Carolina Fantaccini Brito

It's cute. Didn't blow my mind, but the “science the sh*** out of this” shenanigans were a lot fun. Yes, it does feel a lot like The Martian at times, but with a different and interesting enough premise to make it worthwhile. The most unbeliebable part of this was the protagonist not knowing about Pete Best. Dude! Come on! Beatles lore is not something you can avoid even if you want to.

Nope.

Yes, it's as silly as you heard it was. Why does it get a second star? Because it's mercifully short.

I was going to rate it 3 stars, but I felt bad. Did I like the book? Hell, no. Do I think it's bad? Absolutely not. It's just not my thing. So, if I was going to rate from the gut, 2.75 rounded up to 3. But I can objectively see its qualities, so here, take the 4th star.

As soon as Dietrich arrives in Hollywood, the book stops feeling like a biography and becomes very, very gossipy. There is very little of the woman herself, and a lot of how her daughter perceives her. We are given glimpses of her that feel cartoony even if that could very well be her actual behavior. Which is valid, and I don't want to minimize the things Maria Riva went through, but perhaps the the book would benefit from a title change, something like “Marlene and The Child”.