L.A. Candy (L.A. Candy, #1)

by Lauren Conrad

[Katie King]

**Did Not Finish**

Wow. As someone who has never watched Laguna Beach or The Hills, I didn't really know what I was getting myself into. I know of Lauren Conrad, sure, but it pretty much ends there. When I heard she wrote a book, my feelings were similar to "I guess the cash cow finally made it to slaughter" (sorry). Imagine my surprise when I found myself at my local used bookstore, copy of L.A. Candy in hand. These people don't even write their own books, I told myself. It really can't be that bad. How wrong I was.

L.A. Candy starts off with Jane Roberts, your average plain-yet-somehow-beautiful (get it? Plain Jane) teenaged girl living off daddy's money. Not a care in the world, Jane moves to L.A., after backpacking in Europe, with an internship and very little money in order to "broaden her horizons." Cue best friend Scarlett, the beautiful, preppy college student who always get what she wants. Cue a hot, mysterious guy, who gets them into clubs ahead of lines. Cue hot, mysterious guy, who might have a girlfriend but isn't staying away from Jane but seriously he's so hot and maybe single OMG. Cue hot, mysterious guy who happens to be a reality TV producer looking for his next cast. Cue...you get it. You know what really happens in this book? Nothing. Jane and Scarlett move. They meet a guy, he helps them. They meet a guy, he helps them. They meet a guy, he helps them. Then I stopped reading, so I don't know what happens after that, but I'm sure they meet lots of guys who end up doing stuff for them. You know what Scarlett and Jane do for themselves? Oh, right, nothing. They just kind of float around the plot waiting for a guy to show up and move everything along.

The writing...could've been better. Conrad isn't a literary genius but nothing horrible occurred. There was a lot of textspeak and repetition of the word "like." According to Cher Horowitz, that is so valley girl, not something to be proud of. Several times the reader is told how to feel rather then letting it happen organically. All in all, not horrific.

However, this is a boring novel. I stopped reading at approximately 43% and all they had done with the show were the interviews and start to film a scene. I was not enticed enough to find out what happens, or even to see behind-the-scenes of Conrad's TV experience. I really just don't care. And neither does Conrad, it seems.

Summary
Boring novel in a surely boring series by a irrelevant reality TV star. Lots of textspeak, "like," whining, and "hot guys." I frequently pondered whether the author even knew of the crucial parts that make up a book. Don't miss this one. [/sarcasm]