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Fake Plastic Girl #1
Fake Plastic Girl
Celebrity-studded parties that last long into the night. Camera flashes and designer clothes. And a body found floating in the Venice Beach canals.
But let’s start at the beginning.
Justine Childs is your average teenage girl, until the day ex-child-star Eva Kate Kelly moves in across the way. Eva Kate is gorgeous, seductive, and eager to invite Justine into her glittery world. Their relationship intensifies quickly, but there is a lot they aren't telling each other, and in the midst of the whirlwind, a girl lies dead. Who killed Eva Kate? Justine swears her innocence—and she’d like you to hear her side of the story.
But let’s start at the beginning.
Justine Childs is your average teenage girl, until the day ex-child-star Eva Kate Kelly moves in across the way. Eva Kate is gorgeous, seductive, and eager to invite Justine into her glittery world. Their relationship intensifies quickly, but there is a lot they aren't telling each other, and in the midst of the whirlwind, a girl lies dead. Who killed Eva Kate? Justine swears her innocence—and she’d like you to hear her side of the story.
288 pages, Paperback
First published March 26, 2019
6 people are currently reading
2148 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
November 4, 2019
This is not a very good book, and yet everything about it operates under the assumption that it is.
For starters, this is not even a full story. It is half of one. I picked this up thinking that I was reading a mystery/thriller about a murdered child star. Instead, I was reading the first half of that. Not even the first half, really - everything leading up to the discovery of the body.
So a fraction of a mystery/thriller.
This was constructed to be the first installment of a duology, but here’s the thing: a duology is not two halves of one story. You can’t write half a book, sell it to a publisher, then say you’ll write the second half and publish it.
Mostly because if, say, very few people read the first part, and very few of those people liked it all that much, the publisher isn’t going to want the second book. (And the thing about book deals is that they leave lots of room for the publisher to change their mind.)
Shockingly, though, Macmillan appears to have gone forward with the sequel. But I will definitely not be reading it - not even if I’m sent a review copy. (Sorry. I know that’s in bad taste.)
Because the fact that this feels aggressively unfinished is not the only bad thing about it. Maybe not even the worst thing.
This also has preachy sections about the fallacy of the “real girl” but is legitimately teeming with girl hate and flat female characters. There’s not a single healthy female relationship or positively portrayed girl in the whole thing, and it’s so absurd to forcibly include rants about basic feminist concepts when half your characters are women only described by what they’re wearing and their Valley Girl accents.
This isn’t a mid-2000s TV show about a California high school. We have actually feminist YA now.
So many characters and settings and subplots were introduced for no reason, and ultimately they get no explanation. I read an ARC copy, and I’d like to believe that certain 15-page sections were removed entirely, because they made absolutely no sense.
(I’m talking about visits to psychics during which our protagonist ambles off to another room with who appears to be one of the psychic’s sex slaves. This never makes a lick of sense.)
And also, as I touched on in my pre-review, our main character is inconsistently characterized and completely intolerable. Half of her internal monologue is made up of Taylor Swift-related thoughts, which only gets more insane when you remember that she refuses to call herself a fan at the very beginning. (Her argument is that she wouldn’t wear a Swift T-shirt, even though she adores her music and listens to it constantly and becomes fixated with the idea of meeting her at a pool party and goes on pages-long tangents analyzing her lyrics and persona and public perception and spends an unforgivable four pages relating her feud with Kanye West.)
It’s rare that I’ll definitively NOT recommend something, but I just don’t see anyone liking this book.
Unless you’re into non-endings and semi-hateful Taylor Swift tangents.
Bottom line: This makes me very mad.
-------------
pre-review
this book spends more time talking about the feud between Taylor Swift and Kanye West (4 pages) than the murder I thought I was reading about (approx. 2 pages).
review to come, but honestly what more do you need to know? / 1 star
-------------
yes, i will read a murder-mystery-of-a-teenage-former-child-star book
(thanks to the publisher for the arc, which i am characteristically reading four months post-pub date)
For starters, this is not even a full story. It is half of one. I picked this up thinking that I was reading a mystery/thriller about a murdered child star. Instead, I was reading the first half of that. Not even the first half, really - everything leading up to the discovery of the body.
So a fraction of a mystery/thriller.
This was constructed to be the first installment of a duology, but here’s the thing: a duology is not two halves of one story. You can’t write half a book, sell it to a publisher, then say you’ll write the second half and publish it.
Mostly because if, say, very few people read the first part, and very few of those people liked it all that much, the publisher isn’t going to want the second book. (And the thing about book deals is that they leave lots of room for the publisher to change their mind.)
Shockingly, though, Macmillan appears to have gone forward with the sequel. But I will definitely not be reading it - not even if I’m sent a review copy. (Sorry. I know that’s in bad taste.)
Because the fact that this feels aggressively unfinished is not the only bad thing about it. Maybe not even the worst thing.
This also has preachy sections about the fallacy of the “real girl” but is legitimately teeming with girl hate and flat female characters. There’s not a single healthy female relationship or positively portrayed girl in the whole thing, and it’s so absurd to forcibly include rants about basic feminist concepts when half your characters are women only described by what they’re wearing and their Valley Girl accents.
This isn’t a mid-2000s TV show about a California high school. We have actually feminist YA now.
So many characters and settings and subplots were introduced for no reason, and ultimately they get no explanation. I read an ARC copy, and I’d like to believe that certain 15-page sections were removed entirely, because they made absolutely no sense.
(I’m talking about visits to psychics during which our protagonist ambles off to another room with who appears to be one of the psychic’s sex slaves. This never makes a lick of sense.)
And also, as I touched on in my pre-review, our main character is inconsistently characterized and completely intolerable. Half of her internal monologue is made up of Taylor Swift-related thoughts, which only gets more insane when you remember that she refuses to call herself a fan at the very beginning. (Her argument is that she wouldn’t wear a Swift T-shirt, even though she adores her music and listens to it constantly and becomes fixated with the idea of meeting her at a pool party and goes on pages-long tangents analyzing her lyrics and persona and public perception and spends an unforgivable four pages relating her feud with Kanye West.)
It’s rare that I’ll definitively NOT recommend something, but I just don’t see anyone liking this book.
Unless you’re into non-endings and semi-hateful Taylor Swift tangents.
Bottom line: This makes me very mad.
-------------
pre-review
this book spends more time talking about the feud between Taylor Swift and Kanye West (4 pages) than the murder I thought I was reading about (approx. 2 pages).
review to come, but honestly what more do you need to know? / 1 star
-------------
yes, i will read a murder-mystery-of-a-teenage-former-child-star book
(thanks to the publisher for the arc, which i am characteristically reading four months post-pub date)
March 21, 2019
Fake Plastic Girl is a quick, fun, twisted ya about Justine, a sixteen year old spending a month of summer vacation on her own and what happens when former child star turned party girl Eva Kate Kelly suddenly moves in next door.
Sounds like the setup for a sweet story about friendship?
Wrong.
When Fake Plastic Girl opens, Eva Kate Kelly is dead and what follows is a free for all embrace/smackdown of the instafamous, the young and bored and desperate for more, more, more.
I freely acknowledge that Fake Plastic Girl may not be for everyone. The reverence for the 1990s (oh, millennials!), the constant Taylor Swift references (with some awesome pointed asides--why is Taylor never driving in any of the songs she writes that feature vehicles?), and the fact that the book ends on a gleeful cliffhanger--seem to have put some readers off.
I say, Bring It!
In a world where we want 800 page ya fantasy novels to end with us writhing for the next book, I have no problem with Fake Plastic Girl winding me up and then saying "See you next year!"
It's a date, and I'll be there.
I lived through the 1990s so I find the worship of landlines and Juicy and that Sex and Candy song odd but hey, it is old now so it's new again to someone. And as for Taylor Swift, well, let's face it-- she knows how to be a celebrity and in a book about what fame is, the wanting, the having, the losing, the clinging, the hollowness, it makes sense to have her there. She's the unattainable for Justine, and really, for Eva Kate Kelly too.
