Premiere

On the Runway #1

by Melody Carlson

A recipe for success or a design for disaster? Although they’re sisters, Paige and Erin Forrester are like oil and water, night and day, denim and silk. Paige is an outgoing fashionista who loves to be the center of attention, while Erin is more comfortable sporting vintage garb and recording the action around her. When a near disaster turns into the opportunity of a lifetime, these two very-different sisters are given the chance to star in their own fashion-TV show. A guest spot on a hot teen-reality series and their first big red-carpet assignment give this unlikely partnership plenty of room for success―and even more for failure.

Genres: Young Adult, Christian, Contemporary, Fiction, Christian Fiction, Fashion, Teen

224 pages, Paperback

First published May 10, 2010

About the author

Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books, several of them Christmas novellas from Revell, including her much-loved and bestselling book, The Christmas Bus.

She also writes many teen books, including the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, the TrueColors series, and the Carter House Girls series.

Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books, including the Notes from a Spinning Planet series and Finding Alice, which is in production as a Lifetime Television movie. She and her husband serve on the Young Life adult committee in central Oregon.

Reviews

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 4 out of 5]

{This blog is Two Years Old this week! Eeek! It’s party time! Everyday till Friday there’ll be a new review and giveaway! On Saturday a Double giveaway and wrap-up will be posted! Get your noise makers out and let’s celebrate!} {Enter Giveaway #1 Here!} {Enter Giveaway #2 Here!} {Enter Giveaway #3 Here!}

About this book:

“A recipe for success or a design for disaster?
Although they’re sisters, Paige and Erin Forrester are like oil and water, night and day, denim and silk. Paige is an outgoing fashionista who loves to be the center of attention, while Erin is more comfortable sporting vintage garb and recording the action around her. When a near disaster turns into the opportunity of a lifetime, these two very-different sisters are given the chance to star in their own fashion-TV show. A guest spot on a hot teen-reality series and their first big red-carpet assignment give this unlikely partnership plenty of room for success—and even more for failure.”


Series: Book #1 in the “On the Runway”. {Later books in this series will mention and feature characters from this author’s series “Carter House Girls”.}


Spiritual Content- Erin is the only believer in her family; Erin tries to tell her Mom & Sister about her Faith, she says it’s awkward but keeps trying; Prayers (and Erin & Paige talk about praying); Mollie & Erin talk about God; ‘H’s when referring to God are not capital; Church going.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘crummy’, a ‘freaking’, a ‘wimpy’, two ‘dumb’s, two ‘duh’s, two ‘idiot’s, three ‘shoddy’s, four ‘witch’s, five ‘stupid’s, and six forms of ‘shut up’; On a TV show, it’s mentioned about drinking & drugs; After their dad died, Paige went through a wild spell.


Sexual Content- Couples kiss (not-detailed); seven forms of ‘hot’ when referring to how someone looks, a ‘tramp’; Mentions of Erin’s ex-boyfriend that dumped her after cheating on her; Erin & Paige’s Dad would talk to them about clothing and not looking like a prostitutes; Paige wears a dress that shows cleavage, which causes Erin comments about “the girls”; Other girls wear dresses that show cleavage; Ex-Boyfriends, Boyfriends & Crushes.

-Erin Forrester, age 18
1st person P.O.V of Erin
204 pages

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Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- Two Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars (and a half)
I’ve read this series before I started BFCG and when I read them the first time, I really enjoyed it. The whole series isn’t deep but it’s a good series for reading books featuring teenagers and their difficulties. It’s a much cleaner read than what the Secular market promotes for teen girls to read.
Who wants to win a copy? :)


Link to review & Giveaway:
http://booksforchristiangirls.blogspo...


*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

[Sierra Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just kind of a "meh" read. I might pick up more by Melody Carlson, as I'm not sure whether I just didn't like the characters; or if it was the writing style.

