Quick Reviews

A Starlet's Secret to a Sensational Afterlife by Kendall Kulper (2023)

It's 1930s Hollywood and Henrietta has arrived, hoping to hit it big as an actress.  She signs with a major label and lands a leading role; the studio taps a stuntman to be her fake boyfriend, to up her profile.  Henrietta and Declan, though, soon find themselves caught up in mystery and scandal, as they join together to find out what really happened to several young actresses who have gone missing.  This book was so fun!  The time period and setting are so glamorous - I mean, Old Hollywood!  Although I do have to say, sometimes the dialogue did not match, and it took me out of the story sometimes - it felt too modern at times.  But, the little glimpses behind the curtain and how studios used to be run and how movies were made were really fun.  There are also elements of magical realism, as both Declan and Henrietta have supernatural gifts - Henrietta can talk to ghosts and Declan is immune from getting hurt (hence the stuntman job!).  The "talking to ghosts" thing did get a little hokey, but I still thought it was a unique element to the story.  I loved watching Henrietta and Declan work together to help the missing girls, I thought the pacing of the story was great, and the author does an admirable job of both tackling a difficult subject while still keeping the overall tone fairly light.  4 stars

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle (2024)

Whenever Daphne meets a new man, soon after she receives a slip of paper with the man's name and the length of the time they will date.  This has been happening since her teens, until one day the note only says a name - no number.  Could this be it?  Does this mean Jake is the man she's going to spend the rest of her life with?  I thought this book had so much potential, but unfortunately the execution lacked a lot for me.  The premise is so intriguing - once she realizes the slips of paper are accurately predicting her romantic life, what would Daphne do with this information?  Would she always trust it?  Should she try to fight it if she thought they were wrong?  Is Daphne in charge of her own life, or is she just relying on the universe to guide her?  Unfortunately, I don't feel like the author really explored these questions, or maybe until it was too late.  The book is rather short but feels so wordy - so many metaphors, so much overwriting, so many *important declarations* that fell flat.  Daphne is also keeping another big secret, which we don't find out about until halfway through the book - it kind of changes everything, so it's disappointing the way it's handled.  Even though Daphne is our main character, the person I felt for was Jake.  Would he get the happy ending he truly deserved?  3 stars

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