Taking Hollywood

by Shari King

[Leah]

When I heard Shari Low, fabulous Chick Lit author, was teaming up with Ross King, king of the celebrity gossip on Lorraine, I was intrigued! They're the best of friends, and who better to write a Hollywood-set novel than a man who lives and reports from there on a daily basis? Not to mention Shari's fantastic writing skills. It's been a while since the last release from Shari - and she's been much missed, so it was thrilling to see her back with Taking Hollywood. I've grown to love the old-school Jackie Collins-esque cover for Taking Hollywood, with a black background and gold palm trees and writing. It's old school and classic, and harks right back to the 80s. (Not that I would know, being born in 1990, but I've seen the books, seen the covers.) I couldn't wait to dive in to this mammoth read!

Taking Hollywood is a massive book. 487 pages of Hollywood scandal and drama, and it's the perfect summer read. It tells the tale of three Hollywood celebrities, who used to be friends. Davie Johnston, Zander Leigh and Mirren McLean. Something happened years ago that forced them to break apart, but they've all made their own way in Hollywood. Davie's a producer, Zander's a huge movie star and Mirren's a writer. Until Sarah McKenzie, an amibitious journalist in Glasgow starts digging into the past of Davie, Zander and Mirren, desperate to find out what happened that tore their relationships to shreds. It's the last thing either of the trio really need, with other headaches looming large - Davie's marriage is a fraud, Zander's on the slippery slope of an addict and Mirren's dealing with a drug-addicted daughter, so the last thing they need is a nosy journalist knocking on their doors, but Sarah is determined to find out the truth...

Taking Hollywood was a super interesting read, that I devoured in two sittings. It's your typical Hollywood fare, with fake marriages and addicts and cheating and all that other stuff, but I found the back story fascinating. I had sort of figured it all out before hand, I will be honest, although I hadn't actually cottoned on to who had done what. That was the only part, for me, that remained a mystery up until it eventually came out. It was intriguing to learn the story piece by piece, and also frustrating because I like instant gratification, I like to be told the story all in one go, not have it fed to me bit by bit, with large gaps in between scenes, because it leaves me always wanting more (which is, obviously, the reason). It was probably Sarah the journalist who was my favourite character. Zander, Mirren and Davie are selfish, rich Hollywood folk who I found it hard to warm to. Zander is your typical addicted movie star, incapable of realising he has a problem; Mirren seemed okay, I suppose, but there was something there about her I didn't really trust; and Davie was probably my favourite of the three, though he was quite ostentatious.

Sarah, however, had an interesting story, and I was with her all the way as she chased down Zander, Mirren and Davie, and I was hoping she'd discover the truth. Taking Hollywood was a fascinating read that kept me gripped from start to finish. The teaming up of Shari Low and Ross King will likely prove to be a very successful one - and I'm awfully curious to know all about their writing style (who writes what, etc). Taking Hollywood was a great tale of kids from a rough area who end up coming good, although it begs the question of at what cost did they end up coming good? And it's intriguing to learn the truth, nugget by nugget. Definitely an interesting read, and I look forward to what the pair write next!This review was originally posted on Girls Love To Read