Yes, I read Lauren Conrad's third novel in her series, L. A. Candy. I had to, because I've read the first two. I admit it, I like to indulge in some fairly bad chick lit and this most definitely takes the cake when it comes to extreme fluff read. Luckily for me, I had a doctor's appointment, which meant that I had plenty of time to kill in the waiting room and seeing that this book is only 279 pages, well I knew I could finish it off in one sitting. And I did.
From the book flap:
Sugar and Spice...not everyone's nice. Fresh from being betrayed by one of her closest friends, new reality-television celebrity Jane Roberts has learned a few lessons. Most important: know who to trust. And in Hollywood, that list is short.
Although the press is intent on creating a tabloid war between her and ex-friend/current co-star Madison Parker, Jane just wants to take control of her life. She's started by swearing off guys and the drama that comes with them. But when her high school sweetheart Caleb and her unrequited L.A. crush Braden shows up, both acting sweeter than ever, Jane has a hard time remembering her no-boys rule...
Her best friend, Scarlett, has only one guy on her mind: her new boyfriend, Liam. The girl who once thought love was a four-letter word is now head over heels. The problem is, being on a hit reality show means hanging out with other guys on-camera, and Liam isn't too happy with pretending to play a bit part in her love life.
Just when everything feels out of control, Jane makes a shocking discovery - one that changes everyone's definition of "reality" forever.
My thoughts:
Hmmm. I suppose that summary from the flap actually tells all with regards to the plot, so I don't have much more to reveal. Basically, Jane and Scarlett, finally figure out what is most important to them and that is: living their lives their way. Jane finds out that the show's creator has a journal in which he has been planning out the entire season's story lines before they have even happened; he's basically creating the "reality" that she thought was her crazy life. And Scarlett finds out that she wants more for herself with regards to education and decides to leave USC for Columbia and she wants to enjoy having a boyfriend out in public (instead of having Liam waiting in the shadows, because the show wants her to be single). The rest of the cast of L.A. Candy have some rather ridiculous realities to deal with: Gaby undergoes a complete makeover and becomes rather catty to Jane and Scarlett per her new agent's instructions, while Madison gets blackmailed by her little sister (she wants to be on the show, too). Overall, another ridiculously superficial look at the "reality" of a group of wannabe celebrities on a somewhat scripted reality show. Gee, I wonder where Conrad got the idea for her trilogy?
Anyhow, the book did provide me with a few good chuckles and plenty of eye-rolls; not bad for a waiting room read. The writing was bad and the characters one-dimensional, but still I found myself enjoying the book for a number of reasons, such as: I like to use the books to try and figure out what happened to who from the reality show The Hills (the show the books are based on) and I like to let my brain rest with a good fluff read. So, all in all, not bad for a day's reading.
And now I'm off to read ROOM, which I've been hearing mixed reviews about. Nonetheless, I'm really excited to pick it up and dive right in. Happy Reading!!