Melody Carlson
Zondervan (2010)
ISBN 9780310717874
Reviewed by Theresa La (16) Reader Views (08/10)
A popular subject for many teenagers, especially for teenage girls, is the world of fashion and Hollywood glitz and glamour. This book provides an interesting view into this world. The second book of a series, this story continues the adventure of two sisters who are involved in the fashion industry. Similar to many popular T.V. shows, such as the O.C., the Hills, etc., this book takes the reader into the lives of these two sisters, both their professional lives as well as their personal lives. Each sister has their own dynamic personality that makes the story very interesting to read. It is very interesting to see how these two separate personalities work together to produce a show and further their career. The viewpoints of both sisters are given for each situation, making it a very realistic novel, because each sister portrays a different type of people in the world.
One of the sisters is a natural Hollywood girl. She enjoys being in the limelight and has the full personality of a Hollywood A-Lister. On the other hand, her sister is a person who enjoys being in the background and has given up her education at UCLA in film to help her sister realize her dream of working in Hollywood while also receiving some hand-on experience in film. The second sister, Erin, is a more grounded person, the girl next door, is the type of person that she portrays. Melody Carlson has also masterfully blended into this book the sensitive topic of religion and how religion affects people. She shows how religion has affected Erin’s life, and how she uses her faith to try to help other people, such as Benjamin. This book shows the pros and cons of having a career in Hollywood and is filled with drama, romance, but also family, love between sisters, and the ups and downs of having a high stress but sometimes glamorous career.
I was very excited when I got this book. The cover was very cleverly designed, with the silhouettes of models walking down the runaway. I was afraid that since this was the second book in the series, I would not be able to understand what was taking place between the characters. However, this is not the case. Though some of the characters are from the previous novel and it is continuing the storyline of the previous novel, it was very easy to realize what was taking place in the story.
I was immediately hooked onto this novel and did not put it down until I had finished the story. I greatly enjoyed how this book had characters that were in the fashion industry, but also characters who were like the people we lived next to and attended the same school as us, the people whose lives could closely relate with the majority of America’s population. This book is perfect for those who have enjoyed series such as “Gossip Girl,” “The It Girl,” and the previous “On the Runway” novel. “Catwalk” provides some freshness into the genre, since it involves the different type of people; the A-List crowd but also the average, everyday teenager. I cannot wait to read the third novel in this series!
No responses yet