[Alaina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I tried Premiere and I can count my lucky stars that I am still not a fan of reality TV. Whether it's watching the shows or reading about it in a book - it just does nothing for me. There's just something about reality TV that bores me. Yeah, I might listen to 'Survivor' from time to time if it's on but I'm usually doing something else - working or reading.

Long story short, I don't pay attention or really watch them and I am okay with living my life like that.

Back to the book, in it you will meet two sister's: Erin and Paige. Eh, they were okay. Paige really annoyed me with how self-centered she was for most of this book. Then there's Erin who's basically telling her she's doing stuff she shouldn't be doing and Paige doesn't listen until the one thing she really wanted was taken away from her.

Even if it was for like 2 seconds. Yeah, Erin is definitely more level-headed and kinder than her sister.. but they both ended up annoying me in different ways. Plus I was just bored with everything. I didn't really care about either show or any of the characters within this book.

In the end, I read this for a challenge and I look forward to moving to a new and different book. Thanks, but no thanks.

[Lydia Howe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book years ago and remembered thinking that the TV angle was interesting and wondering how realistic it was. I was in the mood for a quick and easy read, so I decided to try it again. Needless to say, it wasn't exactly up my aisle. There was far too much drama, even though the main character did have a pretty good approach to it. The main character was level-headed, except when it came to her ex-boyfriend. Then she needed to have someone speak some truth into her life. There was good content, but too much other stuff mixed in with it - lots of divas.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. I like chick-lit and I like sister relationships, but I'm not too big on fashion or cat-fights. If I wanted fashion and cat-fights, I'd just go and watch America's Next Top Model.

Premiere is about Erin and Paige Forrester. Paige is a fashionista and Erin's a photographer. Paige does a news segment for her mother, who's a producer for the Channel Five news, on this renovated theme park. She gets bored and starts criticizing people's outfits and they get their own show.

The characters were okay. I didn't adore them, but I wasn't ready to kill them at every second. Okay, I was ready to kill Paige and Mia, but Erin was okay. Although, she did get kind of annoying when it came to Blake and Mollie. Blake especially. I have been through this with a guy and the smartest thing to do is to walk away immediately.

Paige doesn't learn from her mistakes, so throughout the entire book she's basically just making the same mistakes over and over again, with harsher results each time it progressed.

I give this book three stars. It wasn't terrible. But it wasn't mind-blowing amazing. I feel like it's a Christian non-model version of America's Next Top Model, with cat-fights, fashion and other stereotypical girl things with a slight tomboy thrown into the mix.

[Mikaylah Brooke Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was full of glamour, and aggarvatingly interesting moments! This is a must read for teens and young adult!

[Rhys-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this book nearly as much as the author's Carter House Girls series. Erin and Paige felt to me like cookie-cutter characters, and the reality TV theme couldn't have interested me less. However, I'll be reading the other books in the series in hopes that they'll improve (travel always makes stories better).

[Heidi A · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light fluffy read about reality tv. It definitely gets a bit heavy at times with teenage melodrama. The plot had enough going on that I wanted to see how things would turn out. I also liked the family dynamics of Paige, Erin and their mom.

[Alicia Lowery · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn’t exactly my favorite genre.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always my favorite!!

[Laurel Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't wait to read the next book!

[April Suter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent teen Christian novel about fashion and sisters.

[(Katie) Paperbacks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the second book that I have read by Melody Carlson and really enjoyed it. A mix of fashion and reality tv stars, just a fun read to relax with.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know this is a book for young readers, but I enjoyed reading it. Cute little story to distract from all the difficult things going on now. Great entertainment.

[Allie Marchessault · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little boring until in the beginning until the middle and end where the drama started and I didn't want to stop reading.

