A while back, I had read and enjoyed Hollywood Ending by Lucie Simone. So when Picture Perfect was published, I was definitely interested in checking it out. And you know what?!? Lucie took her storytelling style up a notch or two!
For Lauren Tate, a high-powered TV producer, sex, lies, and scandal make for a great movie-of-the-week, but when she becomes the target of a smear campaign, even the most salacious of Hollywood’s tales can’t compare to her real life drama. With her soon-to-be-ex-husband leading the effort to sully her reputation, and her former assistant threatening to snatch her hard-earned position at Timeless Television out of her hands, Lauren’s perfectly planned life quickly begins to unravel at the seams.
Clawing her way back to the top of the TV food chain is no easy task, especially in an industry where backstabbing is a sport and gossip is a full-time business. But Lauren learns just how cutthroat showbiz can truly be when the hottest scandal in Tinsel Town turns deadly and the Hollywood hunk who’s stolen her heart is missing in action. Can she salvage her career, her reputation, and her love life? Or will Hollywood be the death of her? (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)
Picture Perfect starts out on an intense note, with Lauren receiving divorce papers that lead to a heated confrontation with her soon-to-be-ex-husband, Alan. From there, readers are taken on an adventure that could only happen in Hollywood, climaxing in a dramatic turn that no one saw coming. Toss handsome indie flick actor, Jack, into the mix and the heat is on! Helping along the interesting plot is realistic and intense dialogue and emotions that leap off the pages. The interactions between all the characters contributed to this great dialogue. (Or is it the other way around...which came first, right?!?) As for the emotions, I could practically feel Lauren's emotions, as if I were experiencing them myself. Additionally, the descriptive details made things easy to visualize without taking away from the story.
The only thing that didn't work so well for me was that I felt some things went unexplained. However, I can't say what those were as to not spoil anything. I just wish she took her time connecting some of the dots instead of skipping ahead and expecting us to know how everything came about. Some things just hit me out of left field and I ended up wondering how they came to be in the first place.
When I wasn't reading Picture Perfect, I found myself thinking about it and wondering what would happen next. I even tried to solve the big mystery in my head. It was very entertaining and I could definitely see it being produced for Hollywood (oh, the irony!). I even liked most of Lucie's casting choices (a girl after my own heart and I'd love to see her cast other books too). However, I pictured Jeremy Jordan as Jack and Alec Baldwin as Alan.
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Thanks so much for your lovely comments, Melissa!
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