Teen Idol by Meg Cabot
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GoodReads Summary:
High school junior Jenny Greenley is so good at keeping secrets that she’s the school newspaper’s anonymous advice columnist. She’s so good at it that, help when hotter-than-hot Hollywood star Luke Striker comes to her small town to research a role, remedy Jenny is the one in charge of keeping his identity under wraps. But Luke doesn’t make it easy, information pills and soon everyone—the town, the paparazzi, and the tabloids alike—know his secret…and Jenny is caught right in the middle of all the chaos
My Review:
Meg Cabot has been one of my favorite authors since I was 12 years old, when I first picked up The Princess Diaries. I’ve literally been addicted to her books since then, and I buy each and every new one, no matter the genre or age group, on the day they are released. So that is true of Teen Idol. I first read this in 2004, when I was 16. I’ve been feeling soooo unmotivated to read lately and I knew exactly what would cure that…Meg Cabot.
See, the thing about Meg Cabot books are that they are easy reads, but fun ones. They are usually light and full of a ton of humor. So I knew a good way to read another book, and hopefully kick myself back into reading habitually again was to read a Meg Cabot book. I haven’t read this one in SUCH a long time so I definitely wanted to read it. Plus, it was inspirational for my own novel, A Little Less than Famous, so props for that.
I remembered again how much I seriously love her. Her books are so funny, and out of this world. Luke Stryker, a Hollywood star, crashing an Indiana high school in order to learn what its like to be a ‘real’ high school student. Its just bizarre but she makes it seem so genuine and real, and did I mention, hilarious? She has a way of getting inside her characters’ heads and its brilliant. What I really love about her books is that they are almost always first person which means you are literally inside the main character’s thoughts and she’s so REAL with their thoughts. Sure, they’re capable of strong thoughts but she also has them with wandering thoughts, and preoccupied by their hormones (nearly every one of her characters gets distracted by a shirtless guy, which makes me laugh so hard).
I also love ALL the pop culture references in her books. I swear, Justin Timberlake is referenced in every book. Every one. Its awesome. Plus, it dates the books, but I love that because I feel like I’ve grown up with a lot of these characters. I love when Mia Thermopolis talks about Britney Spears and NSYNC in the Princess Diaries books because its my teen years for sure. But I love all the references. I love that Jenny, the main character of this book, is obsessed with these crazy sophisticated science fiction novels and that there are Star Wars and Star Trek references. Its all so fantastic.
I give it a 4 out of 5 because you have to recognize that there are different books that provide different things. For the audience that Meg Cabot intends for, and for the purpose she has (entertainment, humor), she rocks at it. Some people may not agree that it deserves a high rating of 4/5 because its not “serious” or it doesn’t tackle “serious” issues, but books don’t have to do that in order to be good, and I think sometimes people forget that. Meg Cabot makes you laugh in this book, and I’m highly entertained by her books.
So if you’re looking for something fun and light to read, and looking to laugh, and have a good time while reading a book, this is a great book to read. Or any book by Meg, really. I hope you all dive into her books. She’s been one of my absolute favorite authors for 13 years. That’s a long time and there are so many reasons for it :)
Rating:
4 out of 5 stars
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