"Starring Me" Review & Giveaway

Date Published: July 10, 2012

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Number of Pages: 336

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Author: KristaMcGee

First Thoughts:

I was so thrilled to see that the author chose to do a kind of prequel to “First Date” and we still got to see a few of the characters from the first book but at the same time get a whole new story. I enjoyed the lightness to this book, it really allowed the reader to escape reality and explore a much simpler and fun world (minus the snobby girls of course!) But this book brought the same kind of mood that “First Date” did and I really enjoyed the story and the briskness of the book. This was a book I didn’t put down till I read the very last page.

Plot:

So the plot was definitely filled with plenty of road blocks and conflicts so it really kept the pace of the book fast. I enjoyed that it was more a “fluff” kind of read; you know those books that are cutesy and not as serious? Anyways I really enjoyed the storyline of this book, I thought the ideas of actresses competing for a spot on a TV series and having to live in the same house while auditioning was really cute. Can you imagine young girls stuck in one little house all vying for the only spot on a new tv series? Yikes! Anyways I thought the author did a great job on creating the perfect obstacles and conflicts for the storyline, it really helped move the story along. And as for the plot elements I thought it followed along the traditional plotline just fine and I didn’t see any confusing points within the story, and the climax was absolutely perfect for this story. And the ending was very satisfying, I didn’t have any lingering feelings or questions, I was happy on how the author saw fit to end Kara’s story. And I have to mention that the religion aspect to this book was not in any way overwhelming, it was just essentially a part of the story and conflict. So overall I felt this was an enjoyable plot and the build-up of the world was realistic and inspiring at the same time. Don’t know if I’ll be going into acting anytime in my life but it definitely inspired me to pursue my own dreams.

Romance:

So there was a little romance, not much to really take over the whole plot but it was part of the conflicts. And I thought the romance was realistic and believable because it wasn’t love at first sight, it was a more of a build-up and gradual relationship. So I don’t think there was anything that really bothered me in this aspect. So overall I enjoyed the romance and thought it added a certain zest! to the story!

Characters:

I was able to pretty easily connect with Kara, she has such a bubbly and friendly personality. I really could relate to her, she had her own flaws of course but that’s what made her even more real. And Chad was pretty easy to connect with though he took me a little bit more time, but as I got to know him and his line of thinking it became much easier. And as for the more minor characters they each had their own quirks and personalities and each character was needed to complete this story; they each had their own roles to play. So overall I did enjoy the characters in this book.

Transformation of the Character:

There was a small transformation in this book but it wasn’t overwhelming or painted in bright colors. The transformation was more subtle but definitely noticeable to the reader and I guess that’s what I liked about it. It was more a part of the story than just the story, does that make sense? Anyways I don’t want to go into too much detail about the transformation but just know it was a good aspect to this story.

Description:

I really enjoyed the description, you could really see when the author chose to use different symbols and obstacles to really highlight that particular part of the story, it allowed the reader to really see in even more detail what was happening. And the emotional part of the description was good also, we could really connect well with the characters and get to understand why they were feeling the way they were. And the description of the actual scenes was well described too, I could really picture each scene well and see exactly what was happening in each scene. And as for the actual dialogue in the story it seemed true to each character and there wasn’t too much or too little of it. So I guess you can say the description did a great job on allowing the reader to really SEE what was happening throughout the book.

Style:

This was written in more than two POV’s and n first person but I didn’t have a problem when the author switched to another’s POV it was very easy to see when it switched. And I think for this particular book it was needed, you needed to see more than just one POV to really understand what was happening and why they were happening. And as for the writing itself I didn’t have any problems with it, I really enjoy this author’s writing and find it smooth and easy to read, I never have problems finishing her books. So overall I really enjoyed the style this author chose for this book.

Quote of the Book:

““I was going to tell her a quote by C.S. Lewis. He says: ‘Friendship is unnecessary.’…like philosophy, like art….It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.””

Goodreads Summary:

Kara McKormick is told she's auditioning to star in a new teen variety show. But it's what she isn't told that could change her life.

The feisty New Yorker moves to sunny Orlando to participate in a month-long audition, where she'll live with nine other contestants and an eccentric housemother. Kara knows that the show already has a big-time celebrity lined up for the co-host, but she doesn't know who it is.

Chad Beacon quickly rose to fame after winning America's Next Star, but he doesn't want his entire career to be about singing. There is so much more he wants to do-like act. The new variety show sounds like the perfect next step for him, but his parents want him to have a co-star who shares his faith since they'll be spending so much time together.

Acting is high on Kara's priority list. But a relationship with God? Not so much. In fact, she's tried to stay away from anything religious. But God is after Kara's heart and He's put people in her life who are showing her there's far more to Christianity than rules and judgment.

And just when it seems that Kara's going to have to give up her acting dream, God reveals that she may have a starring role after all-in a story so big only He could write it.

Last Thoughts:

I would recommend this to YA and Christian readers; this really was an inspring and amazing read. Though it deals with religion like I mentioned earlier it didn’t overwhelm me, it was there but at the same time it allowed the reader to choose, it was pushy at all. But overall I really enjoyed getting to meet some old characters and new ones and look forward to reading more by this author.

My Rating:

Giveaway

Prize: one E-book copy of “Starring Me”

Duration: August 30, 2012- September 13, 2012

It’s International so anyone can enter!

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