But what really hooked me was the writing. It's gorgeous and visceral and completely nails the way only a teenage girl can worship someone. And it's not afraid to show what can happen when that worship gets twisted.
Everyone is unstable, a liar, and capable of anything in Fake Plastic Girl and I loved that. Absolutely recommended.
Sounds like the setup for a sweet story about friendship?
Wrong.
When Fake Plastic Girl opens, Eva Kate Kelly is dead and what follows is a free for all embrace/smackdown of the instafamous, the young and bored and desperate for more, more, more.
I freely acknowledge that Fake Plastic Girl may not be for everyone. The reverence for the 1990s (oh, millennials!), the constant Taylor Swift references (with some awesome pointed asides--why is Taylor never driving in any of the songs she writes that feature vehicles?), and the fact that the book ends on a gleeful cliffhanger--seem to have put some readers off.
I say, Bring It!
In a world where we want 800 page ya fantasy novels to end with us writhing for the next book, I have no problem with Fake Plastic Girl winding me up and then saying "See you next year!"
It's a date, and I'll be there.
I lived through the 1990s so I find the worship of landlines and Juicy and that Sex and Candy song odd but hey, it is old now so it's new again to someone. And as for Taylor Swift, well, let's face it-- she knows how to be a celebrity and in a book about what fame is, the wanting, the having, the losing, the clinging, the hollowness, it makes sense to have her there. She's the unattainable for Justine, and really, for Eva Kate Kelly too.
But what really hooked me was the writing. It's gorgeous and visceral and completely nails the way only a teenage girl can worship someone. And it's not afraid to show what can happen when that worship gets twisted.
Everyone is unstable, a liar, and capable of anything in Fake Plastic Girl and I loved that. Absolutely recommended.
March 12, 2019
It is absolutely unacceptable to end a book without giving the reader some kind of payoff. I actually really enjoyed this book until I got to the ending, which gave me absolutely no answers whatsoever. There wasn't even an ending. The book just stopped, and that is my least favorite kind of ending. I would honestly rather have a cliffhanger, and I ABHOR cliffhangers.
Until then, what I got was a shallow, Hollywood thriller about a toxic female friendship with secrets. The writing was decent, and I loved the voice. The protagonist, Justine, is a teenage girl dealing with mental illness. Her mom is a therapist for the stars, and basically ignores her daughter while treating Hollywood royalty. Justine's mental illness possibly makes her an unreliable narrator, but it's a bit unclear based on the way the book ended as I am unsure if she is trustworthy or not.
It seems like there will be a sequel, but I'm still really irritated by the way the book ended, so I'm not sure if I will be reading it at this point. I have to be honest, I'm glad I got this as an ARC, and I would not recommend buying this book as it is. I would be so pissed with the complete lack of any answers. I know this doesn't help the author any, but my reviews are for readers, not authors. Wait until the sequel comes out. You will not want to be left hanging like this.
FTR the end of the book says Spring 2020 on when the sequel is supposedly coming, but we all know release dates can change.
Until then, what I got was a shallow, Hollywood thriller about a toxic female friendship with secrets. The writing was decent, and I loved the voice. The protagonist, Justine, is a teenage girl dealing with mental illness. Her mom is a therapist for the stars, and basically ignores her daughter while treating Hollywood royalty. Justine's mental illness possibly makes her an unreliable narrator, but it's a bit unclear based on the way the book ended as I am unsure if she is trustworthy or not.
It seems like there will be a sequel, but I'm still really irritated by the way the book ended, so I'm not sure if I will be reading it at this point. I have to be honest, I'm glad I got this as an ARC, and I would not recommend buying this book as it is. I would be so pissed with the complete lack of any answers. I know this doesn't help the author any, but my reviews are for readers, not authors. Wait until the sequel comes out. You will not want to be left hanging like this.
FTR the end of the book says Spring 2020 on when the sequel is supposedly coming, but we all know release dates can change.
Want to read
March 11, 2019Take care, don't read this book if you dislike Taylor Swift. Fake Plastic Girl seemed really interesting based on the synopsis, but it wasn't what I expected. There's a good story buried under Taylor Swift references, cliches and unnecessary jumble. It lost me in all of this, and I just couldn't make myself like it. I disliked the references so much it just became white noise. I didn't enjoy this book, unfortunately. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
March 21, 2019
A former child star was dead, and Justine Childs was here to tell you she didn't do it.
There's something about getting to peek into the lives of the young, rich, and reckless. Though I disapproved of their lifestyle and life choices, I found myself unable to look away. That was pretty much kept me flipping the pages during the first part of the book, while the mystery became more compelling in the second half of the book and drove my interest.
Justine was the child of a celebrity therapists, who always seemed to be on the fringes of celebrity. Then, as luck would have it, former child star, Eva-Kate Kelly, moved in next-door, and took Justine under her wing. The whole time, I thought this was an open and shut case, but then Lisbon threw a little twist in, which had me reevaluating previous information, and she revealed some more information, and then there was another twist. Let me tell you, by the end of the book, I had totally changed my tune. I still wasn't sure what happened, but I knew it wasn't what I originally believed. Good job, Zara Lisbon!
I know there are going to be a bunch of people, who will be frustrated with the ending. It's a cliffhanger ending, BUT I am ok with where Lisbon left me, because it was a logical break point. That said, I am more than looking forward to the sequel and finding out what really happened to Eva-Kate Kelly.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
There's something about getting to peek into the lives of the young, rich, and reckless. Though I disapproved of their lifestyle and life choices, I found myself unable to look away. That was pretty much kept me flipping the pages during the first part of the book, while the mystery became more compelling in the second half of the book and drove my interest.
Justine was the child of a celebrity therapists, who always seemed to be on the fringes of celebrity. Then, as luck would have it, former child star, Eva-Kate Kelly, moved in next-door, and took Justine under her wing. The whole time, I thought this was an open and shut case, but then Lisbon threw a little twist in, which had me reevaluating previous information, and she revealed some more information, and then there was another twist. Let me tell you, by the end of the book, I had totally changed my tune. I still wasn't sure what happened, but I knew it wasn't what I originally believed. Good job, Zara Lisbon!
I know there are going to be a bunch of people, who will be frustrated with the ending. It's a cliffhanger ending, BUT I am ok with where Lisbon left me, because it was a logical break point. That said, I am more than looking forward to the sequel and finding out what really happened to Eva-Kate Kelly.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
July 1, 2023
Justine Childs is about to tell you a story, a story she swears is the very truth, a story about her whirlwind friendship with former child star Eva-Kate. Yes, *that* Eva-Kate. Don’t believe everything you see on Instagram. Plucked from middle class obscurity, Justine *really* knows her new BFF. Justine has NOTHING to do with Eva-Kate’s death. She swears.
I loved much of FAKE PLASTIC GIRL. The beginning really grabbed me with Justine’s vulnerable, insecure voice. Neglected by her psychologist-to-the-stars mom, Justine is home alone for a month while her mom travels away her impending divorce when Eva-Kate moves across the street. We know Justine has been hospitalized for unnamed psychiatric reasons and that she has an on again off again relationship with her meds. Does this make her an unreliable narrator? Is she psychotic? Homicidal? Does Eva-Kate only exist in her mind? Or maybe Justine was just depressed and she’s perfectly fine now. Or not.
For all the parts I loved about FAKE PLASTIC GIRL, other parts annoyed me. The book is filled with Taylor Swift references and I mean Filled with a capital F. At times the book goes off on Taylor Swift tangents. In many other instances, the young women take about real and fake celebrities who intermingle with Eva-Kate and the story ventures into mundane chit-chat they doesn’t advance the plot and characters.
I would have criticized the non-ending of FAKE PLASTIC GIRL until I saw a second book is being released next year, where we’ll hopefully find out more about Eva-Kate’s death and how reliable Justine tells the story.
I loved much of FAKE PLASTIC GIRL. The beginning really grabbed me with Justine’s vulnerable, insecure voice. Neglected by her psychologist-to-the-stars mom, Justine is home alone for a month while her mom travels away her impending divorce when Eva-Kate moves across the street. We know Justine has been hospitalized for unnamed psychiatric reasons and that she has an on again off again relationship with her meds. Does this make her an unreliable narrator? Is she psychotic? Homicidal? Does Eva-Kate only exist in her mind? Or maybe Justine was just depressed and she’s perfectly fine now. Or not.
