Hello Hollywood! by Janice Thompson (Book Review)

Title: Hello Hollywood!

Author: Janice Thompson
Publisher: Revell


About the Book: Athena Pappas is the head writer on Stars Collide, one of the most popular sitcoms in television history.  But when Vegas comedian Stephen Cosse is brought in to beef up the show's suddenly sagging ratings, she starts to worry about her job.  Sparks fly as the competition -- and attraction -- between the two writers heats up.  Athena has never had a problem writing the romances of her characters.  So why is her own love life so hard to script?


With humor and a Hollywood-insider viewpoint, Hello, Hollywood! delivers lots of laughs as Athena and Stephen discover that not being in control of the ploy of their lives might just be the best thing that ever happened to them.

My thoughts: This was a very lighthearted book and quick to read.  I believe it is the second in a series, but, as I have not read the first one, feels it reads well as a stand alone also.  I didn't feel as closely connected to these characters though, as I did with her characters in the Weddings by Bella series. 

Athena is the head writer on a sitcom, and even though she is head writer, she doubts her abilities.  When they bring on another writer for a new perspective, it makes her doubt herself even more.  In spite of this, she finds herself attracted to the new writer.  With her low self-esteem though, she doesn't feel he would want anything to do with her.  Though they can write humorous romance for the show, their own romance doesn't follow any script.

The story has a lot of secondary characters that fill out the ensemble, including her cowriters, her family, and even an adopted dog. Though it wasn't one of my favorites, I did enjoy the story and the unobtrusive message of faith that was intertwined.

~I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell in exchange for my review.~

Available September 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
Hello, Hollywood!: A Novel (Backstage Pass)
Publisher/Publication Date: Revell, Sept 2011
ISBN: 978-0-8007-3346-9
278 pages

Book Tour: Hello Hollywood by Janice Thompson (Oct 2-8)

Say Hello to Hollywood!

Find out just how funny life can be when you try to script it.

Popular romance author and screenwriter, Janice Thompson, is charming her readers once again with a behind-the-scenes look at life in Hollywood. Her new book, Hello, Hollywood! (ISBN: 978-0-8007-3346-9, $14.99, 288 pages, September) is the second installment in the Backstage Pass series. This time, Thompson takes her readers inside the writer’s room.

At 28, Athena Pappas has a pretty great gig. She’s the head writer of one of the most popular sitcoms in television history, Stars Collide. Yet, something’s still lacking: her love life.

Athena finds nothing wrong with still living at home with her large, wacky Greek family and making her bed with the same Strawberry Shortcake sheets she had as a kid. None of that has prevented Athena from plotting her characters’ romances. So why is her own love life so hard to script?

Athena’s love life gets the shakeup it needs when her boss hires up-and-coming Vegas comedian, Stephen Cosse, to help boost the show’s sagging ratings. Feeling her position as head writer threatened, she starts to doubt her talents, and the fact that Stephen is as good looking as Adonis doesn’t escape Athena’s attention either.

Sparks fly as the competition—and attraction—between the two heats things up. While they struggle to create conflict and comedy for their characters on the page, Athena and Stephen develop a relationship they never would have scripted for themselves and discover that not being in control of the plot of their lives may just be the best thing that’s ever happened.

Hello, Hollywood! delights readers with its charm and humor. Every character will jump off the page and into the readers’ hearts.

Janice Thompson is a seasoned romance author. An expert at pulling the humor from the situations we get ourselves into, Thompson affords an inside look at TV land, drawing on her experiences as a screenwriter. She is the author of the Weddings by Bella series and lives in Texas. To learn more about Janice visit her at: www.janicethompson.com

Available September 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.