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amberf22's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
mbenzz's review against another edition
4.0
To read this book and not think of Carrie Fisher is absolutely impossible. Going into this I knew the author worked as Carries' personal assistant for a few years, and the book just SCREAMS Carrie. I don't care what the author says in the beginning about this being a work of fiction and none of this is true, blah, blah, blah...THIS IS CARRIE FISHER.
I'm a huge Star Wars fan. Like, my entire car is Star Wars, most of my clothes, and I have the Rebel Alliance symbol tattooed on my arm, huge fan. I could hear Carrie's voice as clearly as if she were narrating. Speaking of which, the narrator (I listened to the audio version) was absolutely perfect for this. He nailed Carrie's dry wit and her constant air of boredom flawlessly.
Being a fan of Carries and having read all her books, this second-hand look into a few years of her life was both funny and heartbreaking. Charlies life is much the same, but his life leans a little more heavily to the 'heartbreaking' side.
There were a couple of small nuances in the story that I found tiresome. The constant use of 'Hey Siri'...references to Theripista and the overuse of 'I'm thinking....", 'I'm thinking...', 'I'm thinking...', started to become stale, but the story as a whole was really well done.
I think Carrie would have loved this book, and I hope that in writing it the author found a little bit of closure on his time spent in the presence of one of his idols. Addiction is a terrible thing, and I can't imagine what it's like to see someone you love so much, someone millions of people love so much, constantly flirting with overdoses and death. I think Charlie made the right decision in the end, and I hope he found a little bit of peace and comfort in sharing his story.
*** I received this book free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***
I'm a huge Star Wars fan. Like, my entire car is Star Wars, most of my clothes, and I have the Rebel Alliance symbol tattooed on my arm, huge fan. I could hear Carrie's voice as clearly as if she were narrating. Speaking of which, the narrator (I listened to the audio version) was absolutely perfect for this. He nailed Carrie's dry wit and her constant air of boredom flawlessly.
Being a fan of Carries and having read all her books, this second-hand look into a few years of her life was both funny and heartbreaking. Charlies life is much the same, but his life leans a little more heavily to the 'heartbreaking' side.
There were a couple of small nuances in the story that I found tiresome. The constant use of 'Hey Siri'...references to Theripista and the overuse of 'I'm thinking....", 'I'm thinking...', 'I'm thinking...', started to become stale, but the story as a whole was really well done.
I think Carrie would have loved this book, and I hope that in writing it the author found a little bit of closure on his time spent in the presence of one of his idols. Addiction is a terrible thing, and I can't imagine what it's like to see someone you love so much, someone millions of people love so much, constantly flirting with overdoses and death. I think Charlie made the right decision in the end, and I hope he found a little bit of peace and comfort in sharing his story.
*** I received this book free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***
darcys01's review against another edition
4.0
Very entertaining book about insider Hollywood. Author has a great sense of humor mixed with main character finding inner value and a person who values him. Will look for more books from this author.
jess_mango's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fun and refreshing read. :)
Author Byron Lane spent 3 years working as actress Carrie Fisher's personal assistant and though he insists in the forward and acknowledgements that all characters in this book are fictional, it is clear that his time with Carrie influenced this story.
Charlie Besson is from New Orleans and now lives in California working as a news writer. He doesn't love his job so when a friend tells him that his favorite actress Kathi Kannon is looking for a new assistant he jumps at the chance. Kathi is mostly famous for her iconic role as a priestess in a blockbuster space movie. She's also an author, the daughter of a famous actress....and has a history of trouble with substance abuse. (sound familiar?). Charlie is super nervous at his interview and Kathi is brash and sarcastic. She dubs him "Cockring" because it also starts with C and she says she can't remember his name. Charlie ends up getting the job and so begins his misadventures.
You can't help but picture Kathi as Carrie Fisher and I don't think that is a bad thing. The author is clearly fond of Carrie Fisher and it shows. I really enjoyed the story and recommend it to anyone looking for a fictional, humorous roller coaster ride with a troubled Hollywood star. There were quite a few laugh out loud moments along with some more serious bits. We also see Charlie come into his own and learn to love himself.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
Author Byron Lane spent 3 years working as actress Carrie Fisher's personal assistant and though he insists in the forward and acknowledgements that all characters in this book are fictional, it is clear that his time with Carrie influenced this story.
Charlie Besson is from New Orleans and now lives in California working as a news writer. He doesn't love his job so when a friend tells him that his favorite actress Kathi Kannon is looking for a new assistant he jumps at the chance. Kathi is mostly famous for her iconic role as a priestess in a blockbuster space movie. She's also an author, the daughter of a famous actress....and has a history of trouble with substance abuse. (sound familiar?). Charlie is super nervous at his interview and Kathi is brash and sarcastic. She dubs him "Cockring" because it also starts with C and she says she can't remember his name. Charlie ends up getting the job and so begins his misadventures.
You can't help but picture Kathi as Carrie Fisher and I don't think that is a bad thing. The author is clearly fond of Carrie Fisher and it shows. I really enjoyed the story and recommend it to anyone looking for a fictional, humorous roller coaster ride with a troubled Hollywood star. There were quite a few laugh out loud moments along with some more serious bits. We also see Charlie come into his own and learn to love himself.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
buntatamilis's review against another edition
Too sad. Not what I thought it would be.
rachelannak's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A great, sweet novel that is fun and serious all at the same time. Sometimes you can’t help someone until they want to help themselves and that is a theme throughout this whole novel.
mogffm3's review against another edition
1.0
Wasn't a good book for me.
I do not like to feel constant angst and pity for hours on end when I listen to a book, and yet I did for the main character, Charlie. It was a painful listen to me. There was a bit of humor, but not enough to overcome all the cringe I felt for Charlie.
I do not like to feel constant angst and pity for hours on end when I listen to a book, and yet I did for the main character, Charlie. It was a painful listen to me. There was a bit of humor, but not enough to overcome all the cringe I felt for Charlie.
librariansrule's review against another edition
4.0
I really wanted to like her more. Loved him, tolerated her, and at the touching end, I was even more sad that I hadn't liked her.
readerinthezoo's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fun funny listen and I really enjoyed it. There were moments when I got tired of some of the repetitive phrasing (“I’m thinking” and “Hey, Siri” for example) but overall I loved the characters and the story and the relationship between Charlie and Kathi.
lizzielynn13's review against another edition
3.0
Overall, this book was worth the read but I didn’t find it particularly exceptional. It does bring up the issue of separating fiction and reality, and where to make that distinction. Because this book is based on Byron’s real life experiences as Carrie Fisher’s assistant there’s always an element of “wait, is this part real or fake?” that tended to pull me out of the story a little bit.