Friday, July 1, 2011

Starring in the Movie of My Life

Starring in the Movie of My LifeAuthor: Laurel Osterkamp
ISBN: 978-1-933826-677
Publisher: PMI Books
Purchase Link: Starring in the Movie of My Life
Source: CLP Blog Tours

Twenty – five year old Nathan is caught between two women who are both fighting for his love and attention. Samantha, Nathans thirty-five year old wife, is adjusting to her new marriage. Sam dreams of making her own movies and has recently set her attention on creating a documentary of her surrogate pregnancy. Nathan, who wants children of his own, has a difficult time with Sams pregnancy and lack of interest in being a mother. Sam, who isn't quite ready for a child of her own, struggles with her feelings over ex-boyfriend Collin, who also happens to manage their apartment building. In addition, Sam has secrets she's been hiding from Nathan.

Eighteen year old Melody is cold and manipulative. Her one desire is to make her life better, to change her circumstances, to escape. When Nathan, her teacher, saves her from being raped at a school dance, Melody turns her attention to him. This develops into a dangerous crush, especially since Melody has met Sam and is willing to dig for dirt on Sam in order to gain Nathans affection.

The story, a character study of Samantha and Melody, dives deep into the lives and thoughts of these two vastly different women. Each of them are years apart in age, yet both also have an age difference to Nathan. The story is told in alternating chapters between the two women. The author does a wonderful job giving relevant information from the past to help the reader understand the present. She also does a wonderful job bringing the details of their lives and decisions along with their age into the story to give the reader an understanding of why these characters think the way they do. It also helped me to understand how they arrived at being the person they have become and will become. The story is told in alternating chapters by Sam and Melody. The only thing missing from the story is Nathans perspective. I wondered what he thought and was feeling through all this. Insight is given from the views of the two women, but I would have enjoyed an occasional chapter from Nathan.

Overall, I enjoyed this dramatic tale. It weaves heartache, confusion, deception and self-discovery into one story that is hard to put down! I was sucked into it from the first page. The characters are well developed. Both women have issues and hang ups in their lives. Melody is manipulative and her actions are unlikable, yet I understood where she was coming from and how she became who she is. I wanted her to be happy and rooted for her to find happiness of her own. Sam is a character that is happy with the status quo but she is confused about what she wants because she never gives herself a second thought. She deeply underestimates her potential and doesn't see her own self worth. Though they both have hang ups that make them unique, I wanted the best for both and really rooted for them to find themselves. The story is simply a tale of life. It's one of making the best decision based off what you're given. Both women had plans, both plans fell apart. Both of them had to take a look inward to see what they truly wanted and re-group. The novel is a page turner. The author has a wonderful writing style. It's easy to read and I was instantly drawn to both women and their stories. I would recommend this versatile book to fiction lovers. YA, Chick-lit, women's fiction or general fiction!

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