Girl About Town Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
Acclaimed film producer/director Adam Shankman and coauthor Laura Sullivan pen a sparkling, witty, romantic mystery inspired by Nick and Nora Charles and Hollywood glamour.Not too long ago, Lucille O’Malley was living in a tenement in New York. Now she’s Lulu Kelly, Hollywood’s newest It Girl. She may be a star, but she worries that her past will catch up with her. Back in New York she witnessed a Mafia murder, and this glamorous new life in Tinseltown is payment for her silence. Dashing Freddie van der Waals, the only son of a New York tycoon, was a playboy with the world at his feet. But when he discovered how his corrupt father really made the family fortune, Freddie abandoned his billions and became a vagabond. He travels the country in search of redemption and a new identity, but his father will stop at nothing to bring him home. When fate brings Lulu and Freddie together, sparks fly—and gunshots follow. Suddenly Lulu finds herself framed for attempted murder. Together, she and Freddie set out to clear her name. But can they escape their pasts and finally find the Hollywood ending they long for?
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (April 19, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1481447874
ISBN-13: 978-1481447874
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.2 x 8.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #364,824 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #35 in Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction > Performing Arts > Film #180 in Books > Teens > Historical Fiction > United States > 20th Century #183 in Books > Teens > Mysteries & Thrillers > Historical
This review originally appeared on herestohappyendings.com.Girl About Town is unlike a lot of other YA novels â itâs a historical YA mystery that takes you into Hollywood and into the life of two opposites: a young lady who started with nothing and rose to fame due to an unforeseen circumstance, and a young man who started as the son of a billionaire and has found himself homeless and traveling to get away from a life he once enjoyed, but found out was built upon lies and crime.Lucille is a young woman who lives with her mother, siblings, and father who has medical problems and cannot work or help outâ¦the family relies on her motherâs laundry business to take care of things financially. Lucille helps out when she can, making deliveries and such, but it is difficult trying to afford food to eat and her fatherâs medication on such a small income. One night, while making a delivery, Lucille witnesses a horrible crime, and a gang member tries to pay her off in order to get her to stay quiet. Lucille decides that rather than fancy clothes or cash, she wants to go to Hollywood to become a starlet â and earn it all for herself. So Lucille is whisked away to a new life of fame, has her name changed to Lulu, and becomes a star.Freddie is a young man who has wanted for nothing his entire life. His father has a large business and is essentially a billionaire â leaving Freddie to have the best of everything. He also has a fiance, Violet, who loves Freddie more for his money and the security and shopping trips it will bring, rather than Freddie himself. But Freddie is sure that he cares about her. However, one night, Freddie learns something about his father and the way that money was earned, and it causes him to not want to be associated with his family, the business, or the money. So he leaves home, and in the process endures a difficult year of being homeless, poor, and hungry. Traveling from state to state, Freddie eventually finds himself in California.When a problem on set creates an open role for a homeless man in one of the movies that Lulu has a part in, she sets off to find someone to fill the part. When she finds Freddie, she is hesitant at first, but ends up bringing him along anyway. The two are like oil and water at first, but eventually begin to warm up to each other after a horrible incident on set that leaves another starlet hospitalized, and Lulu on the run when she is accused of attempted murder. Since Freddie is also on the run (his father has issued a reward for anyone who can find him), the two of them do their best to stay out of the spotlight and clear Luluâs name.This was definitely an interesting bookâ¦I love historical fiction so I had a feeling I would really like this one, and I did. It was fresh, original, and entertainingâ¦with a mystery that was fun to solve. There is a bit of insta-love in this book, and while that doesnât usually ruin a book for me or anything, I just want to mention that the blossoming love between Lulu and Freddie seemed a bit forced. While there didnât seem to be much chemistry between the two of them, it didnât really take away from the story or anything, so I didnât mind it. I did enjoy the fact that the romance aspect of the book never really took center stage â the whole mystery aspect of who shot the starlet during filming was the main plot, and it stayed that way.The pacing of this book was a little slow, giving us plenty of time to get into the background of the characters and who they had become a year later. The second half of the book focused on the mystery. I think the pacing for this book was just right, honestly. It reminded me more of a historical film than a book because of how the chapters alternated between Lulu and Freddieâs ordeals before they met, and that was different and made it a lot easier to connect to the characters since we knew their stories.If you like historical fiction, mysteries, and YA, this is something that you might enjoy. I thought it was a nice break from the usual contemporaries/fantasies that Iâve been reading, so I really enjoyed it.Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: A little on the slow side, but overall I really enjoyed the realistic setting and the fun characters!Opening Sentence: It was never quiet where Lucille lived.The Review:Lucille OâMalley grew up in New York in a tiny two bedroom apartment with her sick father, five siblings and hard working mother. They barely made ends meet and Lucille would love to change her situation. But the poor just get poorer as the rich get richer and there are very few opportunities to change that. One night while making a delivery for her mother, Lucille stumbles across a murder and it changes her life forever. In exchange for her silence the mob king offers to give Lucille her dreams. Now Lucille is known as Lulu Kelly, an up and coming actress. She loves her new life but was it worth selling her soul to get it?Freddie van der Waals has it all, a huge fortune, a beautiful fiancée and the world at his fingertips, but it all comes crashing down the day he witnessed his father committing a horrific crime. Freddie decides that he wants no part in the life his father lives so he leaves and never looks back. Living on the streets and trying to make ends meet is new to Freddie but he learns so much along his journey. Eventually he ends up in Hollywood where he meets the beautiful Lulu Kelly and when she is framed for murder he has to help her, even if it means giving up his new found freedom.Lulu is a fun, spunky, sweet girl that got herself stuck in a terrible situation. I loved how driven she was and even though she did make some poor decisions she was not afraid to work for her own success. I also loved that even when she got herself in a better situation, she never forgot where she came from. She still lived a fairly humble life and any extra money she made she sent to her family or she gave to others who needed it more. She was someone you can easily admire and I enjoyed reading her story!I had so much respect for Freddie and I was surprised by how diligent he stayed to some of his decisions. He grew up very privileged and when he figured out all of his familyâs wealth was dirty money he left and never looked back. Iâm going to be honest, I donât know if I could give everything up and go through the things he did. He was inspirational and the growth his character showed was amazing. His relationship with Lulu was sweet and they had great chemistry. I also thought it was interesting how they basically switched rolls throughout the book. It made their connection a lot more realistic because they truly understood each other.Girl About Town is a dark, lush mystery that I really enjoyed. The characters were dynamic, the romance was sweet, and the plot was intriguing. I thought that the setting felt very authentic and the authors did a great job representing how brutal certain life styles could be. My only complaints are that it was a little predictable and it was paced a little slower then I would have preferred. Overall, I thought this was an entertaining read and if you like a good mystery you should pick this one up.Notable Scene:And so, feeling guiltily relieved, Lucille left, stepping over a familiar drunk in the hallway, skirting half-naked children on the stoop, and ignoring the wolf whistle.But I have to get ahead, somehow, she thought desperately. Ahead, and out, away from this filth.On that evening Lucille would have done anything to escape her situationâif only sheâd known howâ¦Then she saw what she saw, that terrible thingâand did what she did, that terrible thingâand her entire life changed.FTC Advisory: Simon & Schuster provided me with a copy of Girl About Town. No goody bags, sponsorships, âmaterial connections,â or bribes were exchanged for my review.
The book was good but the ending seemed rushed. The entire story progressed slowly then the last chapter tossed an ending together. Had it been a few chapters longer she could have created a bit more of an ending.
GIRL ABOUT TOWN is an absolutely charming read! The characters & story lack depth, however the authors make up for it with a whole lot of fun. If youâre looking for your next beach read, this is it.
I read this book in one day. It's an engaging story and so well written. I am such a fan of this book and it is appropriate for teens and adults.
Predictable plot, anti-climactic writing and a bit hard to get in to. Easy read, would recommend for short trips.
Amazing! I fell in love with characters. Definite page turner. Thank you for a beautiful story!
Easy read. Good story
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