{Synopsis} – “If you live courageously, you have scars.” -Beth, Starlet's Man
From the award-winning author of the Starlet Series, comes Starlet's Man, a story about a boy becoming a man amidst the mixed-messages in Hollywood culture. Discover why the Starlet Series took Gold and Silver medals in the Readers' Choice 2014 International Book Award Contest.
Lights, Cameras, and Lies. High school student athlete, Manny Biro, is caught between the boy he should be and the man he wants to become.
Everyone around him accepts the Hollywood life. He doesn't. Manny wants no part of acting. On the surface, his childhood best friends seem to have it all: money, power, success. Between the lines, they are all confused. Alan is a messed up want-to-be director focused on pushing scenes to their sexy potential. Beth is an athlete driven to escape from a dark past. Janet is Manny's kid sister caught up in fashion and trends. And Marie is a lonely actress exhausted by the culture that makes everyone's favorite stories.
What is the price of fame for all the characters? Conflicts and truths will unfold in this thought-provoking installment of Carla Hanna's young adult Starlet Series, Starlet's Man.
Genres: young adult, romance, teen books, love story, inspirational romance, coming of age, fiction, Christian romance
{My Thoughts} – Manny, What can I say, he’s a boy after my own heart. He’s sweet, he’s considerate. He has christian values, he’s respectful and he has made his share of mistakes. He is friends with a lot of people that are much better off than he is, but he doesn’t let that get to him. He has dreams, wishful thoughts and desires just like any normal person.
Marie, she is an actress, she is a symbol for up and coming girls, she is lost and she isn’t sure which direction to turn. She is constantly being told that she should zip it and do whats asked of her, regardless how uncomfortable she is with the situation at hand.
There is also Alan, Beth, Kate, Byron, Evan and many others in this book that help to build the story into what it becomes, but the main focus is Marie and Manny.
I really enjoyed this book, I am glad that I got to read the prequel before reading the rest of the series. I always feel like the prequels are important and sometimes I wish they were written first instead of in between or after the series, but that isn’t always the case and I understand why, but it’s easier to read them in the order they are meant to be read in my opinion. I love knowing that there is always something more to a book.
This book allows the readers to get a clear understanding of Marie and Manny. It helps them to see what is going on within both their lives and why they are who they are. It helps the readers to better understand why they have made the choices in life that they have made and to see where they can go should they choose a different path. A path that isn’t the one that had been laid for them because others wanted to control every aspect of their lives, mostly just and issue for Marie. Manny seems to know what he wants and just needs to be able to get there.
This book had it’s ups and it had it’s downs, but overall it was a really nice read and I look forward to reading the remainder of the series. If there is one type of book that I enjoy more then any other it would be realistic fiction, so this one was a very enjoyable read for me!
Final Conclusion: 5 Star Rating.