For all the parts I loved about FAKE PLASTIC GIRL, other parts annoyed me. The book is filled with Taylor Swift references and I mean Filled with a capital F. At times the book goes off on Taylor Swift tangents. In many other instances, the young women take about real and fake celebrities who intermingle with Eva-Kate and the story ventures into mundane chit-chat they doesn’t advance the plot and characters.
I would have criticized the non-ending of FAKE PLASTIC GIRL until I saw a second book is being released next year, where we’ll hopefully find out more about Eva-Kate’s death and how reliable Justine tells the story.
August 12, 2019
Perhaps I would have enjoyed this more if there was more mystery and less Taylor Swift references that aren’t really references more like fan rambles.
July 13, 2020
I did not enjoy this book as much as a hoped to. First of all, the characters are not like able by any means. Because of this I was already not very invested from the beginning. Second of all, way too many feminism inserts. I already hear enough politics in my everyday life surrounding me all of the time, if I wanted to get more from my pleasure reading it wouldn’t be from the mystery novel that I picked up in the bookstore. The author completely breaks from the characters to go off on Taylor Swift/Kanye/Toxic Patriarchy rants and I was already getting pretty tired of it by page 50. It is obviously the author inserting her own opinions because in no way has it ever had to do with the storyline. Now, all of this is not to say that the writing is bad or anything, just unexpected and quite frankly unenjoyable.
July 15, 2019
I enjoyed this book quite a bit, but it was by no means the best or most well-written book I've ever read. This struck me as being one of those "guilty pleasure" reads, one I know is probably not thought-provoking or deep in any way, but is immensely entertaining and fun to read. It's a murder mystery that focuses very little on the actual murder, choosing instead to take a peek at the dark underbelly of Hollywood and the "fake" stars that inhabit it. It was an extremely quick and fast-paced read, but it's not one of my favorites.
Fake Plastic Girl opens with a bit of dramatic news. Eva-Kate Kelly, a former child star with a penchant for trouble, shows up dead in the river one day, and her recently acquired best friend Justine Childs finds herself under heavy suspicion. Wanting to clear her name, Justine begins writing the account of how the two met, hoping to prove her innocence in the star's death. Justine, who has lived a completely mundane life up until now, meets Eva-Kate by chance one day when the starlet moves in next door to her. The two form a nearly instant friendship, and Eva-Kate introduces the world of parties, drugs, and under-age drinking to her new companion. Caught up in the whirlwind that is Eva-Kate Kelly, Justine begins to leave her old life behind, falling headfirst into a life that seems glamorous on the surface, but hides dark secrets underneath. At the end of it all, Eva-Kate winds up dead, and it's up to Justine to tell the other side of the story.
After reading the first chapter, I was honestly expecting this to be a murder mystery like Jennifer Brown's Shade Me, a book I absolutely adored. I was expecting to delve headfirst into a murder mystery where the main character was desperately trying to find the real killer to clear her name. As a fan of true crime, I would've loved a mystery, but what I got instead was still very enjoyable and made for a quick read. While there is an element of mystery to the character of Eva-Kate (we never really know her motivations or reasoning for anything she does), the story focuses more on the friendship (and later romance) between Eva-Kate and Justine. In their own ways, Justine and Eva-Kate are both lost souls trying to find their place in the world, and they have an instant connection and chemistry because of it. Eva-Kate's ex accuses her of being fake and replacing her friends with whatever new, shiny toy that comes along, but Justine sees through this to a vulnerable girl who lacks confidence and can't see her own value. Justine, on the other hand, isn't quite sure what she wants, but longs to be seen, feeling invisible in her small and lackluster world.
One of the things I enjoyed about this book was the friendship between the two girls. I enjoyed their romance as well, though it sometimes felt a little forced and un-earned. I'm certainly no expert on the subject, but it sometimes felt as if Eva-Kate and Justine were given a romantic plot to be edgy and relevant in 2019, not because they had genuine romantic feelings for one another. While their friendship felt strong and natural, the sex and romance felt like something they were doing for shock value, or simply to just be trendy and controversial. Again, I'm no expert on the subject of LGBT representation, but I sometimes got the vibe that this representation wasn't very genuine or healthy.
Despite this complaint, I really enjoyed the fast-paced, suspenseful nature of this book. The opening chapter was able to really hook me, leaving me wanting to hear Justine's story to know what happened. How did Eva-Kate end up dead, and what was her involvement? I loved the idea that, though Justine seems trustworthy, she has the potential to be an unreliable narrator because she's trying to clear her name and tell "her side." In reality, her story could be entirely made up, giving the whole book a Great Gatsby feel. Another thing that makes it feel like Gatsby is the almost instant obsession Justine feels for Eva-Kate, wanting desperately to be in her good graces and seeing the good in her even when those around her do not. This book felt very much like a teen version of the classic American novel, with all of the shadiness of Hollywood included.
While I really wanted more of the murder mystery, I understand that this is only the first book in the series, with a sequel coming out next year. This laid what I felt was a very nice foundation for the second book, leaving the reader with a cliffhanger as he or she wonders what actually happened to Eva-Kate. Though the novel hints at a few enemies she might've had (Josie, Rob, and her sister in particular), we never get the sense that there's an obvious culprit for her murder. In fact, I almost forgot that this was a murder mystery halfway through, as the novel focuses much more on what happened before the murder than it does the aftermath. Much like the movie Moulin Rouge, I almost forgot what terrible thing was going to happen at the end because I was so absorbed in the story. Many minor characters are introduced who might have something to do with the murder, and I get the sense that I might not have been paying enough attention to potential clues during those scenes because I was so absorbed.
Again, though I would've liked for the plot to focus more on the murder itself, I'm intrigued enough by what could be added in book two to give it a shot when it comes out next year. The whole story gave me a serious film noir vibe, revealing the seedy underbelly of fame and peeling back the curtain on Hollywood drama and dark, dirty secrets. Justine as a character shows what happens when someone who is thirsty for fame gets a sudden taste for it, while Eva-Kate shows the consequences of finding fame and fortune at a young age, before you're able to handle or process it. The book tackles quite a few issues (drug use, under-age drinking, mental illness, etc.) that are prevalent among teens, both famous and otherwise, and while it's not necessarily the most responsible of portrayals (nobody faces any serious consequences for drinking under-age or doing drugs), it is a large dose of reality.
I loved that it mixed real world celebrities with fake ones, and took shots at tabloids like TMZ and Perez Hilton, almost making fun of the slimy way in which they obtain their news. There's something really clever hiding underneath this seemingly superficial book, and while it wasn't my favorite, I still enjoyed it enough to want to keep reading more. I look forward to seeing what Lisbon does with the murder mystery, and I almost hope that we get a different perspective in book two, as I'd like to see how much of an unreliable narrator Justine actually is. I would recommend this book to reluctant readers and fans of realistic fiction, as it's fast-paced and fairly easy to get into and follow. Fans of mystery might be a bit disappointed, as it really doesn't focus on the mystery, but I have a feeling this book is a slow build leading to a pretty satisfying "whodunnit" story. I look forward to seeing what Zara Lisbon writes in the future, and I hope to see her style evolve with future books.
Fake Plastic Girl opens with a bit of dramatic news. Eva-Kate Kelly, a former child star with a penchant for trouble, shows up dead in the river one day, and her recently acquired best friend Justine Childs finds herself under heavy suspicion. Wanting to clear her name, Justine begins writing the account of how the two met, hoping to prove her innocence in the star's death. Justine, who has lived a completely mundane life up until now, meets Eva-Kate by chance one day when the starlet moves in next door to her. The two form a nearly instant friendship, and Eva-Kate introduces the world of parties, drugs, and under-age drinking to her new companion. Caught up in the whirlwind that is Eva-Kate Kelly, Justine begins to leave her old life behind, falling headfirst into a life that seems glamorous on the surface, but hides dark secrets underneath. At the end of it all, Eva-Kate winds up dead, and it's up to Justine to tell the other side of the story.
