First Impressions: I'll admit that I'm not a huge fan of reality T.V. I've never watched The Hills or any of that stuff. I think I watched Jersey Shore one time, and once was more than enough. However, this isn't a reality show, so I'll judge the book by its own merits. I've read other books written by Lauren Conrad and they are all fun and well-written. I especially like the cover of this one since it makes me want a lollipop really bad.
First 50 Pages: As far as entertainment value goes, this book has a lot of perks. Sort of like say, reading a reality show in book form. More than once I wondered how much of the story did Lauren pull from her own life. With that being said, if I hadn't of received this book for review, I probably would never have bought it myself. It's just not my type of thing and I wasn't super crazy in love with Lauren's other books to go and rush to pick up this book. I could tell right away that I was going to have some issues with The Fame Game, but I do have to say that Lauren's writing has improved enormously in this novel.
Characters & Plot: This is a story about Madison Parker, who is a character that some people will know is in Lauren's other book series, L.A. Candy. Madison is given the opportunity to be on a new reality-based television show called The Fame Game. There are three other girls who will also be competing for their spot in Hollywood, named Kate, Carmen and Gaby. Four women in one household does not sound like a fun or pleasant time to me, but Madison is willing to do whatever she has to in order to rise to the top of the social ladder.
Needless to say, it was drama everywhere you looked. All of the characters, with the exception of Kate, were pretty much as horrible as they come. There really isn't much of a plot line, and I'm just going to come out and say it. I hated the characters. The Fame Game is full to the brim with backstabbing, bitchy girls with too much money and not enough common sense. I couldn't relate to them when they would go and spend $300 dollars on a purse without blinking an eye, or with the constant designer name dropping spread throughout the entire book. Kate is the only redeeming person of the bunch and she is not even the main character. I could never hang out with girls like these without wanting to throw them in front of a bus. Except Kate, I would save her.
Final Thoughts: I think this is going to be a love it or hate it type of book. I'm not sure if it was right for me, but I did find it to be entertaining. It's like a guilty pleasure kind of story with little substance, but fun to read. I would love to see Lauren write something else, maybe something more people will be able to relate to, and because I don't think she is a terrible writer. I guess time will tell!
