Review: BEHIND THE SCENES by Dahlia Adler

When I first heard BEHIND THE SCENES by Dahlia Adler compared to OPEN ROAD SUMMER by Emery Lord when I was looking for another book like that one, I immediately knew this book was my destiny. While BEHIND THE SCENES shares elements with ORS, it also manages to be completely different and unique. Don't go into the book expecting it to have the tone of ORS, because it's still its own book. Their similarities focus on the fact that in both books, two celebrities fake a relationship while the real romance is happening with one of the celebrities and the other's best friend.

Ally has no interest in Hollywood or acting. She leaves that to her best friend Vanessa, who recently scored a leading part on a brand-new teen series called Daylight Falls. Ally winds up spending much more time on the set than she ever planned to, however. Due to her father's struggle with cancer, Ally's dreams of being able to attend her first-choice college, Columbia, have gone up in smoke. Van offers to help out by hiring Ally to be her on-set assistant, as well as to tutor her for the SATs. Ally also winds up tutoring Liam, the show's male lead. The two of them spend more time french kissing than they do studying the French language, however, and they soon find themselves falling for one another. Before their relationship can go too far, the show's publicist decides to get extra press for the TV series by pretending that its two leading actors are in a relationship. Ally and Liam have to hide the truth about their feelings. If word ever gets out, Liam and Van could have their careers go up in smoke and may even be recast before the series pilot airs!

I really liked seeing the way Ally grew and evolved throughout the series. She loves her family so much, and I love books with a strong family bond, since so few exist. It was also really hard for her to be in the position that her boyfriend's fake "visible" relationship put her in. There was some drama there, and while you all know I'm not a fan of drama, I didn't think it was over-the-top here. Who wouldn't feel like Ally in this scenario? The one dramatic aspect I could have done without revolved around Ally's friend Nate. Liam's best friend Josh, on the other hand, became more integral as the book progressed. While I have mixed feelings about him in BEHIND THE SCENES because he seems like a jerk, he's also really good to Ally. She's just too close to the situation to see it. I'm excited to read next year's companion novel UNDER THE LIGHTS to see him in a new light. I'm also excited to see more about Ally's best friend Van, who, at times, fell to the wayside. And, of course, I'm hoping for peeks at Ally and Liam, too!

If you like fun books with celebrity crushes and ordinary people being caught up in a whirlwind of glitz and mayhem, BEHIND THE SCENES is the perfect book to pick up and devour.

To post a comment, you must register and login.