I finished reading a young adult novel called Celebrity Skin last night. It came out about a year ago and was  hard to find because it was put into the local chain bookstore's system incorrectly...but that's another story. I don't read much young adult, but since I'm writing another story set in Hollywood I've been going through my TBR to pull out similarly set stories. 
    What appealed to me about this book was the subtlety of the cultural references. The heroine is Erin Kim, a girl of Korean ancestry though decidedly American herself. I liked how Bonin showed that to us. In general, I thought characterization was well done, though Taylor's mother seemed overblown. Considering she's a stage mom, though, maybe not! And that's pretty scary.
    Books about celebrity teens seem pretty popular in the young adult marketplace. This one may be a little different in that it's coming from the point of view from a hanger-on friend, and it's her story more than the star's. It's interesting how the character justifies enabling her famous friend's behavior and the story feels all too real. From the best of intentions, or the typical teen's self-involvement, terrible things can happen if parents aren't watching out for the best interests of their offspring. If you're interested in a take on the Britneys and Lindsays this is a good read for you!
    From blogs, it appears two more books have been written in the series, but haven't come out despite promotion in the back of the first book. I hope the sequels see print!

 

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