Behind the Scenes Volume 1

by Dahlia Adler

High school senior Ally Duncan's best friend may be the Vanessa Park - star of TV's hottest new teen drama - but Ally's not interested in following in her BFF's Hollywood footsteps. In fact, the only thing Ally's ever really wanted is to go to Columbia and study abroad in Paris. But when her father's mounting medical bills threaten to stop her dream in its tracks, Ally nabs a position as Van's on-set assistant to get the cash she needs. Spending the extra time with Van turns out to be fun, and getting to know her sexy co-star Liam is an added bonus. But when the actors' publicist arranges for Van and Liam to date for the tabloids just after he and Ally share their first kiss, Ally will have to decide exactly what role she's capable of playing in their world of make believe. If she can't play by Hollywood's rules, she may lose her best friend, her dream future, and her first shot at love.

• ISBN10: 1939392977
• ISBN13: 9781939392978
• Publish Date: 24 June 2014
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 17 February 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Spencer Hill Press
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 328
• Language: English

Reviews

[limabean74]

Review to come

[Leah]

I was so excited to read this, but it didn't really live up to my expectations - or to the other fantastic novel I read similar to this one called Not In The Script by Amy Finnegan. This one was only OK. I usually love books set behind the scenes of movies or TV shows, and I did like the fact Ally couldn't have cared less about being famous and was content to just be best friends with someone famous, but it left her awfully self-conscience, when it came to Liam. Just because someone's pretty and famous doesn't mean they're not interested in dating a regular person, and it made me sad that Ally thought like that. And it was also RIDICULOUS that Ally and Van would both agree to the stupid ploy of Van and Liam fake-dating. Regardless of Van's career, you wouldn't do that to your best friend (although, to be fair, at the time Van didn't know, but still - once Van knew, she should have stopped it).

I quite liked the side plot of Ally's father's cancer battle, it gave a more serious feel to the novel.

I wanted to love this one, and Liam was awesome (which made it even worse that Ally was so questioning of herself and her feelings and everything - Liam never actually did anything wrong, he was the perfect boy). It just didn't fill me up with all the feels, and I never really felt as if I knew the real Ally, because she was always striving for something else (or so it seemed).

[Angie]

I feel like there's been a huge increase in celebrity romances lately, and that's alright with me, especially if they're cute like Behind the Scenes. Ally is just a normal girl, but her BFF since daycare is a rising teen celebrity. Vanessa was just cast in the lead role of the next hit teen show, and she's hired Ally as her assistant to help her earn money for college. Being on set with Van also means spending time with her hottie co-star, Liam. Ally does have a bit of a crush on him, since he's super hot, but she assumes he's just another shallow pretty face. Obviously he's not, and the two hit it off immediately.

What I loved about Behind the Scenes was the reverse fake relationship! Ally and Liam start dating early on, but then Van's publicist wants her to date Liam to create buzz for their new show. Ally doesn't like the idea, but she thinks they should do it for their careers. And having the fake girlfriend as her best friend should make it easier, right? WRONG! This whole situation is a mess! It creates drama galore! Admittedly, a bit more drama than I would have liked, but I still enjoyed seeing my favorite trope flipped around.

I also liked how Behind the Scenes focused on friendship, family, and college in addition to the romance. Ally's father has stage 4 cancer, and her college fund is going toward his medical bills. Ally has always dreamed of going across the country to Columbia, but now it's going to be more difficult. I liked seeing her debate whether that's what she still wanted. Sure, she wanted to go away for college, and it might make things easier for her when her father passes, but maybe she should stick around? Ally does explore her options at the end, which I think is important. I would have been mad if she just decided to not go at all in order to be with Liam. Do not give up on your dreams for a guy!

Behind the Scenes was a fun read. Ally and Liam are really cute together when they weren't fighting and being drama llamas. I also really liked the friendship between Ally and Vanessa. Van may be a rising star, but Ally keeps her grounded. The drama in the middle was a bit much, especially with that whole Nate debacle, but I still really enjoyed this one overall.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.