Hello readers! I hope you have all had a lovely week and are looking forward to the weekend ahead- whether you are doing anything exciting or just curling up with a good book!
Today I have book review for you- a 5* book review at that- of the wonderful Waiting For Callback by the equally wonderful mother/daughter writing duo Perdita and Honor Cargill! I was lucky enough to be sent a copy of the book by Perdita and I am so so glad she did- I read it a couple of weeks ago and absolutely adored it. If you hadn't noticed this is my first 5* book review in a while!
I was kindly sent Waiting For Callback by the author in exchange for an honest review :)
As soon as I read the blurb online for the book I knew it was something I would really enjoy. Promised to be a mixture of Geek Girl and New Girl with loads of hilarious moments and a whole lot of heart, Waiting For Callback was set to be a funny, feel-good novel I would breeze through, but when I read it I soon realised it was so much more than that! Waiting For Callback follows fifteen-year-old Elektra James as she is scouted by an acting agency and is thrust into the crazy, unpredictable world of child acting! Elektra has to juggle her blossoming career as an actress (even though this might mean being a voice-over for a squirrel named Squirrelina), friendship problems with her bestie Moss, and boy problems as Archie, her long-time crush, doesn't even know she exists.
Intrigued? Read the blurb here...
Geek Girl meets Fame meets New Girl in this brilliantly funny new series!
When Elektra is discovered by an acting agent, she imagines Oscar glory can't be far away, but instead lurches from one cringe-worthy moment to the next! Just how many times can you be rejected for the part of 'Dead Girl Number Three' without losing hope? And who knew that actors were actually supposed to be multi-lingual, play seven instruments and be trained in a variety of circus skills?
Off-stage things aren't going well either - she's fallen out with her best friend, remains firmly in the friend-zone with her crush and her parents are driving her crazy. One way or another, Elektra's life is now spent waiting for the phone to ring - waiting for callback.
Can an average girl-next-door like Elektra really make it in the world of luvvies and starlets?
So I went into this book with pretty safe expectations that I would enjoy it, but I didn't know how much I would adore it until I had to slow down my reading because I didn't want to finish it too quickly!
One thing that stood out for me in the book was definitely the characters. Elektra was such a believable character (probably because Honor is a teenager herself- haha) and I adored all of her quirks and mannerisms. I really cared about what happened to her and my heart broke when things didn't quite turn out right for her. I loved her relationship with her Mum (who was basically the epitome of every parent EVER) and although they grated on each other's nerves a lot, you could tell that their relationship was very strong.
The other two characters who get a massive shoutout are Moss and Archie who, basically, I
want to be my best friends. Well, maybe not Archie. I could probably marry Archie.
Moss was just so effortlessly cool and I loved the therapy she gave Elektra (mainly consisting of food, obviously) and Archie was honestly one of the most adorable love interests I think I have ever read in a YA novel. He was just lovely and gorgeous and totally amazing. The scene at the end of the book in the garden made me squeal so much. I'm going to move on now before my fangirling takes up the whole of this review...
As you can probably infer from the blurb, Waiting For Callback was hilarious and there were so many bits where I actually 'lolled' (so sorry) which was slightly unfortunate since I read a lot of it on the plane, which was embarrassing for everyone involved. My favourite bit was probably when Elektra was cast as a squirrel... that chapter is absolutely hilarious. Also, when Elektra was at an audition for a film and the secret she chose to reveal about herself in an icebreaker was that one of her boobs was smaller than the other... Ah, she's just my fave!
Altogether, I think it's pretty safe to say that I adored Waiting For Callback in every way. Superbly well-written, heart-warming, hilarious and believable, it's a book that every teenager can relate to and get lost in. I also learned a whole lot about the acting industry, which I must admit I'm pretty clueless about. The emails between Elektra's agent and her mum were really fun and interesting to read, and I hope they continue in the next books!
Also, speaking about the next books, can I have the sequel now? Like, please? PLEASE.
I hope you all enjoyed reading this review, and feel inspired to pick up a copy of Waiting For Callback! I promise you that you won't regret it :)
I also interviewed Perdita and Honor on my blog at the beginning of this week- check it out here!
Check out Perdita and Honor Cargill here: http://www.thebookseller.com/news/ss-children-s-signs-mother-daughter-duo
Buy Waiting For Callback here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Waiting-Callback-Perdita-Cargill/dp/1471144836
Until next time :)
No comments:
Post a Comment