{Review} FAMOUS IN LOVE by Rebecca Serle

Did you know that FAMOUS IN LOVE by Rebecca Serle is now a TV Show on Freeform (Formally know as ABC Family)? 

You can watch it every Tuesday at 9 p.m EST.

You can binge-watch the entire season online now!

I've been a fan of this duology for a long time (and would love for the show to get popular so that the books continue!) and have been waiting to see what this show will be like. 

To celebrate, I decided that I wanted to re-read the books, update my old reviews, and talk about my thoughts once I've seen the whole season. I was originally going to do ALL OF THE THINGS this week, then decided to spread it out. So every Tuesday, in honor of each week's new episode, you'll get something new about the show from me! How fun!! ^.~

Today, we're going to start with my original review of FAMOUS IN LOVE, so I can tell you about why I loved the book so much and have been so eager for more from this world!

O P E N I N G   H O O K:

    LISTEN.
    I'll tell you what it's like to be with him. How he kisses me. How he touches my cheek. I'll tell you what he whispers to me before we go out and meet those screaming crowds. How he holds my pinkie, just slightly, so the cameras won't catch us touching. I'll tell you our signals. How blinking once means it's okay; I'm here, and how blinking twice means don't answer that. I'll tell you everything, but you have to promise never to write it down or repeat it. You have to promise it will be our secret.

(Page 1,  US ARC Edition)

This review was first posted at A Backwards Story on October 25, 2014.

“Epic love is not about having someone. It's about being willing to give them up. It's sacrifice. It's my mom's theater tickets stuffed down at the bottom of her jewelry box. It's Noah and August. It's my sister and Annabelle. It's Jordan and his mom, the truth he reserves to protect her. And see, that's the thing I didn't understand. The thing no one tells you. That just because you find love doesn't mean it's yours to keep. Love never belongs to you. It belongs to the universe.” 

 ― Rebecca Serle, FAMOUS IN LOVE

Paige Townsen is living the dream. She's been plucked out of obscurity and thrust into Hollywood the moment she's cast as August in the upcoming blockbuster movie LOCKED. LOCKED is the hottest book trilogy out there, and fans are clamoring to see it on the big screen. While Paige isn't the huge fan that her best friend Cassandra is, she's read the books and is eager to make her acting debut. She also finds herself falling for her co-star, the gorgeous Rainer Devon. But when Jordan Wilder is cast to round out the book's love triangle, Paige finds herself in a triangle of her own. How can she follow her heart when it's pulling her in two different directions?

I really enjoyed FAMOUS IN LOVE. Paige's journey reminds me of the way being thrust into the spotlight may have been for Jennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games and Kristen Stewart in Twilight. Both actresses carried the world on their shoulders and had to adapt to a new life. Paige is also embarking on this journey. The way we're obsessed with seeing actors grow and persevere as they get better and better, feeling like we've grown up with them? That's the way readers will feel about Paige. I also really liked getting to know her co-stars. Rainer seems too good to be true as he takes Paige under his wing and introduces her to the world that he now shares with her. When Jordan arrives on set, there's an instant attraction between him and Paige. While he seems like a total bad boy, he's actually the opposite, and I wound up rooting for Paige's heart to choose him. It's so easy to become invested in the lives of all three characters, and I can't wait to see the way they interact together in the future.

I thought FAMOUS IN LOVE was going to be a stand-alone. The ending came as a shock to me. It worked, but wow. I wanted more! Then I heard there was going to be a sequel, and I was so excited! I was also thrilled to find out that Little, Brown organized an experiment on WattPad. An author named Parker Witter started publishing a book called LOCKED. It wasn't until recently that everyone connected the dots and realized that Parker Witter was the author of a book called LOCKED in Rebecca Serle's new novel FAMOUS IN LOVE. It was revealed that Serle was writing as Witter on WattPad. At the moment, she is publishing a LOCKED prequel entitled THE THREE OF US, which you can read now. If you've ever wanted to read a novel that your beloved characters adore (Fess up! I know many of you wanted to read AN IMPERIAL AFFLICTION by Peter Van Houten after reading THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green!), Serle and her publisher Little, Brown are giving you the chance to do so. I know I want to know how LOCKED ends after Paige's cryptic thoughts about the ending! LOCKED is a novella, so it isn't as tight or deep as a full-fledged novel would be, but it introduces the world and characters, and I can't wait to see how both book  journeys end.

C O N T E N T R A T I N G S

FAMOUS IN LOVE

Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) for details

Romance: PG13 ( kissing; nothing explicit )
Language: PG13 ( mild curses such as "BS" )
Violence: none
Other: PG13 ( some revelations at the end are inappropriate for younger readers )

LOCKED Novella 

Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) for details

Romance: PG15 ( kissing; sexual situations, though nothing overly explicit )

Language: PG13 ( sexual references.  )

Violence: none

Other: PG13 ( carnage/injuries from a plane crash )

~*~

C O V E R   D E S I G N:

I love the way the heart is made up of paparazzi flashing bulbs, and the marquee feel of the title. It feels very Hollywood.

But I love the paperback cover even more:

I love the energy and texture on the cover. It has a little more oomph and catches my eye right away!

Both covers portray Hollywood nicely and should catch the eye when browsing a bookstore!

~*~

O F F I C I A L   I N F O:

Title: FAMOUS IN LOVE

Author: Rebecca Serle

Release Date: Oct. 21, 2014

Publisher: Poppy / Little, Brown and Company 

SUMMARY:

The romantic story of a girl who gets plucked from obscurity to star in the next major feature film franchise based on a book and the ensuing love triangles she gets entangled in on—-and off screen.

Meet Paige Townsen, Rainer Devon, and Jordan Wilder…

When Paige Townsen, a young unknown, gets cast in the movie adaptation of a blockbuster book series, her life changes practically overnight. Within a month, Paige has traded the quiet streets of her hometown for a crowded movie set on the shores of Maui, and is spending quality time with her co-star Rainer Devon, one of People’s Sexiest Men Alive. But when troubled star Jordan Wilder lands the role of the other point in the movie’s famous love triangle, Paige’s crazy new life gets even crazier.

In this coming-of-age romance inspired by the kind of celeb hookups that get clever nicknames and a million page views, Paige must figure out who she is – and who she wants – while the whole world watches.