[Wordy Nerd · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was off the top. It is not exactly your typical Hollywood story. With that said, I think I can relate to Erin better than I can relate to Paige. Erin is more unsure of herself and I too am always second guessing myself. I also think I relate to Erin more than Paige because she likes being helpful or at least tries to be helpful, just like me. I think the reason Paige, like many young women, adores fashion is because they believe it completes them, it makes them ore beautiful, more glamours. I don't really think too much of fashion. Well, maybe that's not completely true. I do like to try to look my very best at all times but I really don't care who I am wearing. I think fashion is a bit overrated. I would describe my fashion image as causal. If I was Erin's best friend and I knew she was reluctant to participate in On the Runaway, I would say to her, "Think of the whole picture. Is it something you really want to do? Will it help you in the future? Think of the causes and effects it will have." I would advise her about her decision by telling her "you chose to participate and you can't just switch your mind because it would effect not just you." The reason reality TV is so popular is because it is funny and many people think dangerous stunts and all is so cool when it really is not. I think reality TV has a negative influence on viewers because it is only teaching them bad morals and attitudes. I think Erin took the break-up with Blake so hard because when you love someone, you can't just let them go. I cannot relate to her sadly because I have never been in a relationship and had my heart broken. I think the death of anyone in a family will change a person somehow whether it is physically, emotionally/mentally, or socially. I think Brynn's (Erin and Paige's mom) parenting skills are fine but I think if I were her I would never let my child sign on to do a reality TV show. My initial reaction when Blake came back into Erin's life was: he's using her. I disagree with Erin's response to Blake because I think she should have kept him at a further distance and thought things through before allowing him back into her life. I think my first impression of Benjamin was that he was going to be like any other Hollywood star and my reason for that was that the author told us that he was a star in a show and the show he was in would eventually end and he would need a new project. My opinion of Benjamin did not really change at all at the end of the story. The only thing about my opinion that has change is that I believe Benjamin will redeem himself. I would tell Paige that Benjamin is an asshole and that anyone who was willing to lie just for a show is not worth her time or any girls time. Although, that what I would say to Paige regarding Benjamin I do not think she would listen. I think the reason Paige and Erin's relationship is strained at times is because neither don't listen to each other enough. I would tell them that their love for each other triumphs over all: hate, selfishness, cruelty, tragedy, and death. If there was such a thing as "fifteen minutes of fame," my would be publishing a book and selling over a million copies and making more than a billion dollars. Overall, this book was better than I thought it was going to be but I'm not so sure I will read the next book.

[Marie Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was really good. I think I would relate to the character Erin more than Paige because Erin is the sister who always watch out for her sister and I'm the sister who watches out for my sisters also and how Erin is not wild while Paige is and I'm not the wild kind of person. I think paige adores fashion because it's a way to express her self and to find out more about herself. To me, I really don't care what kind of clothing I wear because to me the things you were express the kind of person you are. I would just describe my fashion image as plain because I like to keep it simple. If I were Erin I would tell that she made the right decision by signing on to participate in On the Runaway because it shows that she's selfless by only doing it for her sister. I think reality TV is so popular these days because it's so fake that people would prefer to see fake then real things. To me I think it could have both a positive and a negative influence on viewers because it depends how the person who watches the reality TV takes what they see and turn it into a good educational less. I think Erin took the breakup with Blake so hard because she trusted him but instead she saw a different side to Blake that she hadn't see. I don'' think I can relate to her and Blake relationship because I haven't really have any relationships. Erin and Paige's mom is a widow and I think she's a good parent but I think if Erin and Paige's dad was still alive it would be easier to do parenting. When Blake fist came back into Erin's life I thought he had a nerve to coming back to the person he really hurt. I agree with Erin's response to Blake because she at least let him know that he hurt her very badly and she doesn't think that she should have another relationship with him yet, showing that she's wise and she knows how to make up her own mind. The first impression I got of Benjamin is that he would be like Blake, the kind of jerk who knows how to break a girl heart but as I finish the book he made me realize that his not the kind of guy, his a kind of guy who really haven't had much experience with actually loving someone. To Paige I would say that I agree with her choice by giving Benjamin a second chance because I believe everyone deserves a second chance and I do think she would listen to this advice. I think Paige and Erin's relationship is strained at times because Paige usually never listens to Erin's logic responses and Erin sometimes have to just listen to what Paige says instead of always saying something back.I would say to Paige and Erin that they will be having a long road ahead and that there will be times when life is bad. If there's such a thing as "fifteen minutes of fame,"I would like to express what I think of the world. Anyway I think the themes of the book is: You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time; Actions speak louder than words; Believe in yourself. To succeed, we must first believe that we can.

