Welcome to Litsy!

⭐️⭐️💫

This book is definitely unique, which I can respect. It‘s funny at times. Despite this, while reading it I mostly felt like I was trudging through a muddled, superficial mess.

I honestly don't even know what this was but it kept me quite uncertain of what I was actually reading. Maybe the snark and uniqueness (Think Beauty Queens by Libba Bray) is why it's getting so hyped up? Several different parts would have made for really good books but the way this was all chopped up wasn't appealing to me. I know some very kick-butt English teachers and I just don't think they'd be the type of push over that Penelope is...

I loved the asexual rep in this story even if parts were silly. I was charmed by the over-the-top storyline of the book-within-a-book, but the audiobook would‘ve benefited from a second narrator.

Penelope‘s debut novel about an eco-warrior mermaid flew off the shelves after receiving a bump from a celeb on social media. Now, she‘s headed to Hollywood to write the adaptation, but it a big leap from being a high school teacher.

I preferred the excerpts of the fictional story being turned into a movie than this hot mess trying too hard to check all the boxes of proving she's a feminist whilst attending Hollywood parties and wanting to be stronger but needing a flush bank account. In other words a superficial poor me kinda read. Makes me sad this truly could've been a great story if only...

For a full review and recipe that matches the book: https://bakingthroughbookclub.com/2023/03/13/making-a-splash-in-hollywood/

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

I had high hopes for this novel because Madeline Miller gave it a great blurb but this seems to be a rehash of selling your soul for Hollywood like in novels like Paul Beatty's The Sellout. Same idea but with a former teacher turned bestselling author who sells her book to Hollywood and goes on an adventure in Tinseltown. Though interesting premise, characters and story dull and monotone. I slogged through to the end.