Between the Lines

Between the Lines by Tammara Webber
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ever wonder what happens on the set of a movie with young, hot stars? Somebody should make a movie about that. Or write a book - which is exactly what this is.

I wasn't sure about this one going in; I'd had my eye on the series for awhile because I like the author's other series, Contours of the Heart. I didn't know just how high-school-soap-opera-drama this would get. Sometimes books of that genre are so exaggerated that they edge into the ridiculous territory. I generally prefer my books sans eye-rolling.

However, this was a pleasant surprise. Soap opera drama yes, but not in a bad or overdone way. Emma is a young actress who's been relatively successful. She's also just a normal girl with a normal best friend. Her life is full of being on movie sets and doing commercials, but she's pretty level-headed about it. She seems grounded, which is refreshing. She gets a big break to be in a major movie starring Reid, who is The Hot Guy Right Now. She's an innocent when it comes to celebrity, he's an old pro. He's also a selfish, self-centered player who uses people and things. There are other major cast members and while we get Emma's first-person perspective, the whole cast of the movie is central.

I liked the character of Emma a lot. She's really more unfamiliar than wide-eyed and that made her believable. This is a character-driven book, so we get a lot of the personal interaction and not as much of the movie acting. Reid is so obviously a jerk - and again, Emma is believable because 1-she knows he's a jerk and a player and 2-she's innocent enough to be flattered and somewhat level-headed when he pursues her. There is family drama, best friend drama, previous relationship drama - and yet it all plays out in a way that doesn't seem forced or trite.

This book feels realistic. Probably the best thing it does is dismantle celebrity. There's a nice romance (or two or three), some characters to love, some to hate, some to root for, some to pity, all of whom are entertaining. It moves along nicely on schedule with the filming of the movie.

The ending sets up nicely for a sequel. This is one of those series that sneaks up on you; even though I wasn't blown away by the story, I find myself thinking about the characters several days after having finished the book. I find myself wanting to keep going with the series. A good book is a memorable one.

On audio the book is narrated by Kate Rudd and Todd Haberkorn. They give the story a voice and presence that enhances it. They made it all the more enjoyable.



Tammara Webber has quickly become one of my go-to authors. It's nice to know that when she publishes something new, I know it will be worth reading.

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