ARC Review: Truly Madly Famously

Title: Truly Madly Famously (Famous in Love #2)

Series: Famous in Love 

Author: Rebecca Serle

Publisher: Poppy

Publication Date: October 13, 2015

Source: Poppy (for Review)

In this romantic sequel to Famous in Love, new Hollywood "It Girl" Paige must navigate love with her co-stars, both on and off screen and all in the public eye.

Lights, camera, love!

After being plucked from obscurity, Hollywood's newest starlet, Paige Townsen, has a hit film to her name and Rainer Devon on her arm. But being half of the world's most famous couple comes with a price, and soon Paige finds herself dodging photographers; hiding her feelings for her other costar, Jordan Wilder; and navigating tabloid scandals that threaten to tear her and Rainer apart-and end her career as quickly as it began.

Rebecca Serle's sequel to Famous in Love is filled with the kind of celebrity drama and swoon-worthy romance fit for the silver screen.

My Review

The sequel to Famous in Love is here, and trust me, fans of the first novel will want to run out and grab a copy of Rebecca Serle's Truly Madly Famously immediately! Readers will be jetted to Los Angeles, Japan, Portland, and Hawaii to follow the trio of stars, Paige, Rainer, and Jordan, along with a new character, Alexis as they navigate life after the success of Locked and prepare to film the rest of the movie series.

Upon starting Truly Madly Famously, readers are greeted by their famous but familiar friend, Paige Townsen, who, just like in the first novel, narrates the sequel. But things are different for Paige this time. She's no longer a newbie to Hollywood; she's filmed two movies and is adjusting to life in the limelight. Things are a little darker in the beginning of this novel. While Paige is still dating Rainer, things in his life are not going well. Remember that scandal at the end of Famous in Love? Well it's still affecting Rainer, and in turn, it's on Paige's shoulders, too. I wouldn't say that Paige is bitter, but she's starting to understand that being a movie star isn't a piece of cake. It takes a lot of work, and she is starting to learn how to life with her life under a microscope.

Once again, the writing in Truly Madly Famously isn't bad. It's just not spectacular. Like the first novel in the series, this book is a quick read, and the events come and go just as fast as a reader's eye can get to them. After reading Famous in Love, I was expecting that. What I didn't expect was the amount of repeated sentences! Rebecca Serle takes lines straight out of Famous in Love, and she often repeats phrases throughout this novel. It gets a little monotonous to feel like you're reading the same thing over and over again, but it doesn't take away from the plot.

What I really liked about this book was the amount of events that were going on in Paige's life. She goes to parties, movie awards, comic conventions, and auditions. Now I'm no celebrity (but I know a few...), and it felt very authentic. Celebrities just don't sit at home on days when they are off; they go out. Paige starts to hang out with other young stars, and she even finds herself at the center of Hollywood's hottest scandal. It felt like Paige was a real celebrity because her life matches up with what we read about real celebrities in the tabloids.

There are some changes to the characters in this second novel, and I think that readers will like seeing them in a different light. Like I said earlier, Paige changes almost immediately. She realizes that being an actress is no longer a dream; it's her job. She makes mistakes, and she tries to make up for them. She also tries to keep tabs on what's happening at home, even though she knows it's a world away. Rainer takes on a new persona in this book as well. He's clearly suffering and embarrassed at his father's hand, and he's trying to handle it as best as he can. I felt bad for him, and then I felt even worse for him when I got to the novel's climax. That poor kid just can't catch a break. And then there's the third point of our triangle, Jordan. He's more secluded in this novel, and he's really trying to stay out of the way and out of the spotlight. Obviously that won't work because he's in this huge movie series, but it's nice to see him come around by the end of the book. Serle also adds a new main character to the novel, Alexis Gibson. She's just the one character I'll let you figure out on your own, but she adds a much needed splash of color to this series.

If you've read Famous in Love and enjoyed it, you should really pick up the sequel, Truly Madly Famously. It's another fun and quick read, and unlike the first book, you get to see more of the day-to-day life of celebrities when they aren't on location. It's a fun read, and again, I'd recommend it to readers who also enjoy reading and learning about Hollywood's youngest and hottest stars.

Rebecca Serle is the author of When You Were Mine, The Edge of Falling, Famous in Love, and its sequel, Truly Madly Famously, and is an obsessive lover of all things teen entertainment - a trait she tracks straight back to the WB, and Pacey Witter. She grew up in Maui and Los Angeles, and now lives in Manhattan.

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