Samantha Kelly is a 32 year old personal assistant working in Hollywood, hoping for her big break. While working fourteen hour shifts and doing mundane tasks like calming down her bosses wife and picking up dry cleaning for everyone on set, Samantha wonders if she is stalled out. Long shifts, little pay, and no recognition on top of being single and having an untrustworthy best friend has Samantha ready to call in quits in Los Angeles. But when another friend offers Samantha a part in her movie, her life suddenly starts looking better and better. Offered more acting jobs, Samantha soon can afford the nicer things in life, including bigger homes and designer clothes. But while her bank account and fame keep expanding, Samantha’s love life and friendships seem to be depleting. The life of a working celebrity suddenly doesn’t seem so exciting and fabulous. Can Samantha find a way to balance it all?
Welcome to My Life, the debut novel from Micheline McAllister gives an insider’s look on the Hollywood scene. McAllister has worked in the entertainment industry as a personal assistant, actress, writer and artist, and holds nothing back when recounting this tale. I enjoyed reading both sides of the main character- her bleak life as “just” a personal assistant, to the high life of being an overpaid actress. I like the fact that this novel is written from an “insider” because there are a few eye-openers about the industry that had me shocked! My only downside was that Samantha’s character didn’t stick with me after I closed the book; I almost forgot who she was and what her story was. But the duration of the novel is witty, fast-paced, and filled with juicy tidbits that will satisfy chick lit fans.
Rating: 3.5/5
