NEW RELEASE
Between You and Me - Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus (2012)
Logan Wade may have a world-famous cousin but that doesn't mean she's living the rock star lifestyle herself. In fact, Logan hasn't seen Kelsey in years and doesn't know anything about her that she hasn't read about in magazines. So when Logan is invited to Los Angeles to see Kelsey and ends up becoming her personal assistant, it's easy to say that her new life is a far cry from her old one in New York. Globe-trotting, running Kelsey's baths and dealing with Kelsey's mum and dad who control everything is just the start. As far as Logan can see, Kelsey is being worked like a dog with no time off even when she is sick, but that doesn't matter to her parents who treat Kelsey like a small child and shelter her from the rest of the world. As time goes on Logan realises that Kelsey doesn't feel loved - even though she has the devotion of millions of fans - and when push comes to shove, Logan has to decide what she can and can't handle. Because even the best job in the world isn't worth your sanity - or watching someone you love come crashing down in flames. With well-formed (thought not very likeable) characters and a pop star who is reminiscent of Britney Spears when she had a breakdown, this is a fun novel about the other side of being a celebrity - behind the fame and fortune lies loneliness, heartbreak and exhaustion. However, the conversation seems stilted at times and the timeline seems a little hard to follow. Both of these things make it hard to really get into the story, so with this novel, you're either going to love it or hate it right off the bat. It's definitely not an easy breezy beach read as it has much more substance than initial expectations. (AS)
From Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, the duo behind The Nanny Diaries, comes a new novel that explores what it means to be worshipped by millions but loved by none. The summary of Between You and Me says: "Twenty-seven-year-old Logan Wade has built a life for herself in New York City, far from her unhappy childhood in Oklahoma. But when she gets the call that her famous cousin needs a new assistant, it's an offer she can't refuse. Logan hasn't seen Kelsey since they were separated as kids; in the meantime, Kelsey Wade has become one of Fortune Magazine's most powerful celebrities and carrion for the paparazzi. But the joy at their reunion is overshadowed by the toxic dynamic between Kelsey and her controlling parents. As Kelsey grasps desperately at a 'real' life, Logan risks everything to try and give her cousin the one thing she has never known - happiness. As Kelsey unravels in the most horribly public way, Logan finds that she will ultimately have to choose between saving her cousin and saving herself."