Truly, Madly, Famously by Rebecca Serle (Website, Twitter, Goodreads)Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers on October 13, 2015
Genres: General, Love & Romance, Young Adult
Format: ARC
After being plucked from obscurity, Hollywood's newest It girl, Paige Townsen, has a blockbuster film to her name and Rainer Devon on her arm. But being half of the world's most famous couple comes with a price. No matter where Paige goes, someone is always watching. Soon she finds herself dodging photographers, hiding her feelings for her other co-star, Jordan Wilder, and weathering tabloid scandals that threaten to tear her and Rainer apart - and end her career as quickly as it began. As she navigates her new LA life, Paige finds that she doesn't know who to trust: old friends could be betraying her secrets, and new friends are keeping secrets of their own. Truly, Madly, Famously is the exciting sequel to Rebecca Serle's Famous in Love. 'Rebecca Serle completely captured what it's like to be a part of Young Hollywood. I absolutely loved Famous in Love. A must-read for anyone curious about life and love behind the scenes' Bella Thorne, actor and author of Autumn Falls
Let me just start off saying that I think I loved this book more than Famous in Love. I wasn’t sure that was going to happen, in fact, I was kind of on the fence about reading this because I didn’t love love book 1. I’m so stinking glad I did because once I started this, I couldn’t stop!
I’ll be honest, book 1 didn’t end quite where I wanted it to, and when I picked up Truly, Madly, Famously, I had to go back and reread the last chapter just to remember where we were. Book 2 dives in shortly after the junket tour for Locked, the movie that is making Paige Townsen a household name and “RAIGE” an actual couple nickname.
Of course Paige & Rainer are dating if you didn’t piece that together and Jordan… well, he’s off doing his thing. If you’ve seen the gossip magazines or tv shows then you can imagine what Serle puts her characters through here. They can’t go anywhere without being hounded by photographers, and the stories about them border on ridiculous, but one thing Paige can’t deny is that she’s still struggling to find who she is in Hollywood.
Serle does Hollywood so amazingly well… or at least what I imagine Hollywood might be for a newcomer who’s just trying to do something she loves, and Paige really just wants to do the films she wants to do and not have to worry about image or gossip.
I know I mentioned that Famous in Love didn’t quite end where I wanted it to, but in book 2 Serle explores the many different relationships Paige has. Not just with Rainer and Jordan… but with Alexis and Jake and Cassandra. She delves into the trust that Paige has to have for her friends and family simply because of who she now is and she does a really amazing job of it.
Of course we’re back to a bit of a love triangle here, but I really think it’s a well-done love triangle. Don’t laugh. Paige struggled so much in determining who she was meant to be with at this point in her life in Famous in Love and it doesn’t abate in this installment. Yes, she’s in a relationship with Rainer, but things are strained between them and honestly, I always felt she was only meant to be friends with him, so I was more than happy to see the implosion on that. The way it went down was hard to swallow, but I get it… one more way to show how a misinterpretation of what really was happening could really hurt people. Though I really loved that it made Paige come clean with Rainer about her feelings.
One big difference here that I loved was that though they shoot the second film in this book, the story really doesn’t revolve around their time doing so. Instead of focusing on the ins and outs of filming and the day to day of that, we are treated to more of the behind the scenes of Paige and Rainer and Jordan choosing next projects and building and repairing the bonds of friendship.
I think what I loved most though was watching Paige become more comfortable with her new life, finding the time for her friends, (both old and new) and figuring out what it is she really wants out of this experience and of course WHO she wants.
Overall, a wonderful second book to this series and to say I’m excited for book 3 is an understatement. Definitely a must read for anyone who loves a good contemporary with the twist of a behind the scenes of the machine that is Hollywood.
Thank you to Little Brown & Novl for the advanced copy of this in exchange for my honest thoughts.
We also have a giveaway – 10 winners will each win a copy of Truly Madly Famously! – US ONLY
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