Title: No Ordinary Life Author: Suzanne Redfearn
Links: Bookshop (affiliate link) |Goodreads
Rating:
Summary: The main character was almost frustrating enough to ruin this for me, but the writing and plot were good enough to make this an enjoyable read.
After Faye Martin’s husband abandoned her and her three children, it seems like a miracle when her daughter is discovered on YouTube and rapidly becomes the star of a successful TV show. However, Faye quickly discovers that fame comes at a cost. From pressure to allow her daughter to work more than legally allowed to creepy stalkers and cutthroat coworkers, Faye is faced with a whole new set of challenges.
This was a fast-paced book that I couldn’t put down. Something dramatic was constantly happening and, perhaps because of the Hollywood setting, it didn’t even feel unbelievable. What was very close to unbelievable was how stupid and naive the main character could be. Sometimes I found Faye’s decisions sympathetic and could understand why she trusted the wrong people. At other times, I couldn’t believe she let herself be intimidated into allowing her children to be treated poorly or I thought she made horrible financial choices, like not using her unexpected windfall to fix her car problems before going on a road trip. My notes are full of me being frustrated at decisions like that. Fortunately, I wanted to know what happened next enough to keep reading anyway.
Although I found Faye frustrating to read about, I also kind of like that the author created a flawed main character. Her other characters were even better. Each of Faye’s children, her mother, and her friends have distinct personalities and even the secondary characters had a lot of depth. I also generally enjoyed the author’s writing style. There were a few plot points that I didn’t think received enough attention, especially a rape subplot and the way the studio exploited children, but overall, I found this an enjoyable read.
While this book was a mix of good and bad for me, the fact that I couldn’t put it down because of the plot pacing and likeable secondary characters means I’d definitely be willing to try another of the author’s books in the future. I’m also grateful to the publishers for providing a giveaway copy, so you can see for yourself if you find Faye frustrating or just believably flawed.
Rachel
Glad there were good points in this book to compensate for the less desirable points. I do enjoy a fast-paced book every once in a while. 🙂
DoingDewey
Thanks 🙂 Me too!
Jennifer C
I recently finished Hush Little Baby by this author. I was frustrated with that main character frequently as well. But the suspense of that book kept me on the edge of my seat and turning the pages. I’m definitely interested in this new one of hers because it keeps that fast-paced flow. Thanks for the giveaway!
DoingDewey
I’m glad to hear from you about her other book, because there were enough things I liked about this that I’d think about picking it up. Given that the same thing bothered you about that one, I’m not as sure it’s worth picking up for me. We’ll see 🙂