Under the Lights

August 1, 2015

Gr 10 Up-This Hollywood coming-of-age story follows two secondary characters from Adler's Behind the Scenes (Spencer Hill, 2014) as they encounter personal turmoil that leads to self-discovery. Josh Chester, fast-living playboy, and Vanessa Park, squeaky-clean Korean American star of a popular teen drama, become unlikely allies as they reconcile the demands of life in the public eye with shifting personal desires. Josh reveals a level of vulnerability as the high life palls and his dysfunctional family disintegrates, while Vanessa careens from contemplating a purity pledge with her boy-band sweetheart to coming out as lesbian. While the author laudably highlights racial bias in Hollywood and offers a rare portrayal of a gay Asian teen, these positives are offset by the insubstantial and inauthentic feel of the Park parents who speak in a strangely stilted manner. They and other background characters never feel fully fleshed out. Many early chapters consist of repetitive interpersonal conflicts and internal dialogue; reluctant readers may not persist to the later chapters where the action picks up. The book suffers from few sensory descriptions of the physical setting, leaving it bereft of a sense of place. The strong language, drinking, drugs, and explicit sexual content generally feel appropriate for the context. VERDICT An additional purchase; good where light celebrity fiction is popular or the first book had an audience.-Laura Simeon, Open Window School Library, WA

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2015
Grades 10-1 Josh Chester has a reputation in Hollywood for being the good-looking, irresistibly charming bad boy. Vanessa Park is a Korean American actor trying to convince her parents that acting is a legitimate career while also proving to directors that Asian actors can play more than medical students. When Josh and Vanessa meet on the set of a TV show, sparks fly. But, in a welcome twist, Adler's follow-up to Behind the Scenes (2014) isn't about a relationship between Josh and Vanessa; it's about the ever-more-steamy romance between Vanessa and her agent's assistant, Brianna. In a sharp narrative alternating between Josh's and Vanessa's points of view, Adler tackles important issues, such as race, coming out, and bisexual erasure. This entertaining same-sex romance against the thrilling escapism of a Hollywood backdrop still manages to be thought-provoking, and it will certainly please fans of the series opener. Though some characters from the first book make appearances here, this installment can easily stand on its own. Recommend to readers who like their romances a little more thoughtful.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)