"L. A. Candy"


Star of The Hills reality TV show and all-round fashion icon, Lauren Conrad, has now released four books and I've been hankering for the chance to taste a little L. A. Candy in the form of her first novel...

I'm a Lauren Conrad admirer, I'll admit it. As shallow as The Hills was as a show, I was smitten with it and Lauren was my favourite. She always seemed so likeable, the perfect friend. So tick, I'm intrigued to read her books.

The problem is, are they really her books? Although I believe she's more than a pretty blonde and capable of writing a novel, with these celebrity books, they frequently have ghost writers churn them out and then the big name takes the credit. There's a good chance that happened here.

This makes me uncomfortable, as a writer, and as a reader. I want to interpret the novel from Lauren's perspective, but I can't know for certain whether she really created these characters, the plot, the scenes. Frustrating!

These elements follow The Hills pretty closely in the book. The main character is clearly a cardboard cut-out of Lauren, although her best friend is definitely different from Heidi Montag. Similarly, there's a Whitney clone who pops up halfway through, which is about when the action starts to pick up.

Sadly, this novel is drab at first. I was able to read part-way through, then put it down and neglect it for days. If it had been brilliant, I would have pulled an all-nighter because I felt compelled to find out what happens. To be fair, it improves later on and there's a nice little cliff-hanger at the end. Read on the beach, a plane or anywhere you need a light distraction. It's not a challenging read and is mildly entertaining.

Borrow from the library, don't buy it.

Rating: 6/10.

Did you find L. A. Candy sweeter than I did?

31 comments:

  1. Thank you for the review. Just like the show, I guess you can't expect the book to be anything less than brain candy. And yes, it does bother me to learn that celebrities have no hand in writing their own books, but I'm sure the use of ghostwriters by celebrities is more common than we care to know.

    Happy to found your blog. I'm a big Carrie fan, and now I'm a new fan of yours. Mila from http://hereundertherainbow.blogspot.com.

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  2. I found your blog through the bloghop! I love writing and reading and I am excited to be able to follow your updates on gfc :)

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  3. Stopping by from a Monday Hop! I am your newest follower =] Please stop by my blog and follow back =] Thank you and have a nice week!
    - Cassondra / Mama's Passions

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  4. Hi there! Coming by from the Mom Mart blog hop. I'm a new follower.

    I've never read any of the Lauren Conrad books.

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  5. Following from monday hop, i hope youll come check me out
    http://www.mommatotallyinlove.com/

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  6. I absolutely love the look of your blog. So clean and refreshing! I hope you become a published writer! And the review was great! Keep up the great work!
    Stephanei~

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  7. Great review!! Following from Monday blog hop ! Following on GFC :)
    suesnutritionbuzz.blogspot.com

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  8. Great review! Thanks for stopping by Pink Dandy Chatter. Following you back. Have a lovely summer!

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  9. I'm your newest hop follower:) check me out at http://hugatreewithme2.blogspot.com whenever you can

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  10. Thanks for your review .. I didn't watch the Hills .. but the title of her book had caught my attention. I won't rush out to get it and will wait to put it on my must read list... happy Monday! xo HHL

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  11. Wow, hello to all new-comers (and some familiar "faces"!).

    I am now following all newbies back. Thanks so much for taking a chance and picking my blog to visit from the hops. : )

    Thanks so much for your lovely compliments, Jenny. I was totally diggin' The Golden Girls on your sidebar and your bottom picture about the ethical treatment of animals right on!

    xx
    Becks

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  12. Hug a tree with me + Good Girl Gone Green -- checked out your blogs, guys and love that they have an environmental slant to them. Gotta love a blog with a cause. : )

    High Heeled, I reckon you'd like The Hills. Much better than this novel. Maybe they get better though?

    xx
    Becks

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  13. Great review: candid and well-detailed without revealing any spoilers. L.A. Candy sounds entertaining, though I'm not sure if I'd have the patience to stick around long enough to get past the slow start.

