Starlet

After Jacey wins Generation Next, an American Idol-like TV competition for actors, her agent pressures her to move to California to promote her upcoming film and establish herself as a new star. She leaves Michigan-and high school-behind, bringing along her best friends and older cousin, at least through the summer. They hang out with her, advise her (and even get her in a bit of trouble) as she enters a world of photo shoots, premiers, high-end shopping and gossip (thanks to a mysterious blogger tracking ""everything she does, everyone she meets""). There is plenty of tension at the heart of this first book in the series: after buying a big house in Beverly Hills and staring in a lackluster action movie, Jacey must decide whether she wants to be an actor or a movie star (""When people go to your movies... do you want them to see the character, or you?"" asks Matt, the bad boy who pushes Jacey to ""figure it out."" But Jacey's ""posse"" barely gets developed beyond their stereotypical handles (for example, Dash, the gay best friend). Also, readers may find it strange that Jacey's agent tolerates conference calls with the whole posse and may find other plot points, such as Jacey's rewrite of her action movie, equally implausible. Ages 12-up.