Limelight by Amy Poeppel – 416 pages
ARC courtesy of the author and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for an honest review.
Book Blurb:
Allison Brinkley—wife, mother, and former unflappable optimist—discovers that a carefully weighed decision to pack up and move her family from suburban Dallas to the glittery chaos of Manhattan may have been more complicated than she and her husband initially thought.
Allison learns that New York is unruly and bewildering, defying the notions she developed from romantic movies and a memorable childhood visit. After a humiliating call from the principal’s office and the loss of the job she was counting on, Allison begins to accept that New York may not suit her after all.
When Allison has a fender-bender, witnessed by a flock of mothers at her son’s new school, she is led to the penthouse apartment of a luxurious Central Park West building and encounters a spoiled, hungover, unsupervised teenager who looks familiar. It doesn’t take long to recognize him as Carter Reid—a famous pop star who has been cast in a new Broadway musical. Through this brush with stardom, Allison embraces a unique and unexpected opportunity that helps her find her way in the heart of Manhattan.In a book that delivers laughs, warmth, and delightful wit.My
Review: 4.5 stars
Limelight was such a delightful and fun book to read. I have not yet read Poeppel’s debut hit, Small Admissions, but I bumped it up on my TBR list. This book is pure escapism into another family’s normal type of dysfunction. We all have our own family nonsense, so it’s amusing to live in someone else’s for a few days.
Besides being laugh out loud funny, this novel hit on so many relatable subjects. Parenting kids – and worse, parenting kids during a cross-country move, maintaining a good marriage, making new adult friends, finding a job, learning to adapt to change and finding yourself in a job that you never thought you could do. What makes this all so readable is Poeppel’s way with dialogue. She’s got a knack at writing it in a way that seems natural to the character. She’s not shy with curse words, which is definitely applicable in parenting, even if the curses are in your head. Additionally, she is completely current with the teenage trends, lingo and
When the pop star Carter was introduced, I felt certain the book was going to lose believability. Wrong! Allison’s mama instincts were hard at work as she continued to care for the obnoxiously rude Carter Reid. I found myself invested in Carter and in his relationship with Allison as she began mothering/managing him. Carter’s character is an excellent example of character development.
Limelight, as discussed in the novel is an actual film of the same name starring Charlie Chaplin. The script was derived from the only book he wrote called Footlights.
Overall, this is a light and enjoyable read that will make you smile.
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