An amazing, fun, and sometimes stressful journey into the world of Hollywood STARdom, glitz and glamour, celebrities, concerts, tours, top-notch living, the paparazzi, and all the trials and tribulations of being a young and famous child superstar, quickly becoming a young adult singing superstar. Meet Kelsey Wade! The young and famous singing superstar who everyone knows! Kelsey Wade is a household name!
Kelsey's parents, Andy and Michelle Wade, (Mom and Dad) are the 'managers' of her career, who make all the final decisions for Kelsey, from her professional career down to her own personal life. Every little part of it all. May we say they are somewhat controlling? So much so, Kelsey acts out at times, and not necessarily in a good way. Wouldn't anyone? It's only natural.
Meet Logan Wade, Kelsey's cousin, who is happy and content living in New York city, starting out to live her life, her new career and working at the job she loves when she receives a phone call to come visit 'that side of the family'. When Logan's mother finds out about this, she is completely against Logan going. Logan's mother and Andy and Michelle have not spoken in well over a decade. Just what is the story behind this? Both Logan and Kelsey have no clue as to what happened so long ago. All they know is it interfered with their friendship. They were so close and had so much fun together as young kids. When Logan does go to visit, Andy and Michelle act as if nothing has ever happened in the past. You can't help, though, but to feel hurt feelings hanging heavy in the air between the two families. These two cousins had a relationship that survived through all of this, and now Kelsey wants to hire Logan to be her Assistant Manager. Whatever it was that happened in the family so long ago, Kelsey is not allowing it to interfere with her and Logan's relationship any longer. The only problem with this is this it is never addressed between the two families, and has now been swept under the rug. Hmmm? We all know what happens when things like this are left to slow-burn. Eventually the dust works it's way back out from under that rug and the mess is still there to clean up, but messier and worse than what it was to begin with, and maybe more people have knowledge and understanding of it now than what it was back then. Now it is staring at you right in the face.
These two cousins, who even though separated by what seemed an eternity to these young girls back in the day, pick right back up where they left off having so much fun together.
When Kelsey asks Logan to become her Assistant Business Manager, in my opinion, 'Assistant' isn't quite the right definition of her position as would 'complete' be a much more fitting term with ALL of the work Logan ends up having to do. Logan does everything, right down to picking up Kelsey's clothing off the floor and also avoiding flying objects from Kelsey's temper tantrums. Yes, Kelsey is accustomed to getting what she wants when she wants it. The work Logan does blows your mind. It's in all the little things, the details, right down to knowing when to have a tissue ready for Kelsey at the right time. Knowing when Kelsey shouldn't keep practicing or performing any longer due to fatigue, to knowing when she should eat, to arguing with Andy and Michelle that Kelsey needs a break and trying to explain to them that Kelsey needs to just be herself and not a celebrity at times. Logan knows her cousin better than Kelsey's own parents seem to know her, yet Andy and Michelle ignore Logan most of the time. They want what they want, and no one will stop them from getting it.
As we know Kelsey's parents have reserved the position of 'Full Manager' of Kelsey's career for themselves, yet they don't quite pick up a finger (unless it's something to do with being underhanded and against Kelsey, so it seems, as this happens, too.) While managing Kelsey's personal life, they try to control her every move. They are smothering, not loving.
I fell in love with these two girls, Kelsey and Logan, yet I didn't realize how much until the end of the book because Mommy and Daddy got in the way so much so at times they were completely controlling of Kelsey beyond what you might even begin to think.
I also have to admit I was quite mesmerized by the life a young celebrity leads both at home and out on the road and all the hundreds of fans and people who involved to pull off 'one' single show/concert at a time. The Paparazzi, the glitz and the glam! Oh! Kelsey LOVES this and so did I! Kelsey struts her stuff on stage, delivering to her audience exactly what they want of her. She succeeds as she learns the art of pleasing people and giving them what they want. Kelsey's fans love this! She is so successful.
This story is so exciting and intriguing and you shake your head at times when you think about what it takes for Logan to pull all of this together. Again, the hundreds of people it takes to perform one show. Kelsey Wade is performing, Logan is acting as Asst. Manager, Kelsey's parents are there, (irritating me!). All these people! Dancers, music controllers, lighting people, and more all on one tour, and yet it is tour after tour, night after night, city to city, the show goes on! Cameras flashing! Kelsey is in the spotlight! She is famous! Everyone knows who she is! Clothing and jewelry lines come out in her name. Kelsey Wade is a household name.
It is at this time the story starts to become a little monotonous. These authors are brilliant! This is intentional! The authors are showing 'us', the Reader, that this tour schedule does get monotonous, boring, and cumbersome night after night, city after city. Just think what it is like for the 'child superstar'! Is it any wonder they end up crashing and burning at times?
Kelsey even has it down pat as to how to switch from being herself (if she evens knows who she is when she is alone anymore) to being 'in the spotlight' and performing. It's like a light switch being flipped on and off. Perform! Stop! Perform! Stop!
Although, in the next heartbeat she is hiding! Okay. Kelsey starts acting out, and doing this in the public eye. Not so good for her career, but great for the paparazzi! Can you blame her, though? With having such controlling parents, the demands of her to perform night after night after night, and a stolen childhood she never gets to experience. Now all she knows is fame! And rightfully so!
The story slowly picks back up again as life picks up for Kelsey as she gets older, now with so many more opportunities available to her as a young adult. Her 'stardom' goes to her head. Yes, she starts to act out. What person whose childhood and sense of any normalcy (does she even know what normal is?) that was stolen from them would not act out? What normal person is out there for her to model her life after when all she has ever known is stardom? Kelsey starts to crave normalcy and love. She tries to reach for it, yet she does not know what 'normal' is. There is no one there to give her love, yet is she even open to love because of what her parents have done all that they have to her? Is she capable of receiving the love she craves so much? Can she give love?
She meets and now has a boyfriend who she claims she loves. She thinks she's in love. She decides she wants to settle down with her boyfriend, maybe even get married and start a family. Whoa! Her parents are flipping out! All of a sudden the control they once had over her is beginning to slip through their fingers as Kelsey starts to think and act for herself. Kelsey is starting to control her own life. These parents don't like this and are willing to do anything to stop Kelsey from obtaining the very real things she wants. They want their FULL control back now! Everything starts to go crazy for everyone involved now.
What about Logan though? What does Logan do being stuck in the middle of all of this, trying to protect Kelsey and pave the way for her to have what she wants and craves so badly. Kelsey just wants love, the love her parents never really gave to her unconditionally. Unconditional love is what she wants so badly, but stardom has gone to everyone's heads. Is anyone in this family capable of love anymore, and do they know what the definition of it is?
Kelsey and her boyfriend do start to live their own life, but with that she exchanges it for a lot more trouble than she ever could possibly imagine. The paparazzi are loving Kelsey Wade! Now the story gets really exciting and then starts to get crazy for everyone involved, especially the parents. Her parents are acting out in ways you would never even begin to guess or suspect.
I don't want to get to detailed here. Now it's time for you to read this book and enjoy this story that only these two authors could create! These author's have mastered the art of writing about intricate family relationships like no one else. Yes, Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus have done it again! Told another wonderful story you don't want to stop reading, which you miss after it is done. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I did! Enjoy the Tour! I did! Thanks for reading my review of "Between You and Me".
I received this book for FREE from Atria Books, a Division of Simon and Schuster, through their Book Reviewers Program in exchange to read this book and write a review about it. It is NOT required for this review to be either positive or negative, but, of my own honest opinion. “Free” means I was NOT provided with ANY MONIES to read this book nor to write this review, but to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading the book. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/wa...
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