Fake Plastic Girl

This is the book you'll be bragging to your friends you read BEFORE it was a huge film franchise or TV series. I love a great thriller. Who doesn’t? And although overly bright, but ultimately broken, Taylor Swift-defending 16-year-old girls are not my protagonist of choice, I found myself totally sucked into Justine Childs' world, one that is both completely familiar and utterly foreign. Living in Los Angeles, I discovered a particular delight in turning the pages and finding my city so richly and perceptively captured - that was the familiar part. And that delight was only enhanced by (what I can only assume is) an eerily accurate depiction of being plucked from the periphery to being right in the midst of fame - that’s the foreign experience. All the same, I kept thinking to myself, wow, yes, that's exactly what it must feel like! The plot moves fast and the characters all crackle with individuality (except when they’re not supposed to for obvious reasons). It’s a hard book to put down after finishing a chapter. I’d advise clearing your weekend. Justine’s unabiding admiration and gusto for of a certain (tall, in-and-out-of-love, singer/songwriter) pop star is - unlike other reviews here have suggested - altogether illuminating of her character. Her “rants” are rife with subtext and so much less about the “Lover” songstress as they are about the teenager who feels unappreciated and overlooked despite her mental gifts. Any young reader, and frankly any adult, can identify with that! It’s particularly fertile ground then when the oh-so-glamorous Eva-Kate Kelly takes notice and shines the brightest of laudatory lights in Justine’s direction. I’ve purchased the book twice, once for myself and once as a gift. And I’ve encouraged at least one mother to buy a copy for her teenage daughter (who subsequently devoured it and) who can’t wait to read the next one. While I, too, am eagerly looking forward to seeing how the story progresses in the second book of the series, I’m most looking forward to lingering on the author’s intricate, fun and enticing sentences. For instance, “I vowed then to spin myself into the sophisticated femme fatale I’d long to be, to spend the summer collecting experiences like poker chips in a towering stack, to become so worldly and self-assured that when school started in the fall, nobody would recognize me. If only I knew where to begin.” That’s the sort of writing I love and appreciate. When an author can pull me into a story I was previously sure I’d never be interested in (let alone captivated by), that’s a remarkable thing. And this is one remarkable novel. So, take a break from the realities and concreteness of life and let your whole world be a little more “fake” and “plastic” for a time. Buy it. Gift it. But don’t blame me if you find your Spotify account eerily suggesting Taylor Swift a lot more often. I swear I didn’t tell it to do that!

As kids, we dream of the celebrity lifestyle: the glitz and glamour our favorite entertainers have. We idolize their lives. What we wouldn’t do with all that money and fame: parties, expensive cars, and top-line fashion! We’ve made it in life once we achieve it! What happens when you get it, especially if you’re a child star? Is it enough? Are you happy? Or, maybe you know someone who has it and think their life is perfect? That’s what this book explores. It satirizes our lust for this life. It’s that darkness the Eagles wrote about on “Hotel California.”While the characters are living in the late 2010’s, if you came of age during the 2000s (like myself), you’ll smile when certain things are mentioned. I said to myself at times, “I remember this so well! That was exactly what it was like growing up. That was me in high school.” This is one of the first books I’ve read where I related so well with life around these characters.Zara Lisbon captures it perfectly. She’s got a voice so identifiable and unique. This is a fantastic start to a long, successful writing career! I had trouble putting the book down. I can’t wait for the sequel, FAKE PLASTIC WORLD, to see what happens next to these characters. It’s only a matter of time before Hollywood comes calling to turn this into a movie or series.

Book was a great quick read-I could not put down for 24 hours. Its a look into young stars, money, and Hollywood with all the elements of a mystery --let's face it, it's a plastic world but our protagonist gets caught up in it and lots of roller coaster emotions that we associate with coming of age in a world where it seems like everyone is wealthy, privileged, andrather lost. Of course, there is love and sex and a dog! Read it and watch for the sequel.

This is a ravishing novel from start to finish. I have never read something that so accurately and poetically describes living in Los Angeles, forever proximate to the untouchable of celebrity-dom. I couldn't put it down. It's dark and beautiful and keeps you on your toes. I disagree with anyone who didn't get the Taylor Swift soliloquies. I felt they were a clear signal of Justine's instability and they perfectly foreshadowed her rapid spiral into Eva-Kate obsession. I also thought that the way they interrupt the narrative mirrors her mental state. My only issue is with its genre classification as Young Adult. At most it is YA-adjacent. Justine and Eva Kate are teenagers and I guess that was enough for it to be confined to that genre even though the content and writing are much more elevated than most other YA books. In the age of instant gratification, I love that I have no choice but to wait patiently for the sequel. Cannot wait for more from this young author.

Zara Lisbon has her finger on the zeitgeist of young Hollywood. This is a dark, funny, and tantalizing tale with Taylor Swift lyrics and murder thrown into the mix. The author weaves all of these elements into a deliciously twisty and page turning tale. If you want a good book that you can't put down and has you quickly ordering its sequel, then this is the one for you.

Have you ever wanted to be best friends with a celebrity? Justine gets just that when she is sucked into the world of her new neighbor who just happens to be a former child celebrity. But both of them are harboring dark secrets and when Eva Kate Kelly ends up dead. Everyone is a suspectI've been waiting almost a year for this book. I was worried I'd hyped it up too much but it more than lived up to my expectations. When something like this happens in real life, we only get the fall out but this is the tick, tick, boom. Only an 11 month wait till the sequel.