[Mollyknobloch]

Imagine being the polar opposite of someone and having to live in the same houses them. Paige and Erin are the main characters of Premiere on the Runway. Paige is Erin's older sister. Their mom works at a news station, and has her daughters come to work and help her every now and then. The characterization for each character in this story is so unique it keeps the reader wanting to know more.
The characterization in the book Premiere on the Runway is a key quality of this interesting story. The sisters, Paige and Erin, have very different personalities. Paige is more on the fashion fanatic side, for instance, she is just finishing up getting ready for her meeting with Helen Hudson, a reality TV show producer. “Page shoves her feet into her favorite black pumps, which have the same big BCBG initials as her jacket. Then she hurries to grab up a selection of its accessories, including belts, jewelry, and scarves, which she shoved it into an oversize bag.” With her love for pumps, name brand clothes, and accessories I think it's safe to say she is a very fashionable and passionate fashion fanatic.
Her younger sister Erin on the other hand, likes the “Natural” look. Erin is a lot more laid-back than Paige, when it comes to fashion. For example when she is shopping for clothes, “ and the main reasons I bought this simple chocolate-brown jacket is that 1) it fit me pretty well, 2) I liked it, and 3)it was on sale.” As you can see,unlike her sister Paige, Erin doesn't care if it's name brand. She just cares if it's comfy, she likes it , and it's cheap.
Without these two extremely different characterized sisters, this book would be dull to say the least. If the author hadn't characterized the sisters like she did, the readers would be reading something unrealistic, because everyone with sisters, know that they don't get along all the time. Just like Paige and Erin don't see eye to eye all the time. But Paige and Erin not seeing eye to eye makes the story interesting for the readers and makes it worth their while when reading it.

[Jill Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Paige and Erin are helping their mother with a live, on location segment for the news with Paige in front of the camera and Erin filming, Paige starts critiquing people’s clothing. Erin is mortified at how rude her sister is and worries her mother’s job is now in jeopardy. But a reality show producer saw the segment and asks Paige to be the star of a new fashion reality show called On the Runway. Paige’s mother has one condition: Erin goes on the show too, as a cameraman. And so Erin is thrown into a world of glitz, glamour, and drama, whether she likes it or not, pretty much to babysit her impulsive older sister.

Loved it! With the reality TV craze, this book is a clever addition to Christian fiction for teen girls. The book sucked me in. I couldn’t put it down. It was so fun and realistic and slightly horrifying as we watched Paige barge onto the set of another popular reality show and make waves. I guess that just means I relate more with Erin’s practical personality. The characters were so real, I felt like this was happening in Hollywood right now and if I flipped to the right channel on my TV, I’d see Paige and Erin doing their thing. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series. If you haven’t read this book, what are you waiting for? Two girls getting the opportunity of a lifetime, a little romance, a lot of Hollywood drama. This is a perfect for teen girls.

[Christy Trever · Rating 5 out of 5]

Premiere by Melody Carlson is the first book in the On the Runway series. Paige and Erin Forrester have just been tapped to star in their own reality television show about fashion. Paige is a natural in front of the camera and looks like a model while having an encyclopedic knowledge of the fashion industry. Erin is far more comfortable behind the camera where she doesn't have to worry about competing with her gorgeous and stylish sister. When their producer wants to introduce their show by having them appear on another reality show (think The Hills), Paige's chemistry with star Benjamin soon has his onscreen girlfriend Mia fighting mad. Erin is still battling her feelings of betrayal about ex-boyfriend Blake, but his interest suddenly returns when she's going to be on television. All she can do is turn to her faith in God to get her through this confusing time. This is by far Carlson's best young adult series yet. Erin is down-to-earth and immediately relatable to teenage girls who feel like they will never measure up to the popular girls, but she has a strength of character that is admirable and will be inspiring to readers. When I finished, I wanted to immediately read the next book in the series, Catwalk, because I wasn't ready to say goodbye to the characters. This is a series sure to go far with teenage readers (and their moms!).