After reading the first chapter, I was honestly expecting this to be a murder mystery like Jennifer Brown's Shade Me, a book I absolutely adored. I was expecting to delve headfirst into a murder mystery where the main character was desperately trying to find the real killer to clear her name. As a fan of true crime, I would've loved a mystery, but what I got instead was still very enjoyable and made for a quick read. While there is an element of mystery to the character of Eva-Kate (we never really know her motivations or reasoning for anything she does), the story focuses more on the friendship (and later romance) between Eva-Kate and Justine. In their own ways, Justine and Eva-Kate are both lost souls trying to find their place in the world, and they have an instant connection and chemistry because of it. Eva-Kate's ex accuses her of being fake and replacing her friends with whatever new, shiny toy that comes along, but Justine sees through this to a vulnerable girl who lacks confidence and can't see her own value. Justine, on the other hand, isn't quite sure what she wants, but longs to be seen, feeling invisible in her small and lackluster world.
One of the things I enjoyed about this book was the friendship between the two girls. I enjoyed their romance as well, though it sometimes felt a little forced and un-earned. I'm certainly no expert on the subject, but it sometimes felt as if Eva-Kate and Justine were given a romantic plot to be edgy and relevant in 2019, not because they had genuine romantic feelings for one another. While their friendship felt strong and natural, the sex and romance felt like something they were doing for shock value, or simply to just be trendy and controversial. Again, I'm no expert on the subject of LGBT representation, but I sometimes got the vibe that this representation wasn't very genuine or healthy.
Despite this complaint, I really enjoyed the fast-paced, suspenseful nature of this book. The opening chapter was able to really hook me, leaving me wanting to hear Justine's story to know what happened. How did Eva-Kate end up dead, and what was her involvement? I loved the idea that, though Justine seems trustworthy, she has the potential to be an unreliable narrator because she's trying to clear her name and tell "her side." In reality, her story could be entirely made up, giving the whole book a Great Gatsby feel. Another thing that makes it feel like Gatsby is the almost instant obsession Justine feels for Eva-Kate, wanting desperately to be in her good graces and seeing the good in her even when those around her do not. This book felt very much like a teen version of the classic American novel, with all of the shadiness of Hollywood included.
While I really wanted more of the murder mystery, I understand that this is only the first book in the series, with a sequel coming out next year. This laid what I felt was a very nice foundation for the second book, leaving the reader with a cliffhanger as he or she wonders what actually happened to Eva-Kate. Though the novel hints at a few enemies she might've had (Josie, Rob, and her sister in particular), we never get the sense that there's an obvious culprit for her murder. In fact, I almost forgot that this was a murder mystery halfway through, as the novel focuses much more on what happened before the murder than it does the aftermath. Much like the movie Moulin Rouge, I almost forgot what terrible thing was going to happen at the end because I was so absorbed in the story. Many minor characters are introduced who might have something to do with the murder, and I get the sense that I might not have been paying enough attention to potential clues during those scenes because I was so absorbed.
Again, though I would've liked for the plot to focus more on the murder itself, I'm intrigued enough by what could be added in book two to give it a shot when it comes out next year. The whole story gave me a serious film noir vibe, revealing the seedy underbelly of fame and peeling back the curtain on Hollywood drama and dark, dirty secrets. Justine as a character shows what happens when someone who is thirsty for fame gets a sudden taste for it, while Eva-Kate shows the consequences of finding fame and fortune at a young age, before you're able to handle or process it. The book tackles quite a few issues (drug use, under-age drinking, mental illness, etc.) that are prevalent among teens, both famous and otherwise, and while it's not necessarily the most responsible of portrayals (nobody faces any serious consequences for drinking under-age or doing drugs), it is a large dose of reality.
I loved that it mixed real world celebrities with fake ones, and took shots at tabloids like TMZ and Perez Hilton, almost making fun of the slimy way in which they obtain their news. There's something really clever hiding underneath this seemingly superficial book, and while it wasn't my favorite, I still enjoyed it enough to want to keep reading more. I look forward to seeing what Lisbon does with the murder mystery, and I almost hope that we get a different perspective in book two, as I'd like to see how much of an unreliable narrator Justine actually is. I would recommend this book to reluctant readers and fans of realistic fiction, as it's fast-paced and fairly easy to get into and follow. Fans of mystery might be a bit disappointed, as it really doesn't focus on the mystery, but I have a feeling this book is a slow build leading to a pretty satisfying "whodunnit" story. I look forward to seeing what Zara Lisbon writes in the future, and I hope to see her style evolve with future books.
January 29, 2024
I am so confused
July 4, 2019
DNF at 20% the first 1/5th of the book and all I know is the authors personal opinions on Taylor swift vs Kanye and no actual plot movement who has this kind of time
February 28, 2019
Wow, I need the sequel! And to listen to more Taylor Swift.
July 7, 2019
I got this as an ARC at the bookshop I work for and read it in September of 2018. Full disclosure: I kept skipping over this title on the shelf but eventually picked it up because it directly referenced Radiohead in the title. I am very glad I took it home with me.
I really enjoyed this; I thought it was accessibly written, well-paced (quick without being a whirlwind), and thoughtful in its reinterpretation of a well-loved and oft-referenced American classic. I don't think it's entirely a fair statement to call it a reimagining of the Great Gatsby, because it doesn't follow the plot, and Jay Gatsby and Eva-Kate do not have similar motivations. But this book is certainly a revisit of Fitzgerald's disillusionment with the American dream, made real for the 21st century teenager in a way they would understand. In the same way, though, it's more a beautiful homage to "Fake Plastic Trees" by Radiohead, arguably one of the best songs to come out of Radiohead's discography. "But I can't help the feeling/I could blow through the ceiling/If I just turn and run" resonates with the content of this book for me.
I'm glad that this book is told from a first-person perspective because you really do get to see all of Justine's inner monologue, her quirks, the things she finds important. It fleshes her out as a character and makes her a real person, an ideal foil to Eva-Kate's "Fake Plastic Girl" (ha).
Overall, the way it feels to read this book was, for me, a lot like the way Fake Plastic Trees by Radiohead feels to listen to. Justine yearns for a lot throughout the book--for independence, for connection, for companionship, for understanding--and she doesn't necessarily get what she's looking for. Thom Yorke doesn't really get what he's yearning for either. There's that feeling of hollowness when Justine is left alone at the very end of the book, when the person who has become a fixture in her life is suddenly gone, the same hollowness you hear during the last "If I could be who you wanted all the time".
It would be a great companion read to the Great Gatsby, especially for teenage readers who don't feel as connected to the message of the futility of Fitzgerald's 1920's American Dream, because it's an ideal that's been long dead for young readers. It's a really lovely reimagining and I would certainly recommend this to librarians, booksellers, and teenage readers.
I really enjoyed this; I thought it was accessibly written, well-paced (quick without being a whirlwind), and thoughtful in its reinterpretation of a well-loved and oft-referenced American classic. I don't think it's entirely a fair statement to call it a reimagining of the Great Gatsby, because it doesn't follow the plot, and Jay Gatsby and Eva-Kate do not have similar motivations. But this book is certainly a revisit of Fitzgerald's disillusionment with the American dream, made real for the 21st century teenager in a way they would understand. In the same way, though, it's more a beautiful homage to "Fake Plastic Trees" by Radiohead, arguably one of the best songs to come out of Radiohead's discography. "But I can't help the feeling/I could blow through the ceiling/If I just turn and run" resonates with the content of this book for me.
I'm glad that this book is told from a first-person perspective because you really do get to see all of Justine's inner monologue, her quirks, the things she finds important. It fleshes her out as a character and makes her a real person, an ideal foil to Eva-Kate's "Fake Plastic Girl" (ha).
Overall, the way it feels to read this book was, for me, a lot like the way Fake Plastic Trees by Radiohead feels to listen to. Justine yearns for a lot throughout the book--for independence, for connection, for companionship, for understanding--and she doesn't necessarily get what she's looking for. Thom Yorke doesn't really get what he's yearning for either. There's that feeling of hollowness when Justine is left alone at the very end of the book, when the person who has become a fixture in her life is suddenly gone, the same hollowness you hear during the last "If I could be who you wanted all the time".
