Ari Bookzilla

I'm quite surprised that this has such low ratings. It's actually a pretty sneaky book that had me pulling at my hair trying to figure out who's real and who's fake. I'm taking a wild guess it's because of the ending that doesn't agree with even my own expectations, but that's why I loved it. It was realistic.The author makes a good point showing you just how much the rumor-mill can destroy someone's life.Emily is a wonderful, independent, incredibly smart, and unfortunately a very, very naive young woman. At times I just wanted to slap her, telling her to wake up to the fact that she was being played. But that's the beauty of it, you realize pretty early into the book what's going on, and it's like watching a train wreck, you just can't look away.I didn't like Jesse just because he was always being flirty and leading her on. The whole restaurant scene in the beginning had even me cringing from humiliation. I loved the way she held herself when it happened and the fact that even after the whole fiasco she tried to make that friendship work. At times I almost believed that Jesse was trying to be a good friend to her. Mostly, however, I knew better.Cory, on the other hand, I got a little attached to. Yes, he was a jerk after he accomplished what he wanted, but I kept thinking maybe he would redeem himself somehow. I wanted him to be the swoon-worthy hero that realizes the error of his ways and comes back to drive her in his Audi TT into a HEA. And he does. But just remember, Cory is a showman, and he needs his publicity any way he can get it. Just remember that.It's hard talking about this without giving too much away. I definitely had my idea how the story should end, but the ending took me by surprise. However, it made sense. It's what was best for Emily, and I love the author for going there.I tried really hard to justify to myself that the story could have ended differently, that she ended up giving in to Cory and that he really did have feelings for her. But no, they both played her, they were both jerks, and she's better off without them. I'm glad she resorted to what she did after being treated like that. I was giddy reading about their downfall.As for her new beau? I'm hoping it's none other than our own Wally Hood. That's what I believe in and I'm sticking to it.The author does a great job of showing you LA through wonderful descriptions.She also writes one of the best best friends I've read, Shelby. She literally makes no excuses for anyone, not even Emily. I absolutely loved her. I loved that Emily never loses the sense of who she is. She may be just a pawn in this grand scheme, but she definitely has backbone.The story is infused with little tidbits from gossip web-sites that make it all the more fun to read. It flows at perfect pace.I loved the way it was written and even more so because someone did a great job of editing it for a self-published book.For those wondering, the book is an incredibly clean read. I don't think I can remember a single sex reference. There's kissing, but nothing else.This was a freebie in the Kindle store a couple of days ago. I'm sad to say that the cover does nothing for me so I would have probably missed it if it wasn't free. It really has nothing to do with the book.Either way, it's only $0.99 and it's definitely worth that money! I'm glad I read it.