Oh freak! Why did this book end at where it did? Hot Toddy, T.C Collins’s first novel is a narration about LJ and her life. The ups and downs of it. The book has a lot of sex but doesn't that come with the part and parcel of Hollywood? The book had me at first go when I saw the cover. But this book is much beyond sex, Hollywood, the flashy lifestyle.
About the book- Growing up in the heartland of America, LJ didn't learn what the world was really like outside the boundaries of her family farm until she left for college in southern California. She immediately falls head over heels in love with a hot surfer and his sun and surf laid back lifestyle. She picks up modelling and acting gigs to pay down her student loans. After a few unbearable twists of fate, LJ abandons her Midwestern values for the temptations of Hollywood- and that's only the beginning. Caught in the pressure of balancing a lie and reality, and with her seemingly new best friend, Sidney, becoming more viperous at every turn, LJ can no longer escape the fall down the rabbit hole into a dark world of money and power, where sex sells and everything is for sale. Hot Toddy is for every woman who's ever let her foolishness consume her. Part naughty thrill ride, and part serious on coming of age in a time when wealth and celebrity seem to be the only things that matter, Hot Toddy promises to be this Summer’s best read, with belly laughs, engaging women characters, and an unexpected finale that will leave you wanting more.
As I went on to read the book after reading the blurb I kept on wondering what can happen at the end which will leave me wanting more. Well, the answer to that I received and it got me as a reaction to my first line I wrote here. Oh Freak! The book introduces us to LJ, Brody, Sidney and Naomi. The characters whom you love, hate, live throughout the journey of the 329 pages of the book.
The characters are super well written and you feel instantly connected to them. I, for instance, connected the most to LJ because that's how I am. In the situations she faces, I would have behaved the exact same way she did. And I hated Sidney but loved their girl bond. There are parties, drugs, booze and everything a hollywood lifestyle demands in the book. You feel LJ’s journey. Every character got a proper start and a proper end to it which I commend the writer for. Especially since it's her first book.
Coming to the story, the book was a fun ride which left me thinking at a lot of places. Picking up a novel of this genre was easy but justifying what we write is difficult. The writer did a great job with that. At times, as a reader, I wanted to slap sense into some characters. And that's also something that counts as the achievements of the writer. Loved the narration style and the elements underlying in the book. And trust me, you'll have to read the book to find out what exactly am I saying.
If I have to speak of the cons then the first thing I will have to mention is that the book is a very long read. Even though breezy, by the time you reach the end of the book and knowing the end you would wonder that the prior informations and the scenes that were mentioned in a lot of detail were unnecessary. A few scenes could've been skipped or if not skipped then written in a lesser detail. Some characters I believe, should've had a bit more space in the book to make them all the more worthwhile. But having said all of that, you know what's worthwhile!? Waiting for the next part of the book. This one for me was 4 out of 5 and I'm definitely waiting to know more about what happens with LJ next...
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