Just for Show by Jae

Just for Show by Jae

My rating: 4.89 of 5 stars


*I received this book from Ylva Publishing for an honest review*

An exciting event occurred last night – I glanced at my Kindle and saw a new Jae book sitting there (this isn’t magic or unexpected, I had requested the book). And, as luck would time it, I’d just finished a different story right before I noticed. Naturally, though, I couldn’t begin right then and there, for reasons, except I did and found it hard to pull myself away, as I really did need to go off and do something else at the time. Course I was unnecessarily teasing myself, since that ‘something’ was walk to a train station and commute, so my departure from the book was brief. I then proceeded to gobble 81% in almost one go (if you count 7 hours as one go; one go, is that actually a phrase or am I just randomly putting words together again?). But then needed to sleep. As previously noted, though, hard to stop reading.

Simple enough reason why it was difficult to pull the book from my hands – I really like both main characters - Claire Renshaw, psychologist, and Lana Henderson, struggling actress & barista. Both of whom are allowed their own point of views to be seen. Oh, and when I say I liked both main characters, I mean separately as their own people, and together. Though the two first meet under odd circumstances – at an audition. Lana was there thinking she was there for a film audition (though thought it odd she was the only one in the waiting area); Claire was there because her agent (literary) talked her into it. It wasn’t a film audition, though, but an audition to be Claire’s fake fiancée. But then, I’m off chronologically, as the reader already knows why Claire might need a fake fiancée. Since the book opens with the real one taking off.

Strangely enough, despite going out of their way (agent and Claire) to find a fake girlfriend for Claire, they came up with someone completely different than her norm. This is where I was going to slide in things like ‘not super thin’; ‘not a lawyer or the like’; and the like, but I got distracted and when I came back I lost the thread. Long and short – there’s a certain cultural clash on obvious display in this book, and part of that, and part of why Lana is a struggling actress instead of a leading actress, is the part in which Lana isn’t ‘standard’ actress thin, instead being curvy and comfortable in her larger than normal body. Bah, I keep getting distracted with scenes from the book flashing in my brain, messing up my ability to write.

I move to how I almost started this little write up – the game of connecting the dots. Or, more accurately, connecting books to this one. Through side characters. But let’s see if I can do that without just bluntly stating book titles.

I’ve mentioned the main characters, very briefly (read, learn for yourself, they good people), so something about the side characters now, as noted in that mini-paragraph above. The previously encountered via other stories side characters are almost entirely meet through Lana Henderson’s side of things. I’m fumbling around in my brain, thinking hard, but I can’t think of anyone on Lana’s side who isn’t a previously meet character (other than her mother, but never meet), and finally remember her step-sister, Avery. Interesting, thinking to myself, there’s one character on Lana’s side not previously meet; and one character one Clarie’s side previously meet. Right, so – Lana’s mother, despite never actually appearing in the book, plays a somewhat important role in the book, as an example of someone addicted to self-help books, and as someone who pulled psychologists into Lana’s orbit (and made her wish to avoid them as much as possible – see, more conflict, since that’s Claire’s life). Avery is actually seen, somewhat barely (well more than barely but near that), as Lana’s boss at the coffee shop Lana works at (though they act more like sisters there than employee/employer). And then there are all those previously meet characters – not previously meet in this book, but in previously works.

Lana learned about the audition through her friend Jill, who in turn was informed of it by, I think, her friend Mercedes Soto. Jill and her girlfriend, Crash, pop up several times in the book. When some pictures are needed to be taken, Lana turns to her friend Michele to take them, being as she’s a professional photographer. And Lana both eats at another friend’s family restaurant, then later in a different meal, eats with that friend, Laleh, and her girlfriend Hope. I might be forgetting someone but I think I got every character who has previously appeared, at least those meet through Lana. Jill and Crash are from Just Physical (and other books, but that’s the one they star in); Laleh and Hope are from Heart Trouble; and Michele is the Hollywood series character who normally doesn’t get to do more than occasionally be mentioned or spotted, and is from Departure from the Script (Amanda, from that same book, is, as far as I recall, not seen or mentioned). (Somewhat strangely, Claire makes a joke in the book about maybe needing an actress for a job, then jokingly says Grace’s name, despite Grace never being mentioned to Claire (Grace is mentioned as someone invited to a party that Lana can’t go to, told to Lana without Claire present (Grace’s Lauren was also mentioned in that same conversation (Grace and Lauren from Damage Control), as were Jordan and Emma from Falling Hard)).

On Claire’s side of things, several side characters also wander throughout the book. That would include that literary agent, already mentioned (Mercedes Soto), both of Claire’s parents are meet several times, as is her sister Stephanie. And ex-girlfriend Abby. And the various people from Claire’s work like Renata and Vanessa. Oh, and that character previously meet? Barely in the book, is mentioned and is meet – the radio psychologist Dr. Christine Graham from Midnight Couch who interviews Claire. Though, as far as I could tell, there is no previous connection between Claire and Christine.

Well, I just spent way too much time playing connect the books. Pfft. Long and short – loved the scenery, images, characters, and story I encountered in this book. I had two specific problems with the book, but I worked past them. How to word it, hmms. First problem consists of a sequence of scenes that seemed forced and weirdly out of character – not that the action itself was, just how everything was being presented, as if the characters needed to go from here to there, so . . . they did. Wow this is vague. Less vague for those who have read the book – it’s the scene that involves Claire and Lana going to the top of the hotel to drink – which weirdly seemed forced. The second problem I had involved how the book ended in longish sex. I watched as the percentages increased, as the book got closer and closer to 100% and continued reading what I didn’t particularly want to read right then and there though knew there were those who would, feeling vaguely cheated, for reasons, then, finally, action moved to a few tiny moments out of the bedroom before concluding. Funny thing to have a problem, of course, but, meh, was something I personally had a problem with since I wanted to spend more time with the two in the real part of their relationship.

Rating: 4.89

February 6 2018



View all my reviews