Everyone wants to be someone.
Layla Harrison wants to leave her beach-bum days for digs behind a reporter’s desk. Aster Amirpour wants to scream at the next casting director who tells her “we need ethnic but not your kind of ethnic.” Tommy Phillips dreams of buying a twelve-string guitar and using it to shred his way back into his famous absentee dad’s life. But Madison Brooks took destiny and made it her bitch a long time ago. She’s Hollywood’s hottest starlet, and the things she did to become the name on everyone’s lips are merely a stain on the pavement, ground beneath her Louboutin heel.
That is, until Layla, Aster, and Tommy find themselves with a VIP invite to the glamorous and gritty world of Los Angeles’s nightlife and lured into a high-stakes competition where Madison Brooks is the target. Just as their hopes begin to gleam like stars through the California smog, Madison Brooks goes missing. . . . And all of their hopes are blacked out in the haze of their lies. (synopsis taken from alysonnoel.com)
This book is as if Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars had a messy one night stand, resulting in a child. The wealth and backstabbing of Gossip Girl and the mystery and thrill of Pretty Little Liars is all in this book. Set in the glamorous town of L.A.
The characters in the story are dynamic and determined, all going for the same goal. Fame and fortune. While Astir doesn’t really need the fortune, it won’t stop her from stepping on anyone she has to to be able to win. Tommy needs this more than anything, he left his small town to pursue his dream of working in the music industry. And then theres Layla, who hails from a beach town but want to put that all behind her and become the next big reporter.
The characters are diverse and all are dealing with their own struggles, which I think makes it fun to read. You have each one who had their “role” , the good girl gone wild, the wannabe, the small town kid, the creepy boss, and the pop star who wants to forget who she used to be.
I never would have come across this trilogy if I hadn’t won an ARC of the second book called Blacklist. I am so happy I did. I have always loved books that are about the sickeningly rich and famous, and those who will do anything to get there. The rich kids of the West Coast are a while new breed onto themselves. They have different expectations from the world around them and have no boundaries when it comes to pushing people over to get what they want.
This book was well written and the characters were awesome. I like how each chapter changed who it was about and each chapter title was a title of an old rock and roll song. The story is written in third person while being able to get deep inside the characters heads. They are all unique and have great developed personalities. The end of the book was a cliff hanger which then feeds right into the second book which is out now.
The book is a mixture of a thriller and an insight to the world of the over privileged. I give it 10 out of 5 stars because I’m in love with Tommy.