nerdyprettythings's Reviews (515)

To start with the great - Casey writes characters so well. I would die for Rory and Smith. I think for some young queer kids, the discussions some of these characters have around sexuality and gender will be really meaningful, and for that reason, I'm incredibly happy this book exists. 
However, I didn't think the narrative really worked. Almost none of the machinations that went into the "missing" Shara made sense, and the main character's ~realizations~ at the end of the book were so clear from the start that every time she denies what she's feeling, especially past the first half of the book or so, I was unconvinced and felt like the author was trying to pull one over on me. I appreciated that the author attempted to tackle the difficult issue of religion, southernness, and bigotry combining in the South, and I have a feeling this will be helpful for some kids too, but to me when religion comes up it feels like it's just to say that they haven't forgotten it's part of the story.
The audio narrator clearly committed hard to this performance, but at times, that went a little overboard - there are probably 20 characters with different voices, so it makes sense that they turn a little ridiculous. A few of them, the high school girls especially, sound like mean caricatures of girl voices. 
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the book!

I loved this book. Nghi Vo imagines dark magic in old Hollywood, back when the studios essentially owned their actors. In order to become a star, all the beautiful young people have to be willing to give up everything - including their lives. Hollywood, rather than being run by metaphorical monsters, is literally run by seemingly immortal and very powerful beings, and the consequences of crossing them are dire. I loved the way the fantasy elements were weaved in with what was for the most part a more literary historical fiction. The main character and narrator of the book, Luli Wei, captured my imagination so quickly. As a young girl and child of immigrants, she becomes infatuated with the idea of being in the movies (she gets into acting in a similar way to the Natalie Wood story - an uncredited walk on part). But she's a young woman, a Chinese American, and queer, and when she refuses to play a maid or use a put-on accent, no one in Hollywood knows what to do with her. When she turns out to be much more strong-willed than any of the studio executives expect, they want to bring her down. Her talent and ability to make them money keep her alive - for a while! dun dun dunnnn 

As I read this book I felt so fully immersed in the world of old Hollywood and could vividly imagine the set pieces and people Luli meets. I will be raving about this book and I'm looking forward to reading Nghi Vo's other work.