    Thanks for your take!

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  14. Hi.
    Stopping by from the Tuesday Hop to say hello.
    Have a great day!
    POSH!
    http://poshonabudget.com/2011/07/tuesday-friends-and-deals-hops.html

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  15. Following from the hop. Great job with the honest review. You made your points very clear. As an author, I can really appreciate that.

    All my best,

    Clayton
    http://www.claytonpaulthomas.com

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  16. new follower from hop
    http://lifewith4girls.blogspot.com

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  17. I'm a new follower from the hop -your blog is really interesting.. Stop by mine tooo.. I love the 80's

    http://candoitmom.blogspot.com/

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  18. I'm a new follower from the Totally Tuesday blog Hop.
    Please follow me back at http://babygiveawaysgalore.blogspot.com/

    I'm just starting out so I'd really appreciate it.

    Thanks!

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  19. I was wondering the same thing! Does she have a ghostwriter? And that alone bothers me. I hate the idea that these celebrities can just churn out these books no problem...somehow the idea of "ghostwriter" just feels wrong when its used that way.

    Hello from: "Tiggerific Tuesday! Blog Hop...or Bounce."
    :)

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  20. Hey y'all. Thanks for visiting. : )

    Totally, Nicole. I don't really judge ghostwriters, but I do judge the celebrities who use them. Write your own damn book!

    Thanks Lindy and Clayton for your warm, fuzzy words about my review. : ) I like to make my writing clear and logical as well as creative when I can.

    Yay, another 80s era fan in Diane. Some say it's tacky, I say it's fun, much like that Amalita character in "Sex and the City" (anyone remember her?).

    xx
    Becks

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  21. Love your blog!! I'm a Sex and the City lover too, and even though I didn't care for The Hills, she was pretty much the only one I didn't hate. Now I'm intrigued to check out the book.

    Following from Wonder Wednesday Blog Hop. Thanks for visiting!

    Zelma @ Zelma's Workshop

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  22. Thanks for the review. I like your honesty.
    Following you via Taming Tuesday blog hop. Now following on GFC. Stop by and visit.

    http://itstimetoreadmamaw.blogspot.com/

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  23. Still following you via Taming Tuesday blog hop from my other blog. Liked you on facebook. Stop by and visit.

    http://itstimetoreadmamaw.blogspot.com/
    http://itsabouttimemamaw.blogspot.com

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  24. following from taming tuesday!

    come visit me at
    www.sippycupchronicles.com
    www.whatsthemommybuzz.com

    Thank you!

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  25. You give good reviews! Great blog, I'm a new follower!

    http://marleeindebt.blogspot.com

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  26. The theme of your blog is awesome, Marlee. Congrats on getting your job as a drug counsellor. : )

    Thanks for visiting, guys. I am now following you back. Always great to meet another "Sex and the City" fan, Zelma!

    xx
    Becks

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  27. I <3 Lauren too! I've been a fan since she was "LC" on Laguna Beach. :)

    New follower from Super Stalker Sunday! I'd love a follow back!

    http://brookiesbabybargains.blogspot.com

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  28. I'm a fan of Lauren Conrad too, I love her style. Haven't read any of her books yet but I do follow her blog.

    Thanks for the comment on my blog. Here to follow you back. Looking forward to reading more from you. Have a wonderful week!

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  29. I really need to read this book!
    haha. I bought it a long time ago from a library book sale and STILL havent read it! haha.

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  30. Hi Brooke! I never saw "Laguna Beach", but now I'm so tempted to because of Lauren. I've tried "Gossip Girl" as well, but that didn't really gel with me much. PS: I'm now following you back via GFC. : )

    Thanks Mary and Hannah for visiting me back. Haha, I've done that with heaps of books, Hannah. So many books, so little time! At the moment, a Dita Von Teese book is still, well, teasing me on my coffee table waiting to be read. : )

    xx
    Becks

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