Welcome To My Life by Micheline McAllister
August 18, 2010 by admin
Filed under Chick Lit Review, Hollywood Lit Review
Samantha Kelly is a 32 year old personal assistant working in Hollywood, hoping for her big break. While working fourteen hour shifts and doing mundane tasks like calming down her bosses wife and picking up dry cleaning for everyone on set, Samantha wonders if she is stalled out. Long shifts, little pay, and no recognition on top of being single and having an untrustworthy best friend has Samantha ready to call in quits in Los Angeles. But when another friend offers Samantha a part in her movie, her life suddenly starts looking better and better. Offered more acting jobs, Samantha soon can afford the nicer things in life, including bigger homes and designer clothes. But while her bank account and fame keep expanding, Samantha’s love life and friendships seem to be depleting. The life of a working celebrity suddenly doesn’t seem so exciting and fabulous. Can Samantha find a way to balance it all?
Welcome to My Life, the debut novel from Micheline McAllister gives an insider’s look on the Hollywood scene. McAllister has worked in the entertainment industry as a personal assistant, actress, writer and artist, and holds nothing back when recounting this tale. I enjoyed reading both sides of the main character- her bleak life as “just” a personal assistant, to the high life of being an overpaid actress. I like the fact that this novel is written from an “insider” because there are a few eye-openers about the industry that had me shocked! My only downside was that Samantha’s character didn’t stick with me after I closed the book; I almost forgot who she was and what her story was. But the duration of the novel is witty, fast-paced, and filled with juicy tidbits that will satisfy chick lit fans.
Rating: 3.5/5
Ashling Donovan decides to move from Des Moines to Los Angeles in hopes of becoming a successful teleplay writer. After moving in with her boyfriend, Ashling sets her sights on securing a job. But when said boyfriend unexpectedly breaks up with her for a Myspace girl, Ashling is desperate for a job, a home, and money. When she shows up to interview as a PA, Ashling is seized with an opportunity, a lie, that could change her life. Overnight, Ashling becomes a widely known head writer, creator of a new show, and her own personal assistant, all in one. But will the truth about her double life identity be discovered- and ruin her Hollywood reputation?
Steph Olivieri Bourbon ~ Writing Coach 