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From the author of The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes comes yet another sharp, page-turning novel about a forgotten child star and former Hollywood “It” Girl who is now fighting back against the conservatorship that has controlled her life for the past decade. It’s been years since anyone really thought about Hayley Aldridge. A child star turned television royalty, Hayley spent years in Hollywood partying and being plastered across the front page of all the tabloids before quietly disappearing after a whirlwind marriage and divorce and very public breakdown. Once the tabloids wrung every last drop out of the drama, they moved on to the next It Girl. But Hayley is still here. For over a decade, she’s been trapped in a conservatorship and had every aspect of her life controlled by her parents. She goes nowhere, does nothing without their approval, which is rarely granted. Her visits with her kids are monitored, her fan mail is censored, and she’s a prisoner in her own home. She thought things might change once she was well enough to work, but the restrictions got even tighter as she continued to bring money in—the only thing her parents ever really cared about. Hayley is beginning to realize that this nightmare is her actual life. And she’s sick of it. When the hashtag #helphayley starts to emerge on social media, and the public starts thinking critically about what happened to her all those years ago, there’s finally some momentum on her side. With an upcoming court date to review the status of the conservatorship, Hayley might finally have a chance to break free. But how can she go up against her parents when they’re aware of her every move? It’s time for Hayley Aldridge to remind the world who she is, this time on her own terms.
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This was sooo readable, I blew through it in less than 24 hours. It did feel very ripped from the headlines (it's basically the Britney Spears story, but what if actress instead of singer) but in an appealing way. I thought the frame narrative of her telling this story to her daughters like...was best not analyzed too closely, like if you really think about her re-enacting all of the conversations in here as written like...probably not. Especially times when it seems like she forgets she's talking to her kids and refers to “the twins” in the 3rd person as opposed to other times when she says “you two” or their names to them instead? But like, whatever. It had some fun early 00s nostalgia bombs as well as more serious evaluation of the way the culture of the time treated young women. Not necessarily a ground-breaking feminist tome or anything but like, does it need to be?
CW for eating disorder, sexual assault/grooming, drug abuse/addiction, eating disorders, suicide, ETC.