Girl Stays in the Picture

Girl Stays in the Picture, by Melissa de la Cruz.

She didn't become the most famous sixteen-year-old in the world by playing wallflower. This might be her first-ever visit to the fabled Cote d'Azur, but Devon had been a star since she was in pull-ups. She knew how to play the fame game.

I love de la Cruz's books - I think I've written about her series "Blue Bloods" on here once or twice - and this one was no exception. What's particularly exciting is that on the front cover it says "A GIRL Novel," and the ending of the book is clearly leading to a sequel; therefore, I am eagerly anticipating the next book in the series.

"Girl" follows Devon, a pop star who just landed a star acting gig; Summer, an equally famous pop star who is working in the same movie; Livia, the daughter of the director who has just has Gastric Bypass Surgery and now weighs about 1/3 of what she used to; and Casey, Summer's best friend from high school who has agreed to follow her to St. Tropez, where filming is taking place, to be her assistant. Each of the girls has their own personal dramas going on, and Casey is beginning to figure out that Summer is not as nice as she once appeared to be.

This movie was fun to read from beginning to end, and I highly recommend it. Cruz writes "newspaper-style" gossip clippings that often start out the chapters, and it seems that all of America are watching these starlets as they work and play in St. Tropez for the summer.

4 stars out of 5.