TBR Day. Act Like It / Lucy Parker. 2015


A couple of weeks ago I noticed a tweet go by from Sandra Schwab to Lucy Parker saying how much she was enjoying this book. The tweet rang a bell, and sure enough-- it was buried on my Kindle. Perfect. I had my April TBR read.

Act Like It is Parker's debut book and the first in her "London Celebrities" series. Actor Richard Troy's bad-boy act is at the point of costing him his career. Lainie Graham, an actress with a secondary role in the same West End London play as Richard, agrees to fake a relationship with him in order to smooth over his public image. Despite sharing the same profession, Richard and Lainie are quite different. Richard comes from a wealthy background, was an only child of neglectful parents, and his father died while he was young. Lainie, though, comes from a close-knit middle class family. When she's not working, she's at work raising funds to combat cancer--a disease that recently took Lainie's teen-aged sister.

Neither Richard or Lainie are happy about their forced "relationship," but of course that changes as they get to know one another. Lainie is a great character who has no trouble standing up to Richard and challenging him. All of this takes place against the backdrop of the London theater scene and the very public lives Richard and Lainie live. Each chapter begins with a tweet emphasizing the spotlight they live under.

This book is full of smart dialogue and laced with humor. I loved the theater setting and the public nature of their lives. It was quick-paced and engrossing. I almost hated to finish it. A very well-done debut by Parker and I recommend it. Book 2 in the series, Pretty Face, has been out since February and now added to the TBR. Which, of course means that the TBR is still the exact same size. Sigh. Hopefully I'll get to it sooner than later.

Comments

  1. S.April 20, 2017 at 10:57 AM

    Phyl, glad to see your TBR post!
    I also have this one in my pile.. as you've said, I will try to get to it soon but I'm afraid it will be more around "later". It's always nice to have a positive opinion, though!
    Happy reading!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PhylApril 20, 2017 at 8:23 PM

      Thanks! And when you do finally get to it, I suspect you'll like it. It's really well-written.

      Delete

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