Book Review: Hollywood Sins by N.K.SMith


Hollywood Sins by N.K. Smith
3 of 5 stars




Summary:  Public spectacles, private breakdowns, and terrible choices. How can a beloved Hollywood star feel so unloved?

Twenty-four year old Adra Willows grew up in the spotlight, but navigating the shark infested waters of show business doesn’t get easier with age. She has experienced mild success but nothing like the achievement of one of her best friends. Adra constantly compares herself to Liliana Addison, Hollywood’s hottest young starlet, thanks to the Collette Stroud helmed Tortured Desires series.


With her manager giving her questionable advice and her relationship with a leading comedic actor on the rocks, Adra finds herself at the crossroads of Virtue and Vice. She can either continue along the path of taking roles that showcase her body instead of her acting skills or she can forge ahead of her competition, ignore the wishes of her manager, and make her own decisions.

Adra Willows is about to learn how easy it is to fall prey to the abundant temptations of Tinseltown. Will she become just another casualty of Hollywood? Just another washed up child star shackled by limitless means? Or can she control her own destiny? She must choose the most important role of her life: Hollywood Victim or Victor.

The red carpet of life is lined with virtue and vice, but which side will the actress choose to walk along?


Adra was quite a character to follow. She quite literally comes full circle and that made for a satisfying read. To begin, she was quite likable but became an emotional vacuum somewhere around the 35% mark and I did not like her at all until somewhere around 85%. I liked Lili and felt that Peter was a good friend but selfless and supportive to the point that I admit that I began not to like him as much as I know I should. Adra’s descent into drugs felt a bit heavy handed in that until that point she seemed as though she had middling problems and her decision to turn to cocaine was because she was pining for the friend she’s in love with, Peter and her man of the moment, Trent (who was not a bad guy at all). It felt a bit abrupt but once I accepted that the descent was indeed happening, I felt it was well done. I loved all things Natalie (every chica needs a BFF) and the turn Adra’s career trajectory took.
Adra’s journey was one of pathos culminating in a hopeful and healthy end. The romance/love angle, it was done in such a way that it would keep those rooting and hoping for the couple to get together turning pages until the end. The Hollywood lifestyle was bleak but fascinating and it was well done in showing how people can be consumed and lost to it entirely. Overall, I enjoyed reading this and absolutely would recommend it.

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.


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