The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: June 10, 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
250 Pages
With a major crush on an adorable pop star, annoying younger siblings, and a mom and stepdad who are too strict, Estella Blanchard is a typical teenage girl-except that her daily struggles are plotlines on the reality show
Seven Is Heaven, which relentlessly documents her life as the older half-sister of sextuplets. Estella's an Oscar-worthy actress at hiding her true feelings from the camera.
However, she can't outrun the spotlight when she receives a Christmas present from her biological father...who died ten years ago under mysterious circumstances. Blamed for this "sick prank," Estella is placed in an unorthodox support group for troubled child stars-including a twenty-three-year-old has-been, a backstabbing drama queen, and a super-cute (but very off-limits) boy bander. And, as weird as the group is, when a creepy paparazzo starts stalking her, claiming that her dad is actually alive, Estella's going to need their help to uncover the truth and stay alive.
16 year old Estella Blanchard is one of the stars of reality tv’s hottest show, Seven is Heaven. She’s your typical teenager, except everything in her life is scripted. While taping their Christmas episode, a present appears under the tree addressed to Estella. The sender? Her biological father who died in a car crash years earlier. Her parents blame her and ship her off to celebrity therapy. Meanwhile, Estella’s just trying to figure out who sent that package and if her father is really dead.
I received an e-copy
of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: June 10, 2013Publisher: Simon & Schuster
250 Pages
With a major crush on an adorable pop star, annoying younger siblings, and a mom and stepdad who are too strict, Estella Blanchard is a typical teenage girl-except that her daily struggles are plotlines on the reality show
Seven Is Heaven, which relentlessly documents her life as the older half-sister of sextuplets. Estella's an Oscar-worthy actress at hiding her true feelings from the camera.
However, she can't outrun the spotlight when she receives a Christmas present from her biological father...who died ten years ago under mysterious circumstances. Blamed for this "sick prank," Estella is placed in an unorthodox support group for troubled child stars-including a twenty-three-year-old has-been, a backstabbing drama queen, and a super-cute (but very off-limits) boy bander. And, as weird as the group is, when a creepy paparazzo starts stalking her, claiming that her dad is actually alive, Estella's going to need their help to uncover the truth and stay alive.
16 year old Estella Blanchard is one of the stars of reality tv’s hottest show, Seven is Heaven. She’s your typical teenager, except everything in her life is scripted. While taping their Christmas episode, a present appears under the tree addressed to Estella. The sender? Her biological father who died in a car crash years earlier. Her parents blame her and ship her off to celebrity therapy. Meanwhile, Estella’s just trying to figure out who sent that package and if her father is really dead.
I enjoyed most of this story – the last half at least. I had
a hard time in the beginning getting through based on the parents. Her mother
and stepfather were horrible people. Everything they said or did was for
ratings. After finding a present from her dead father, Estella runs up to her
room to be alone only to have one of the sextuplets come in and start quizzing
her about her real father – in front of a camera after being prompted by the
parents. They were just horrible. The way they treated Estella disgusted me and
almost turned me off of the book. There was just so much manipulation and lying
going around from people you were supposed to be able to trust. I’m sorry,
encouraging bullying between the children and telling one of them to lose
weight because she’s chubby is just not right. YOU’RE HORRIBLE PARENTS.
However, I stuck with it. And we finally moved away from
parents and were introduced to two characters who became important figures:
Jake, the heartthrob singer and Dylan, the washed up former tv star. I loved
the scenes with the three of them. Jake, who I liked instantly, understood
Estella like nobody ever had before. Their connection was believable and I
rooted for the two of them.
Dylan was pure comic relief. I mean, he created a
distraction by having Justin Beiber perform on top of a limo. But he was loyal.
He stood by his friends when everything went crazy. He was just so much fun.
The story took an interesting turn about halfway through and
became this mystery that surrounded Estella, her father, and other people she
thought she knew. Most of it was a little unbelievable and there were a few
holes here and there, but I won’t deny that I was intrigued by the mystery.
Overall, an enjoyable read.