It would be a great companion read to the Great Gatsby, especially for teenage readers who don't feel as connected to the message of the futility of Fitzgerald's 1920's American Dream, because it's an ideal that's been long dead for young readers. It's a really lovely reimagining and I would certainly recommend this to librarians, booksellers, and teenage readers.
October 13, 2020
This book, let me tell you, is not a complete novel. Yes, it has a front & back cover, but the story is not finished. It only just started. The entire book is like a prequel of some sort, an explanation to the story. It’s pretty much the story leading up to the actual story. There almost is no story here. You end the book where you started it.
It’s not like this books is overly long so I do not know why it’s not combined into one long story. The story wasn’t awful, it kept my interest but why is the ending the beginning? I read an entire book, yet I got nowhere in the story?
Let me explain better, so this book is marketed as a suspense murder mystery. In fact it opens up with a dead famous girl & a normal neighborhood girl who becomes her best friend. So celebrity/normal person best friend deal, sure okay. That’s the mystery we’re waiting to be revealed. How did this celebrity die? Did she get murdered? Was it a suicide? Was it something else? That’s where you’ll think you’re headed going into this book, right?
A big fat no! Instead we are tossed into fame & rich hangouts. A normal girl just trying to act cool/herself, trying to fit in & impress one of her favorite childhood stars. We also get into some or a lot of Taylor Swift politics throne in. The author is a huge T Swift fan & has all the gossip. That being said even those comments are dreadfully awful, I didn’t die hard live them, but they were tolerable. What I don’t understand is why does this book not give me any suspense or mystery? Instead it gives me privileged rich girl fun & pop culture Taylor Swift drama debates. Then at the end, the very end, we are quickly summed up about a mystery of a hidden diabolical plan by E-K of getting to know the main character nobody.
TO SUM IT UP, all we got is back story with no actual story.
THE GOOD
That being said, the audiobook to this is actually really good. I also loved how the main character would talk back to the boys in here & make some points about women living & the comments they receive.
THE BAD
That’s about it though. Everything else, with the fame, & the celebrities, especially with all the Taylor Swift comments I was eh about. It just seems too obsessed with certain pop culture in which I don’t think this story will hold up to in the long run.
It’s not like this books is overly long so I do not know why it’s not combined into one long story. The story wasn’t awful, it kept my interest but why is the ending the beginning? I read an entire book, yet I got nowhere in the story?
Let me explain better, so this book is marketed as a suspense murder mystery. In fact it opens up with a dead famous girl & a normal neighborhood girl who becomes her best friend. So celebrity/normal person best friend deal, sure okay. That’s the mystery we’re waiting to be revealed. How did this celebrity die? Did she get murdered? Was it a suicide? Was it something else? That’s where you’ll think you’re headed going into this book, right?
A big fat no! Instead we are tossed into fame & rich hangouts. A normal girl just trying to act cool/herself, trying to fit in & impress one of her favorite childhood stars. We also get into some or a lot of Taylor Swift politics throne in. The author is a huge T Swift fan & has all the gossip. That being said even those comments are dreadfully awful, I didn’t die hard live them, but they were tolerable. What I don’t understand is why does this book not give me any suspense or mystery? Instead it gives me privileged rich girl fun & pop culture Taylor Swift drama debates. Then at the end, the very end, we are quickly summed up about a mystery of a hidden diabolical plan by E-K of getting to know the main character nobody.
TO SUM IT UP, all we got is back story with no actual story.
THE GOOD
That being said, the audiobook to this is actually really good. I also loved how the main character would talk back to the boys in here & make some points about women living & the comments they receive.
THE BAD
That’s about it though. Everything else, with the fame, & the celebrities, especially with all the Taylor Swift comments I was eh about. It just seems too obsessed with certain pop culture in which I don’t think this story will hold up to in the long run.
December 25, 2024
This book is so corny that it is borderline offensive but I saw the vision. There’s drugs, a bit of queer sexual tension, and a hell of a lot of Taylor Swift. It’s not well-paced or structured at all BUT I had fun, enjoyed the premise and found the narrative voice amusing — although I 100% understand any and all 1-star reviews, especially concerning the ending. It was giving so bad it’s good. Low key wish it was longer. Strongly disliked how many times the dog got left in the hot car, like wtf.
April 23, 2019
This one is a 3.5 for me. I enjoyed all the twists and turns and the fact that the narrator, sixteen-year-old Justine Childs is hard to like and difficult to trust. When the story begins, former child actress Eva-Kate Kelly has been found dead, drowned and stabbed and left in a canal, and Justine stands accused of her murder. As Justine reveals how her life crossed with this teenage celebrity, it becomes increasingly hard to drum up much sympathy for the young girl. Caught up in the heady spotlight of fame and access to all the beautiful people once Eva-Kate befriends her, Justine can't believe her great good fortune. After all, for much of her life, this is what she's longed for, but she's only been on the fringes of fame as her mother, a therapist, works with some of the famous figures in Hollywood, and Justine has always felt left out, mesmerized by the glitter that seems so unattainable. There are times when Eva-Kate seems easier to sympathize that Justine since she has all that fame and wealth and yet is completely miserable, jealous of others and confused by the split with her ex. Hers is a fast-paced life, filled with drugs, alcohol and rule-breaking, and Justine is quickly immersed in it. But as the book heads to its conclusion, leaving readers hanging as they wait for the follow-up title, it becomes increasingly clear that there are many games being played here and that perhaps no one can be trusted to tell the truth, perhaps not even Justine. I loved the hints about Justine's own mental health and meds and events from the past as well as Justine's surprisingly deep and philosophical musings about the songs and career of Taylor Swift. By the time the book concluded, I was desperate to know more about all of these characters and to sort out the mystery behind Eva-Kate's death. In many ways, reading this book was like watching a train wreck. I was horrified by some of what I saw and yet, somehow, intrigued, and unable to stop reading. This one will surely be a hit with many teens who are themselves fascinated by fame and the famous.
June 24, 2019
Vapid, glamorous, wealthy, manic pixie dream girl books are absolutely my guilty pleasure. Fake Plastic Girl by Zara Lisbon delivered. The book opens with the death of Eva-Kate Kelly, a former child star turned party girl and socialite then flashes back to the events leading up to her death.
This story is told through the point of view of Justine, an average girl who has regular brushes with celebrities but could never call herself one. When Eva-Kate Kelly moves in across the street, Justine is swept into her circle, and all the spontaneity and WORD that comes with it. But what does Justine really know about Eva-Kate? And what does Eva-Kate know about Justine?
This book was delicious and I devoured it. I love imagining starlets driving around with the windows down wearing big sunglasses, doing whatever they want because they can. I love that there was a dog in the story named Princess Leia and Justine took her wherever she went. I loved Eva-Kate's personality and purple car. The ending really threw me for a loop and brought up so many more questions than it answered! Luckily, it appears there is a sequel already in the works!
My only real complaint with this book was the gargantuan amount of Taylor Swift references. It could have gotten the point across with about half of these...the way it stands this many were just overkill.
Was this book full of substance and intelligent thought? Absolutely not. Was it an amazing guilty pleasure read that delivered exactly what I was hoping for? Of course it did. I loved this book, not because it was particularly profound or well written, but because the plot was engaging, the characters were realistic, and the subject matter was right up my alley. If you are looking for an easy, light read with a little bit of intrigue, this book is for you.
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Thanks so much to Henry Holt for an ARC of this read! Fake Plastic Girl by Zara Lisbon is out now!
This story is told through the point of view of Justine, an average girl who has regular brushes with celebrities but could never call herself one. When Eva-Kate Kelly moves in across the street, Justine is swept into her circle, and all the spontaneity and WORD that comes with it. But what does Justine really know about Eva-Kate? And what does Eva-Kate know about Justine?