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another free book I had downloaded a while back for my Kindle. I've read several Melody Carlson books in the past and usually enjoyed them. I find, for the most part, that for me, her YA books are good, always pretty short and easy to read. This one was no different. This book is apparently the start of a series about two sisters who are pulled into doing a reality show called "On the Runway" about fashion. One sister is a fashion guru and lives for that kind of thing, while the other sister (the main character, Erin, a Christian) prefers to stay behind the camera and is not sure this is something she should be doing. It was easy to read, and fun, with a lot of current day reality tv stuff thrown in. It was free, and as usual with her books, I'm always glad I didn't pay for them, because it was short and I would have felt sort of ripped off if I had paid money for it, LOL! I probably won't read any more in the series, unless they are offered as free books for Kindle.

LOVE reading on my Kindle! I have a couple dozen books that I have purchased and are waiting on me in my bookshelves at home. I find that I dislike reading the book now, and wish I had waited so I could have downloaded the book onto my Kindle, instead of buying them to stick in my bookshelves :)

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

PREMIER by Melody Carlson is classified as a Christian Fiction Young Adult book. It is 224 pages long and would probably fall in the General Fiction category. It is the first book in On The Runway Series. It is the story about two college age girls that are given the chance to have their own reality TV show about fashion.

Erin is a film student and her sister Paige is the fashion expert. Paige is the flash and Erin is the calm down to earth sister. Erin is the religious one and is always the one to see the good in everything, while Paige is more the self centered one.

I enjoyed this book, but I am not really a fashion person, so some of the names of the designers were a bit over my head. There seemed to be a lot of the Christian aspect to this book and I had two of those at once, so maybe it was just too much for me.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars and I think if you are really into fashion and know the designers this book might be something you would enjoy. There is a little bit of romance, there is a little bit of reality TV, and there is a little bit of sibling rivalry.

This is the 2nd book by this author I have read and I would probably read another one, just not right away.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story because it was a bit different since the character Erin was the only Christian in her family. She was also the one who never wanted to be in the limelight. Her sister was beautiful and talented. Her mom was involved in the entertainment industry through the local news. I enjoyed reading those segments. I also enjoyed the dating scenarios and the reality show aspect of the novel. It felt very behind-the-scenes so the setting seemed natural to me.

I wished there had been more romance in the story because it seemed lacking in romantic tension. I did like the message in the story and how the author didn't make the girls crazy and worldly. Plus, the character Erin seemed natural to me. I liked how her sister Paige ended up listening to her when she had her crisis over Benjamin. I'm not into fashion or haute couture, so that didn't do much for me. I'm not even sure if I spelled it right. I read the teaser for the next book and honestly, it didn't turn me on, so I probably won't be reading it. But I did enjoy this first book in the series. It was interesting and fun, and not too heavy-handed in the faith department.

[Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is supposed to be Gossip Girl for the Christian set, but the presentation is quite uneven. Erin is a freshmen in college majoring in TV production, while her sister is interested only in fashion. While the two are helping their TV producer mom with a segment for the 5 o'clock news, Paige gets a little too opinionated about the fashion on set, causing a reality TV producer to take notice of the subsequent YouTube video. Suddenly, Paige and Erin are being offered their own reality show, once they get some face recognition by appearing on the popular show, Malibu Beach. Erin has a problem reconciling her Christianity with the attitude of reality TV. While the reader can tell that Erin is trying to take the moral high ground even in reality TV, there are chapters where the Christian message is very in your face, and other chapters where it appears to have disappeared. Plus, just like Gossip Girl, label dropping is rampant and shallowness is everywhere. I am not sure why there needs to be a Christian equivalent to Gossip Girl, why not just have quality, entertaining literature with a Christian message that appeals to teens?

