A romantic comedy with an unforgettable cast of characters (and way more laughs than any episode of American Idol), perfect for fans of Pitch Perfect. Meet Magnolia. Her father's dead, her boyfriend's ditched her to commit himself more fully to surfing, and her mother's depressed because she can't get cast on The Real Housewives of Orange County. All Magnolia wants is to reinvent herself. Meet Ford. Half his family is in jail, the other half probably should be, he shoplifted his way into a job at a record store, and his brother pawned his 1953 Telecaster for a quick buck. All Ford wants is to reinvent himself. Ford, meet Magnolia. When the two teens are cast in Spotlight, a reality TV singing competition, both see it as their chance to start anew. With each episode, as they live together in a Hollywood Hills mansion and sing their hearts out, Ford and Magnolia fall in love. But how genuine can that love be when a television audience is watching their every move—and when their pasts are catching up them so much faster than they can run?
Reviews with the most likes.
I read this hoping to be able to book talk it to junior high kids because I think the concept (reality TV love story!) is something that will be easy to sell but I think the material is a little too much for me to comfortably tell a whole class about–the first chapter has a super drunk actress, there's a big plot line about drug dealers, etc–but I think that a lot of teens will dig it.
I liked it okay... I always love behind-the-scenes reality TV stuff, and I especially liked Magnolia's ongoing rants about how adults always expect teens to change their minds but teens should just live in the moment, man. I think that's a good message.
(It was... interesting... that all the side characters here are diverse but our 2 protagonists were white. Still: Mila was probably my favorite character, so... hooray for that I guess. Also, class diversity, in that Ford is from a poor, rural, crimey family.)
Ultimately: a fun, quick read; recommended for fans of reality TV trash!