This book was delicious and I devoured it. I love imagining starlets driving around with the windows down wearing big sunglasses, doing whatever they want because they can. I love that there was a dog in the story named Princess Leia and Justine took her wherever she went. I loved Eva-Kate's personality and purple car. The ending really threw me for a loop and brought up so many more questions than it answered! Luckily, it appears there is a sequel already in the works!
My only real complaint with this book was the gargantuan amount of Taylor Swift references. It could have gotten the point across with about half of these...the way it stands this many were just overkill.
Was this book full of substance and intelligent thought? Absolutely not. Was it an amazing guilty pleasure read that delivered exactly what I was hoping for? Of course it did. I loved this book, not because it was particularly profound or well written, but because the plot was engaging, the characters were realistic, and the subject matter was right up my alley. If you are looking for an easy, light read with a little bit of intrigue, this book is for you.
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Thanks so much to Henry Holt for an ARC of this read! Fake Plastic Girl by Zara Lisbon is out now!
October 14, 2021
No. Just…no. No real action. No substance. No ENDING, for crying out loud. You don’t get to end a book with a death and arrest, but force the reader to book two in the series. This sucked. Not giving it a one star because the premise has potential, but … I can’t even with this review. And like the book, I’ll leave you hang…
And then I’ll start at the beginning. No.
And then I’ll start at the beginning. No.
April 21, 2023
Was not expecting the twist at the end, would totally recommend this book!
March 3, 2019
I received a copy of Fake Plastic Girl from Netgalley/Henry and Holt in exchange for an honest review. These thoughts are my own.
Fake Plastic Girl was quite an interesting read. It's not like anything I have read. I read a lot of YA Contemporary, so it was nice to have something fresh in the genre.
This book is about a girl, Justine, who happens to become friends with mega pop star, Eva Kate Kelly. This book is largely about the growth of their friendship over about a month. It was interesting to see how Justine changed and evolved when she entered the world of the famous - which was a place she always wanted to be. Eva-Kate created this persona of her, which she ultimately took on and became.
So this is both what I loved and hated most about this book. A large part of the book focused on Taylor Swift. Like whole chapters. I'm still confused by that. I think the MC measured life/memories with Taylor Swift albums, but it was so much more in depth than that. At times I wasn't sure if I was reading the MC's thoughts on Taylor or the author's. That took me out of the story a bit. I am a HUGE Taylor fan, so at first with all the references, I was super excited. Then, there was this quote,
I mean, COME ON. That's a great line. I have to give it to Zara Lisbon. But after a while, all the references got to be too much, and I feel like the story was muddled. It almost turned into a book more about what she thought about Taylor, than what was happening with Justine and Eva-Kate.
The book had a very abrupt end. When I started the book, I didn't know it would be part of a series. I felt this novel was mostly just a really long setup for the true story, which will happen in book two. There will be a sequel in 2020, but I still wanted more. I gave three stars because, honestly, I will read the sequel. I want to know what happens. But the story didn't just wow me.
Fake Plastic Girl was quite an interesting read. It's not like anything I have read. I read a lot of YA Contemporary, so it was nice to have something fresh in the genre.
This book is about a girl, Justine, who happens to become friends with mega pop star, Eva Kate Kelly. This book is largely about the growth of their friendship over about a month. It was interesting to see how Justine changed and evolved when she entered the world of the famous - which was a place she always wanted to be. Eva-Kate created this persona of her, which she ultimately took on and became.
So this is both what I loved and hated most about this book. A large part of the book focused on Taylor Swift. Like whole chapters. I'm still confused by that. I think the MC measured life/memories with Taylor Swift albums, but it was so much more in depth than that. At times I wasn't sure if I was reading the MC's thoughts on Taylor or the author's. That took me out of the story a bit. I am a HUGE Taylor fan, so at first with all the references, I was super excited. Then, there was this quote,
"No, no. Make no mistake, true snakes in this story wear Yeezys."
I mean, COME ON. That's a great line. I have to give it to Zara Lisbon. But after a while, all the references got to be too much, and I feel like the story was muddled. It almost turned into a book more about what she thought about Taylor, than what was happening with Justine and Eva-Kate.
The book had a very abrupt end. When I started the book, I didn't know it would be part of a series. I felt this novel was mostly just a really long setup for the true story, which will happen in book two. There will be a sequel in 2020, but I still wanted more. I gave three stars because, honestly, I will read the sequel. I want to know what happens. But the story didn't just wow me.
February 4, 2024
4.25⭐
Eva-Kate Kelly. Ez az értékelés tényleg egy olyan könyvről fog szólni aminek az egyik főszereplőjének három keresztnévből áll a neve.
Legelőszöris szeretném a címmel kezdeni és hogy mennyire nem vagyok megelégedve a fordítással. Az eredeti cím ugyanis "Fake Plastic Girl" a magyar fordításé pedig Plasztikcsaj. Ez két okból is vérzik. Először is kihagyták a fake vagyis kamu szócskát a címből ami a könyv üzenetének szempontjából igenis fontos. Másodszor pedig egyetlen alkalommal sem fordították a regényben a Plastic girl kifejezést plasztikcsaj-ként. Mindig plasztiklány-t használtak.
Ez nem a könyv kritika tartalmi része, csak valami ami idegesített.
Úgy nagyjából 80-85% ig ez a könyv volt az amit két éve akartam hogy a Malibu Rising legyen. Hát nem lett az, de minden ami nekem abban tetszett megvolt ebben.
Az utolsó 15-20% pedig fhuuu. Az volt aztán a lezárás de előtte a karakterekről.
Justine nagyon üdítő narrátor volt. Szinte minden kritikájával egyet tudtam érteni és teljesen úgy éreztem hogy egy hihető 16 éves főszereplő volt aki a semmiből került a hírnévbe.
Eva-Kate Kelly pedig imádnivaló volt szerintem. Talán azért mert megláttam benne magamat vagy csupán mert szeretem azokat a karaktereket akik hozzám hasonlóan imádnak folyamatos fizikai kontaktusban lenni másokkal.
A fordulatról nem szeretnék sokat beszélni, mert szerintem nem fogtam fel teljesen vagy helyesen hogy mit is jelent ez és hogy milyen más kontextusba helyezi a regényt és annak szereplőit.
Az amire szerintem a legtöbben kritikát fognak adni és szerintem viszont üdítően új (ilyet még nem olvastam) az hogy Justine-nak fogalma sincs hogyan vagy miért halt meg Eva-Kate Kelly. De ez öszességében nem is a lényege a sztorinak.
Ahhoz képest hogy féláros leárazáson vettem mert valami hasonló borítójú könyvről hallottam kb egy éve ami tuti hogy nem ez volt meglepően jól szórakoztam. Én ajánlani tudom.
Eva-Kate Kelly. Ez az értékelés tényleg egy olyan könyvről fog szólni aminek az egyik főszereplőjének három keresztnévből áll a neve.
Legelőszöris szeretném a címmel kezdeni és hogy mennyire nem vagyok megelégedve a fordítással. Az eredeti cím ugyanis "Fake Plastic Girl" a magyar fordításé pedig Plasztikcsaj. Ez két okból is vérzik. Először is kihagyták a fake vagyis kamu szócskát a címből ami a könyv üzenetének szempontjából igenis fontos. Másodszor pedig egyetlen alkalommal sem fordították a regényben a Plastic girl kifejezést plasztikcsaj-ként. Mindig plasztiklány-t használtak.
Ez nem a könyv kritika tartalmi része, csak valami ami idegesített.
Úgy nagyjából 80-85% ig ez a könyv volt az amit két éve akartam hogy a Malibu Rising legyen. Hát nem lett az, de minden ami nekem abban tetszett megvolt ebben.
Az utolsó 15-20% pedig fhuuu. Az volt aztán a lezárás de előtte a karakterekről.
Justine nagyon üdítő narrátor volt. Szinte minden kritikájával egyet tudtam érteni és teljesen úgy éreztem hogy egy hihető 16 éves főszereplő volt aki a semmiből került a hírnévbe.
Eva-Kate Kelly pedig imádnivaló volt szerintem. Talán azért mert megláttam benne magamat vagy csupán mert szeretem azokat a karaktereket akik hozzám hasonlóan imádnak folyamatos fizikai kontaktusban lenni másokkal.
