Review: Photoplay

Review of Photoplay

by Hallie Ephron:

 

 

My Thoughts:

I have been in a reading slump for a couple of weeks now, stuck in a loop of bad book after bad book after bad book with seemingly no escape. In Search of Sam was exactly the type of book I needed to read to get out that vicious cycle. It was light. It was fun. It was a bit of a "nothing" read but it had great bunch of characters and a great storyline. What I loved most about it was that it didn't really have a plot. That does sound a bit ludcrious but it meant that the story was more focBeneath was a fast paced short story about a girl in Witness Protection. The story itself was very well written but it was so short! The plot was jam-packed with action but rushed and anticlimactic. I liked the protagonist well enough but she was rather gullible and a bit of sheep. There was some romance attempted - which seems pretty ridiculous when you think about it. How can you develop a relationship in thirty pages? I thought they were cute together but I just didn't believe it would have worked out for Anna so easily. Overall, I enjoyed this for what it was but it could have vastly benefited from some development. Note: a copy was provided courtesy of H.B. Moore through Ebooks for Review in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process.Beneath was a fast paced short story about a girl in Witness Protection. The story itself was very well written but it was so short! The plot was jam-packed with action but rushed and anticlimactic. I liked the protagonist well enough but she was rather gullible and a bit of sheep. There was some romance attempted - which seems pretty ridiculous when you think about it. How can you develop a relationship in thirty pages? I thought they were cute together but I just didn't believe it would have worked out for Anna so easily. Overall, I enjoyed this for what it was but it could have vastly benefited from some development. Note: a copy was provided courtesy of H.B. Moore through Ebooks for Review in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process. Photoplay is, from what I understand, the prequel to Hallie Ephron's upcoming novel, Night Night, Sleep Tight. Its short and too the point and certainly makes you curious for more of her work. The writing has the perfect "retro" feel to it. The book is set in the glamour of the Hollywood after all, and it really bought a certain charm to the story, one that made you want to keep reading. The plot however was slightly confusing. You are thrown straight into the deep end at the beginning. No information about the protagonist or what he was doing at a Hollywood star's private party - it seems a little unlikely that they would hire a single photograph if they wanted the press there... The ending was exciting. Predictable, yes, but also climatic. Or it would've been if it wasn't so vague. I had to read it through twice and even then I struggle to understand why they let Duane back into the house or what actually happened. Maybe that was the idea so I would need to go and pick up Night Night, Sleep Tight? Note: a copy was provided courtesy of Hallie Ephron and Wittness Impulse/HarperCollins through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process.

Details:

 

First Line: There were mirrors everywhere in Elenor Nichol's house, reflecting the perfection of the glamorous movie star's life.

 

Series: prequel to  Night Night, Sleep Tight

Publication: February 10th ,2015

Source: Edelweiss

 

 3 stars