Andy, who have reconciled. Andy is five-years sober and the two are the epitome of 'helicopter parents' (if that term can still be applied when the daughter is in her 20s). Between You and Me follows Logan as she watches first hand the life of her famous cousin as it slowly implodes.
The character of Kelsey is straight-up Briteny Spears--to the point that the reader almost knows exactly what is coming because it isn't even fiction. The changes made not to sued are so minimal, that there wasn't even a moment where I was wondering what was going to happen next or where the story was going to lead. While the writing is fast-paced and I liked Logan's character and her side-story romance with another assistant, (to a famous actor who was a dead-ringer for Matthew Mcconaughey before wife and kids), Finn, it just wasn't enough to really enjoy this book. I never really cared about Britney Spears. I don't like her music, but I think she seems like an ok girl. I do believe that the pressure of going through a divorce after having two babies in quick succession in front of the entire world was enough to put anyone over the edge temporarily, but I don't really care about her life. That said, I know all about it because unless you lived under a rock a few years ago, you know about it. The story of her complete downfall wasn't just on E!, it was on CNN, on every magazine cover, the butt of every late-night talk show host's joke, literally everywhere you looked. So I'm not sure a fictionalized version was necessary.
Sure, it's fiction, Logan is new (probably), the parents are (mostly) different, the family dynamics and Kelsey and Logan's childhood, but it just wasn't fiction enough. If Kelsey would have been a real not-real character, I would have been more interested. Again, the writing is fine, better than the Nanny Diaries, it is a quick read, but from about half-way through to the end, it just mirrored Britney's life too closely to be anything more than a 'fictionalized' account of her life.
After a somewhat uncomfortable week in LA where Logan doesn't get to see much of Kelsey, let alone catch up with her, circumstance leads her to become Kelsey's new assistant. Before she knows it she is on a tour bus for Kelsey's European tour along with the dancers, crew, and Michelle and Andy, who have reconciled. Andy is five-years sober and the two are the epitome of 'helicopter parents' (if that term can still be applied when the daughter is in her 20s). Between You and Me follows Logan as she watches first hand the life of her famous cousin as it slowly implodes.
The character of Kelsey is straight-up Briteny Spears--to the point that the reader almost knows exactly what is coming because it isn't even fiction. The changes made not to sued are so minimal, that there wasn't even a moment where I was wondering what was going to happen next or where the story was going to lead. While the writing is fast-paced and I liked Logan's character and her side-story romance with another assistant, (to a famous actor who was a dead-ringer for Matthew Mcconaughey before wife and kids), Finn, it just wasn't enough to really enjoy this book. I never really cared about Britney Spears. I don't like her music, but I think she seems like an ok girl. I do believe that the pressure of going through a divorce after having two babies in quick succession in front of the entire world was enough to put anyone over the edge temporarily, but I don't really care about her life. That said, I know all about it because unless you lived under a rock a few years ago, you know about it. The story of her complete downfall wasn't just on E!, it was on CNN, on every magazine cover, the butt of every late-night talk show host's joke, literally everywhere you looked. So I'm not sure a fictionalized version was necessary.
Sure, it's fiction, Logan is new (probably), the parents are (mostly) different, the family dynamics and Kelsey and Logan's childhood, but it just wasn't fiction enough. If Kelsey would have been a real not-real character, I would have been more interested. Again, the writing is fine, better than the Nanny Diaries, it is a quick read, but from about half-way through to the end, it just mirrored Britney's life too closely to be anything more than a 'fictionalized' account of her life.
The synopsis sounded interesting, but after your less-than-stellar review, I probably won't be picking this one up.
ReplyDelete- Kritika
Check out the Earth Dwellers blog tour stop on my blog. Unlimited free e-books and a giveaway!
I thought it sounded really interesting, too, but yeah--it's really not worth your time. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI have nominate you for the Liebster Award :) Katy @ Smoking Hot Books
ReplyDeleteWow, thank you! I cannot even explain how busy my life is at the moment, so as much as I appreciate it (and I truly do), I simply do not have time for award hops at this time.
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