Play Shop: Let's Pretend Sets

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It certainly looks at what seems to be the reality of life in Britain, when success as an actor is a matter of connections and good fortune as much as talent. There is a lot in here about the darker side of acting and the route to fame, and for someone who is not living in this world it is all a bit foreign and hard to relate to. This was a slow burn delve into the outrageous lifestyles of the celebs caught up in the world of tv and movies, sadly I wished the ending had a bit "more. For me none of the characters are very likeable at all but I didn’t mind that whatsoever because it added to the morbid intrigue of the story.

A chance meeting with an old school friend is possibly the best thing to happen to Lily, or so she thinks but as she settles in the role of Adam’s partner. I think this book is one of great importance, especially with the amount of younger people going through their rise to fame as we watch others fall from their place in the limelight.The benefits to them and their careers outweigh any doubts that Lily has about their arrangement; until Adam is found dead in a swimming pool. I find it shocking that Adam felt like he had to hide his true self for fear of how he would be perceived in his acting world. I really didn’t have any interest in the characters and I also got confused as to who was who, whether related, friend or work.

Her motivations throughout are deliberately vague - this is a thriller which twists and turns around the central idea of a fake romance with real impact. She signs a 6 month contract to be his "partner" but all that glitters is not gold and the reality of living the celebrity high life with a troubled actor soon proves impossible and she is cast aside. The book follows Lily Thane, an actress who found fame as a child and has struggled to match her early success.

It was good to see a fake relationship played as toxic and complex, rather than as a set up for romance, anyway. This is definitely acts as a reminder too that you can never know what truly goes on in a relationship unless you are in it; contrary to what the press would have you read!

Lily's journey from reconciling with Adam after not seeing each other since stage school to unravelling the mystery of how he died is chronicled in this story. Adam’s need for a public companion is not an easy thing for Lily to cope with, given that he is a professional charmer and even in his worst moments maintains the sort of handsome aura that has given him some success in the past to the point of some cult status. The story then develops into their publicity stunts, with Adam trying to help Lily in her new found passion to get her fame back, but to what extent are they just pretending?Once the story got going I did enjoy reading it, though, and then as I neared the end it became more gripping as I waited to see who had done the crime. The settings also vary from hotels through hideaways to a modernist house with many secrets and distinguishing features in its lack of comforts.