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first of the "On the Runway" series--a series written for teen girls. An easy read with situations common to teen girls: college/career ambitions, boyfriend break-ups and make-ups, finding time for friends and social activities. But there are Christian struggles as well.

Erin Forrester is the younger, more grounded of the Forrester sisters. Insecure about her looks--having played second-fiddle to her gorgeous less-than-a-year older sister, Paige--Erin seeks a career in film, behind the camera. Paige is destined for the spotlight, but when she is offered the job of hosting a fashion reality TV show, it's the sister duo the producers want to hire. Paige to host, Erin behind the scenes supporting Paige and keeping her grounded. It's Erin's faith that eventually brings Paige back after a stunning heartbreak with a teen heart throb. Will Paige accept her sister's faith as her own popularity grows? I assume this is where the series leads.

Highly recommended for teen girls.

[Judi Stott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two sisters are marked for television success as fashion critics. The older sister, Paige, is thrilled to be in front of the camera. The younger, Erin, is behind the scenes all the way. As a publicity stunt they appear on a reality show (thing The Hills) and one of the "actors" falls for Paige which starts a scandal and cat fight all filmed. Erin is the voice of reason helped along by her strong religious beliefs (no denomination is mentioned, just church and youth groups) she keeps her sister in control.

I picked this up because the cover was so boring-red velvet theater seats that blend into an orange background-that no one was looking at it. Girls will probably like the television link and there are no drugs, a little drinking at a party, nothing sexually explicit and no bad language. Just have to get them to pick it up. The second and third titles have much better covers.

[Kelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a cute fashion type story. Its kinda a fun topic, and Melody Carlson definitely models this book after reality TV of The Hills and Laguna Beach. While thats cool, I am not sure what all this first book, in what seems to be a very long series of books, accomplishes. Some of the characters are truly annoying to read. Especially, Blake and the main character's friend Mollie. Sometimes its even tragically hard to put up reading about them. The best character is barely in the book. I am thinking maybe the author is tucking him away till later in the books to bring him about. Which is fine, I just was sad by the ending. Nothing resolves, making it very much a series story. A light quick read, I read this in one day.

[Mari · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good book, and I'd give it about 3.5 stars. Being nice I'll round it up to four. The start was slow, and I didn't think I'd enjoy it terribly much. It had a somewhat common plot, and then there was the Christian aspect.
I have no problem with the religion, but in the begining it felt like it was really forced on you. It was almost as if the author was trying to convince you to become a strong Christian. It did get much better after the first 40 pages or so, and I felt like then the message of religion and trusting God came across in a much more subtle way. Besides the shaky start and the strong religious side of the book, it was very enjoyable, and a nice quick read.

[$hanel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two sisters who are totally different, Paige Forrester and Erin Forrester, are both different at heart. Erin is your typical brainy gurl and Paige is a primma donna. Paige is the kind of girl who could shop for hours and hours and could name every designer in a split second. Erin is quit and shy and will never pass as a glamour girl. Erin spends her time in photographery and is a strong Christian. When Paige is asked to film a new reality TV show and have Erin do the photographery this brings to sisters closer and they soon realize that they can be sisters even if they are complete opposites. Find out what happens in the drama filled novel Premiere!

[Michele Minor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a refreshing young adult book that is not about a group of popular girls, instead it is about two sisters who are selected to star in their own fashion themed reality show after they make an appearance on the local news. Paige is the fashion conscious sister who follows reality television while her sister Erin is a Christian who does not like reality television. Erin follows her beliefs even while appearing on another popular reality television show and even on her own. There is enough temptation out there. This is a realistic look at a Christian in the entertainment industry who participates in a secular show.