True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet

By lola douglas

Book Overview

Teen movie star Morgan Carter retreats to a small Midwestern town to recuperate anonymously after an overdose and rehabilitation, recording her thoughts in a diary. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 159514093X
• ISBN13: 9781595140937
• Release Date: November 2006
• Publisher: Razorbill
• Length: 260 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.1" x 7.0"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

great book

After Hollywood It Girl Morgan Carter overdoses on narcotics, her mom decides that she needs to recover, and she thinks that won't be possible in L.A, so she sends Morgan to live with a friend in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Suddenly Morgan has newly dyed brown hair, a new name (Claudia Miller), and a new attendance of Narcotics Anonymous meetings. At first she is completely underwhelmed. Her friends at school are just slightly different from Marissa, her best friend in Hollywood. None of their clothes have labels, and the clothes they do wear don't exactly emphasize their assets and hid their faults the way they should. Their idea of partying involves soda (which they call pop) and pizza, and they fill their days with school, extracurriculars, and homework. Between guidance counselor sessions at school, NA meetings, school clubs, and a series of journal entries, Morgan is able to make some new friends and confidantes, and really get into her "role" as Claudia Miller. However, there's still that tiny something holding her back: her "real life," knowing she's going to have to return to it, and the fear of being discovered. At first Morgan seems vapid and flat, but as she spends more time in Ft. Wayne, she really mellows and becomes a likeable character. Lola Douglas' writing style is both entertaining and genuine, much like the story itself. By the end, you'll be seeing that Morgan Carter isn't so different from Claudia Miller, if only she'd give herself a chance.

Excellent

I am an adult who loves good teen fiction. Unfortunately, they did not have these wonderful choices when I was a teen. Making it up for it now though... The story of a 17 year old Hollywood star who gets pulled out of the limelight and sent into middle america in order to help with her drug and alcohol recovery is absolutely excellent. The writing is smart, quick and funny when it needs to be. I enjoyed all of the characters who are portrayed as regular people with their faults and qualities. This book was an absolute treat and I am looking forward to the next in this series. Buy it.

5 stars and Up

This book is probably one of my favorites. It doesn't lie and pretend that childhood is all great for movie stars (or anyone) and shows that no matter how bad you're situation is, you can ALWAYS survive and come out even better than before. I'd recommend this book to anyone but especially teenage girls who always wish that they can be a 'starlet' because it will make their ideas more realistic and make them appreciate what they have. Besides being an amazingly inspirational book, it was funny, true, interesting and basically anything else that means GREAT!

Beach Read with Actual Content

The School Library Journal review says, "At times, Morgan's mind and voice seem too adult-even considering a Hollywood upbringing." I disagree. True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet deserves five stars because it is exactly what it's supposed to be - and slightly more. I'm sixteen, but I don't often find something so readable in the YA section that is supposedly for people my age. I'm tired of books by authors impersonating ditzy teens without a mature thought in their heads, and it's great to find something that focuses on stuff a girl my age will enjoy without writing at me instead of for me. Georgia Nicolson is funny - hilarious - but if she materialized in my group of friends, none of us would give her rude, pity-partying self the time of day. Morgan is the correct mix of teen and adult. It was so, so nice to read the words of such a smart character - someone I would be able to have an intelligent conversation with if she existed.

Trading in the Hollywood lifestyle for something a little more ordinary...

Alcohol, drugs, contracts, and Stephen Soderbergh are just an everyday part of teen movie star Morgan Carter's life. She has grown up among the rich and famous and can party with the best of them. Or the worst, as the case may be. When too much partying leads her to six months in rehab and endangers her career, Morgan's manager comes up with a plan that she likes to refer to as the "Witless Protection Program." For a year, Morgan will call herself Claudia Miller, dress herself in Gap jeans and Target t-shirts, and live as a painfully average high school student in Fort Wayne, Indiana. No more Marc Jacobs clothing. No cell phone. NA meetings instead of parties. She'll attend classes with teachers who give her D's. She'll suffer through gym class volleyball. She'll have to make new friends, which definitely is not as easy as Hollywood makes it look. Oddly enough, she kind of likes it. Amid high-fat food and snow in October is a boy Morgan can trust, if she'll let herself. He is a class leader with a secret addiction to Dance Dance Revolution, the pride of doing charity work, and a lot of Midwestern charm. In abandoning Caesar salads for Scooby snacks, Morgan is able to think about who she really is and what she wants to do for the first time in her life. But what is she going to do when the year is over? Ignore what the media says about her. Morgan is charming (even when she's obnoxious), witty, fun, and most importantly, a multifaceted person who has to overcome a lot of garbage in her life. Meg Cabot fans, this is the book to pick up while you're waiting for the next Princess Diaries installment. A sequel to TRUE CONFESSIONS OF A HOLLYWOOD STARLET is planned for Fall 2006, and will be much anticipated. --- Reviewed by Carlie Webber