Howdy YAL!

To see full review and Hollywood Analysis click here: http://yalbookbriefs.blogspot.com/2012/07/trend-spotlights-hooray-for-hollywood.htmlI often forget about Teen Idol and it's not because it's a bad book, in comparison's to Meg's other titles this one is sort of....well, just there.The book itself has fairly decent characters and it the storyline is solid enough. But it's nothing special. And perhaps that's what my problem with it is.The plot is pretty generic, good girl Jen's life is changed when movie star Luke Striker shows up in her small town and shakes up things. Honestly, while I am glad that Cabot didn't go the cliche route of having Jen and Luke end up together, I really wondered what Luke's purpose was other than to be a catalyst. Couldn't Jen come up with the conclusion that things in her life weren't perfect? From what was happening in her life before Luke's intervention, I believe she could. But I guess the book wouldn't have sold if he hadn't made an appearance.Also, another big issue I had with Luke was who he ended up with. Geri was a quasi horrible bitchy character. And while it was true she was nowhere near the likes of Lana Weinberger, I still didn't like that all the boys-including Scott-seemed to like her. Especially Luke who seemed to be about seeing someone's natural beauty. Geri just seemed to be this brash kind of bitchy character. She wasn't terrible, but I just don't see her Luke let alone Scott.As for Scott, the love interest in the novel, I didn't like him as much as some of Cabot's other heros. He wasn't awful. He was nice. He cooked. And I liked that, I just felt like I didn't get to know him that well. And while I understand why Jen liked him, I wished their relationship would've been more developed.Things I really did like about this book: the fact that it was a stand alone. While I do like series, it was nice to read something where I didn't have to wait for a sequel. And I really liked how everything was wrapped up in this book. Plus, did I mention it had a nice message that wasn't overly preachy. Yes, that was nice. Plus, did I mention that there's show choir in this book. Yes, all you Gleeks there are some pretty funny show choir scenes in this book which makes me think they really need to bring on Meg Cabot as a consultant for Glee. Best Feature: Not Your Typical Hollywood Story: This book isn't what I expect, meaning I thought Luke and Jen were going to fall in love with each other. No, that didn't happen. And I liked that in a weird way, but at the same time I really had to wonder what was Luke's purpose other than being Jen's Jiminy Cricket. Still though, despite Luke's lack of a role to the story, I liked that it wasn't cliche.Worst Feature: Meh. As far as Meg Cabot novels go, this is a good book. But it's not that memorable. While I think there was a good message in the novel. I just....I wanted something more. I honestly, felt while the foundation was there, there was just something off about the book that it never reached its potential. Perhaps, it was how Luke was handled as a character and for that matter who he ended up with.Appropriateness: This is a pretty clean novel. There is some bullying that goes on in the book, but other than that I can't think of anything remotely inappropriate. In fact, I would recommend this book for teens because of the bullying issues that go on in the book. I love the message this book tries to send without being overly preachy.