A fordulatról nem szeretnék sokat beszélni, mert szerintem nem fogtam fel teljesen vagy helyesen hogy mit is jelent ez és hogy milyen más kontextusba helyezi a regényt és annak szereplőit.
Az amire szerintem a legtöbben kritikát fognak adni és szerintem viszont üdítően új (ilyet még nem olvastam) az hogy Justine-nak fogalma sincs hogyan vagy miért halt meg Eva-Kate Kelly. De ez öszességében nem is a lényege a sztorinak.
Ahhoz képest hogy féláros leárazáson vettem mert valami hasonló borítójú könyvről hallottam kb egy éve ami tuti hogy nem ez volt meglepően jól szórakoztam. Én ajánlani tudom.
March 25, 2019
Fake Plastic Girl really isn't my type of book, and I'm not sure why the description appealed to me, but I flew through it and was not disappointed.
Justine is mostly an average teen, although some emotional issues are alluded to. Her psychologist mother and artist father are getting a divorce. Her mother leaves Justine with her aunt over the summer, but Justine bribes her aunt and ends up going home to stay by herself.
A new neighbor has move in across the street, and it is Eva-Kate Kelly, an ex-child star. Eva-Kate pulls Justine into her circle, and a wild summer begins, full of drinking, partying, and drugs. It all ends in tragedy, which is foreshadowed at the beginning of the book.
First, some issues. It is really far-fetched that Justine doesn't get caught by her parents or her aunt. Really? No one is checking on her, given her history? Actually, it is pretty far-fetched that her mother would even leave her to begin with. Although, her problems are left very vague. We know she spent time at Bellevue, and she's on medication. We don't really get a clear picture of what Justine's issues are. Also, everything Justine is doing is all over social media and no adults find out? But without suspending our disbelief, there is no story. And teens, who are much more the target audience than I am, usually have an easier time of doing so.
There is tragedy at the end, and then that is it. Except for the assurance that the story will continue in March, 2020. I hate cliffhangers like this. 'Nuff said.
But, in Fake Plastic Girl's favor, the story moves very quickly and is easy to read. Great for starstruck reluctant readers. I think younger, mature teens (who can handle the drug and alcohol references) would be the target audience.
Justine is mostly an average teen, although some emotional issues are alluded to. Her psychologist mother and artist father are getting a divorce. Her mother leaves Justine with her aunt over the summer, but Justine bribes her aunt and ends up going home to stay by herself.
A new neighbor has move in across the street, and it is Eva-Kate Kelly, an ex-child star. Eva-Kate pulls Justine into her circle, and a wild summer begins, full of drinking, partying, and drugs. It all ends in tragedy, which is foreshadowed at the beginning of the book.
First, some issues. It is really far-fetched that Justine doesn't get caught by her parents or her aunt. Really? No one is checking on her, given her history? Actually, it is pretty far-fetched that her mother would even leave her to begin with. Although, her problems are left very vague. We know she spent time at Bellevue, and she's on medication. We don't really get a clear picture of what Justine's issues are. Also, everything Justine is doing is all over social media and no adults find out? But without suspending our disbelief, there is no story. And teens, who are much more the target audience than I am, usually have an easier time of doing so.
There is tragedy at the end, and then that is it. Except for the assurance that the story will continue in March, 2020. I hate cliffhangers like this. 'Nuff said.
But, in Fake Plastic Girl's favor, the story moves very quickly and is easy to read. Great for starstruck reluctant readers. I think younger, mature teens (who can handle the drug and alcohol references) would be the target audience.
June 17, 2019
Opening the door to Hollywood’s celebrity mystic and exposing it wide open, Fake Plastic Girls is like looking through the shades of a celebrity studded home. Two girls, from completely different walks of life, both insecure in their own ways. Eva Kate, continually trying to discover who she is by any means necessary, and Justine who just wants to be noticed. The believable battle between illusion and fantasy, along with the required outward appearance on social media, perfectly defines them as, “fake plastic girls,” stripping away any semblance of love, acceptance and honesty to oneself.
Zara Lisbon writes with genuine authenticity, giving her readers a story that is fast paced and believable. While drug and alcohol use are discussed, it adds to the realistic approach that explores the world behind young fame, and what could happen if a shy introverted suddenly gets the attention she’s been longing. Heavily laden with Taylor Swift references and quotes adds to the character development, marking a girl who has a true teenage fan’s obsession, as well as demonstrating just how easily she could be wooed by fame.
A perfect book, written for a teenage audience, Fake Plastic Girls will take readers on a fast, wild ride. However, with its cliffhanger ending, readers will be left clambering for the next book, while asking if: Eva Kate Kelly is really who she portrays to be, or is she just an actor acting; and is Justine really telling the truth, or is she caught up in her own false illusion of reality?
You can find more of my newspaper column's reviews on Instagram @amy_fortheloveofbooks
Zara Lisbon writes with genuine authenticity, giving her readers a story that is fast paced and believable. While drug and alcohol use are discussed, it adds to the realistic approach that explores the world behind young fame, and what could happen if a shy introverted suddenly gets the attention she’s been longing. Heavily laden with Taylor Swift references and quotes adds to the character development, marking a girl who has a true teenage fan’s obsession, as well as demonstrating just how easily she could be wooed by fame.
A perfect book, written for a teenage audience, Fake Plastic Girls will take readers on a fast, wild ride. However, with its cliffhanger ending, readers will be left clambering for the next book, while asking if: Eva Kate Kelly is really who she portrays to be, or is she just an actor acting; and is Justine really telling the truth, or is she caught up in her own false illusion of reality?
You can find more of my newspaper column's reviews on Instagram @amy_fortheloveofbooks
December 31, 2023
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*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*
Justine Childs is your average girl next door, always on the cusp of celebrities. Her mother is a therapist to a variety of Hollywood royalty. When child star Eva Kate Kelly moves into the house across the street, she pulls Justine into her partying lifestyle. They become quick friends, and are inseparable. Then Eva Kate is found dead in the canal, and fingers start pointing to Justine.
This was an interesting read... When it starts out, Eva Kate is already dead, and the story is the events leading up to that moment, told by Justine. In the beginning your heart breaks for little Justine, being neglected by her mother while she is working for all of the celebrities. You just want to give her a hug and make her feel better. The friendship between Eva Kate and Justine was insanely toxic, and that made it all the more interesting to me. There are A LOT of Taylor Swift references, which I know bothers a lot of people, but I'm a fan of Taylor so I didn't mind too much. I really liked the end twist, and hadn't seen that coming.
The book ends on a giant cliff hanger, but luckily for me the second one is available at my library so I will be jumping straight into it.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*
Justine Childs is your average girl next door, always on the cusp of celebrities. Her mother is a therapist to a variety of Hollywood royalty. When child star Eva Kate Kelly moves into the house across the street, she pulls Justine into her partying lifestyle. They become quick friends, and are inseparable. Then Eva Kate is found dead in the canal, and fingers start pointing to Justine.
This was an interesting read... When it starts out, Eva Kate is already dead, and the story is the events leading up to that moment, told by Justine. In the beginning your heart breaks for little Justine, being neglected by her mother while she is working for all of the celebrities. You just want to give her a hug and make her feel better. The friendship between Eva Kate and Justine was insanely toxic, and that made it all the more interesting to me. There are A LOT of Taylor Swift references, which I know bothers a lot of people, but I'm a fan of Taylor so I didn't mind too much. I really liked the end twist, and hadn't seen that coming.
The book ends on a giant cliff hanger, but luckily for me the second one is available at my library so I will be jumping straight into it.
April 13, 2019
This book was not on my radar until I saw that the audiobook was performed by Laura Knight Keating, who also narrates my beloved To All the Boys I've Loved Before trilogy. But sadly, Justine Childs was nothing like my girl Lara Jean Covey.
This book was short and fast-paced. I listened to it in about 24 hours. But not much happened. The description states that the book is a mystery in which Justine tells her side of the story after Eva Kate, a former child actress, is found dead. But the vast majority of the book describes Justine and Eva Kate's relationship and activities. For a book that identifies as a mystery, I wish there was more of the genre's elements present in the novel.
