Genre: YA Contemporary
Published: July 15, 2015 by HarperCollins
Length: 241 pages
Source: HarperCollins (ARC)
“The California dream was supposed to give seventeen-year-old Annie Shelton a fresh start far removed from her dad’s unusual betrayal. But when things don’t go according to plan in La La Land, Annie’s mom snags a last-minute gig as makeup artist to a teen movie idol and finagles a spot for her daughter on his European promotional tour.
Down-to-earth Annie would rather fangirl architectural sights than an arrogant A-lister. That is, until behind-the-scenes Graham Cabot turns out to be more sweetly vulnerable than she could have imagined.
Too bad falling for a poster boy isn’t all red carpets and star treatment, especially when you factor in obnoxious fans, an overprotective assistant, a stage mom/manager, and a beefy bodyguard.
But it isn’t until the paparazzi make an appearance that things get really sticky…”
Map to the Stars is just what I expected. It was a cute and fast paced read…a perfect read for summer. I really liked the writing style because it flowed smoothly and the author did a great job narrating through Annie’s voice.
Annie and Graham’s characters connected with me and I think that’s important while reading a book. It’s hard to not fall in love with a book if you instantly clicked with the characters. I love how they weren’t cliche; they felt authentic. Graham didn’t act like a heartthrob, bad boy celebrity. Instead, we got to see the real Graham..the one off screen and the one who badly wants to be himself, but can’t because his mother (also his manager) cares more about Graham’s career than what makes his son happy.
In this novel, we get to read the hardships that Annie and Graham go through and how the media impact their relationship. I thought it was interesting reading about Graham because it made me think about the way real life celebrities acted. We only get to see how they act through the media and don’t get to see how they are off screen. Who knows? Maybe their managers are coaching them to act a certain way in order to gain more fans.
I see this book more than a romance novel. I think this portrays how although we idolize certain people and fangirl/boy over them, we should respect their privacy because they’re humans just like us. It sucks having the dress up differently or wear sunglasses all the time just to have some privacy while out in public. Overall Map to the Stars is an easy & fun read that you should pick up if you ever feel like reading a quick book.