The book ended on a cliffhanger since this is the start of a series. (Fake Plastic World is set to release in March 2020.) While I hope the second book explains some of the issues that were hinted at in this book, I do not care enough about the characters and the plot to keep reading the series. Overall, I am giving this book 2 stars.
This book was short and fast-paced. I listened to it in about 24 hours. But not much happened. The description states that the book is a mystery in which Justine tells her side of the story after Eva Kate, a former child actress, is found dead. But the vast majority of the book describes Justine and Eva Kate's relationship and activities. For a book that identifies as a mystery, I wish there was more of the genre's elements present in the novel.
The book ended on a cliffhanger since this is the start of a series. (Fake Plastic World is set to release in March 2020.) While I hope the second book explains some of the issues that were hinted at in this book, I do not care enough about the characters and the plot to keep reading the series. Overall, I am giving this book 2 stars.
November 28, 2021
“There are no such things as basic bitches. Only bitches you haven’t gotten to know yet.” aka bullshit feminist try-hard cringey-ness.
This book was… bad. But I don’t feel right giving it a 1 star rating because I was definitely not the audience for this, and I can see why young girls would love it. It’s supposed to be a thriller, but it is definitely not that. From the beginning, we know Eva-Kate is going to die, yet she doesn’t die until the very VERY end of the book, with no explanation and no insight whatsoever. This is the set-up for a sequel, however it is a very shitty move. To establish that this happens at the beginning of the book and then never elaborate is one of the laziest and most infuriating writing moves in the world, especially when the writing wasn’t good enough to convince me to read the next book. I’ll read a wikipedia synopsis and feel satisfied enough to never think about it again. Justine’s history of mental illness seemed thrown in there as it was never addressed and consistently ignored to the point where I forgot about it over and over again. I like unreliable narrators, but this one was not it.
This book was… bad. But I don’t feel right giving it a 1 star rating because I was definitely not the audience for this, and I can see why young girls would love it. It’s supposed to be a thriller, but it is definitely not that. From the beginning, we know Eva-Kate is going to die, yet she doesn’t die until the very VERY end of the book, with no explanation and no insight whatsoever. This is the set-up for a sequel, however it is a very shitty move. To establish that this happens at the beginning of the book and then never elaborate is one of the laziest and most infuriating writing moves in the world, especially when the writing wasn’t good enough to convince me to read the next book. I’ll read a wikipedia synopsis and feel satisfied enough to never think about it again. Justine’s history of mental illness seemed thrown in there as it was never addressed and consistently ignored to the point where I forgot about it over and over again. I like unreliable narrators, but this one was not it.
May 16, 2020
I don’t even know how this book got the green light to be published.
This book had the qualities to be a thrilling, suspenseful look at Hollywood babies when they have to grow up too fast..except it wasn’t.
While reading it, it seemed as though the author could not figure out what kind of book she wanted to write. Did she want to write a Gossip Girl-esque (books, not series) novel set in Hollywood hi-lighting the rich and famous? Did she want to write a Gossip Girl-esque (series, not books) novel about an outsider who gets the chance to look in? Add in bizarre Taylor Swift rants that go on for pages, a subplot about a mental institution that is left barely introduced and never explained, not one, but two teenage lesbian relationships that are randomly put in the story for dramatic effect AND celestial witchcraft. Yes, this is all in a 270 page story. The actual proposed plot from the book jacket, never actually happened until the last page. There is a sequel coming, but I wouldn’t waste my money.
This book had the qualities to be a thrilling, suspenseful look at Hollywood babies when they have to grow up too fast..except it wasn’t.
While reading it, it seemed as though the author could not figure out what kind of book she wanted to write. Did she want to write a Gossip Girl-esque (books, not series) novel set in Hollywood hi-lighting the rich and famous? Did she want to write a Gossip Girl-esque (series, not books) novel about an outsider who gets the chance to look in? Add in bizarre Taylor Swift rants that go on for pages, a subplot about a mental institution that is left barely introduced and never explained, not one, but two teenage lesbian relationships that are randomly put in the story for dramatic effect AND celestial witchcraft. Yes, this is all in a 270 page story. The actual proposed plot from the book jacket, never actually happened until the last page. There is a sequel coming, but I wouldn’t waste my money.
June 20, 2025
“Fake Plastic Girl” is a teenage drama that examines, at least on the surface level, the ideas of obsession, corruption of the innocent, and the fleeting nature of celebrity fame. Four and a half stars.
Single reader narrator, Laura Knight Keating masterfully narrates this audio book presenting each character's distinct personality in the voice choices and showing the emotional gravitas of a sixteen-year-old girl who is way out of her natural element.
Minor Spoiler: there are several times during the book that the dog, Princess Leia, does not get enough out time and it's a bit of a wonder that she doesn't have any accidents or gets sick.
Major Spoiler: this seems like half a book, because when the end comes nothing is actually resolved, there are too many questions left unanswered, especially the big one. Here's assuming that "Fake Plastic World" finishes out the complete narrative to a satisfactory conclusion. Publishers should allow their authors to write the whole book and not break it up unnecessarily.
Single reader narrator, Laura Knight Keating masterfully narrates this audio book presenting each character's distinct personality in the voice choices and showing the emotional gravitas of a sixteen-year-old girl who is way out of her natural element.
Minor Spoiler: there are several times during the book that the dog, Princess Leia, does not get enough out time and it's a bit of a wonder that she doesn't have any accidents or gets sick.
Major Spoiler: this seems like half a book, because when the end comes nothing is actually resolved, there are too many questions left unanswered, especially the big one. Here's assuming that "Fake Plastic World" finishes out the complete narrative to a satisfactory conclusion. Publishers should allow their authors to write the whole book and not break it up unnecessarily.
April 3, 2019
I received an Advanced Reader Copy from Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.
This book is marketed as YA, so I'm definitely not the Target audience. Maybe a teenager would have liked it better. As a parent, I'm not sure I'd be thrilled about my teen reading a book that glamorizes drinking, drugs, and a "celebrity" lifestyle. The entire book describes the relationship that Justine has with a child star, Eve Kate, over a month during the summer. The descriptions allude to a lot of backstory that could be interesting which led me to keep reading, but no details are ever given. The book ends on a cliffhanger and I was left feeling like they just wanted me to sink more money into the series to get any good plot line. It's a quick read, because you keep thinking something will happen, but nothing ever does.
This book is marketed as YA, so I'm definitely not the Target audience. Maybe a teenager would have liked it better. As a parent, I'm not sure I'd be thrilled about my teen reading a book that glamorizes drinking, drugs, and a "celebrity" lifestyle. The entire book describes the relationship that Justine has with a child star, Eve Kate, over a month during the summer. The descriptions allude to a lot of backstory that could be interesting which led me to keep reading, but no details are ever given. The book ends on a cliffhanger and I was left feeling like they just wanted me to sink more money into the series to get any good plot line. It's a quick read, because you keep thinking something will happen, but nothing ever does.
December 31, 2020
Who doesn’t want to peek behind the glitzy curtain of the rich and famous and see what intoxicating secrets lurk behind?? Lisbon invites you into the seductive lifestyles of teen celebrities to see their multi-million dollar homes, underground parties, designer drugs and occult obsessions. I devoured this book in less than a week, I couldn’t put it down!! Not only did I need to find out who killed child star Eva Kate Kelly, I wanted to bask in this dark sparkly world for as long as I could. Just like the protagonist and (literal) girl next door Justine, I took one sip of their sour champagne life and couldn’t stop drinking.
I’ve always been curious about the real stories behind grainy paparazzi photos you see on Daily Mail and Lisbon delivers: offering us access to the complex psychologies and pathologies of the rich and famous. It’s an addictive escape from our dour times. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!
I’ve always been curious about the real stories behind grainy paparazzi photos you see on Daily Mail and Lisbon delivers: offering us access to the complex psychologies and pathologies of the rich and famous. It’s an addictive escape from our dour times. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!
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