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Cover Girl Confidential
She's the host of a wildly popular, top-rated morning show. Bride of a high-society golden boy. A veritable household name. An immigrant rags-to-riches story that's the American dream personified-and so perfect for Hollywood. Men want her. Women wish they could be her. But now Addison is in jail awaiting deportation and her celebrity rating is falling faster than a discount boob job. Maybe the First Lady's personal vendetta is to blame. (Addison insists that the president was pulling her onto his lap when that photo was taken.) Or perhaps everything started to go downhill when she threw exercise equipment at her husband on live TV. (Addison says the jerk had it coming.)
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
1 person is currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Beverly Bartlett
2 books2 followersWho is Beverly Bartlett?
As a serious journalist for more than 15 years, I covered funerals, tragedies, tax increases, school board scandals, horse races, the occasional heart-warming feature and even war. (From the domestic front.) Working mostly for The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky, I interviewed visiting vice presidents, traveling first ladies and Fabio. It was all terribly exciting.
But I did not get to cover even one royal wedding – although I did have the opportunity to ask Sarah Ferguson about her dieting tips many years into her career as a former princess.
You can see why I felt something was missing. Ever since I was a child in small-town Missouri – waking early to watch royal weddings a half world away – I believed in my heart of hearts, that there was a great story to be told about a truly remarkable princess, one who is lovely and good-hearted and spunky and not always so sad. One who, perhaps, loved Bruce Springsteen as much as I do!
I looked around the international stage and sensed it would be a hard story to uncover. In Louisville, it is hard enough to scare up a princess to share my daily tea, much less tell me the secrets of her heart.
I finally realized that if I were going to tell the story I wanted to, I would have to make it up!
That was the beginning of my first novel, Princess Izzy and the E Street Shuffle, which was released by 5 Spot, an imprint of Warner Books, in March 2006. (Warner is now called Grand Central Publishing.)
The second book, Cover Girl Confidential, was released in March 2007. It is styled as the autobiography of Addison McGhee, who came to the United States as a child and grew up to be America’s Sweetheart. So how did she end up in prison and awaiting a deportation hearing? She explains the whole thing in this tell-all confessional!
When not writing fiction, I am a freelance editor and writer for corporate and non-profit clients.
As a serious journalist for more than 15 years, I covered funerals, tragedies, tax increases, school board scandals, horse races, the occasional heart-warming feature and even war. (From the domestic front.) Working mostly for The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky, I interviewed visiting vice presidents, traveling first ladies and Fabio. It was all terribly exciting.
But I did not get to cover even one royal wedding – although I did have the opportunity to ask Sarah Ferguson about her dieting tips many years into her career as a former princess.
You can see why I felt something was missing. Ever since I was a child in small-town Missouri – waking early to watch royal weddings a half world away – I believed in my heart of hearts, that there was a great story to be told about a truly remarkable princess, one who is lovely and good-hearted and spunky and not always so sad. One who, perhaps, loved Bruce Springsteen as much as I do!
I looked around the international stage and sensed it would be a hard story to uncover. In Louisville, it is hard enough to scare up a princess to share my daily tea, much less tell me the secrets of her heart.
I finally realized that if I were going to tell the story I wanted to, I would have to make it up!
That was the beginning of my first novel, Princess Izzy and the E Street Shuffle, which was released by 5 Spot, an imprint of Warner Books, in March 2006. (Warner is now called Grand Central Publishing.)
The second book, Cover Girl Confidential, was released in March 2007. It is styled as the autobiography of Addison McGhee, who came to the United States as a child and grew up to be America’s Sweetheart. So how did she end up in prison and awaiting a deportation hearing? She explains the whole thing in this tell-all confessional!
When not writing fiction, I am a freelance editor and writer for corporate and non-profit clients.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 23, 2013
Reviewed by Lissa Staley
Posted March 15, 2007
Romance Chick-Lit
From her prison cell, where she's awaiting deportation to a home country she's never seen, Addison writes out her version of the events that have led to her incarceration. To start at the beginning, her parents met, married and began their family while living at a refugee camp in Turkey. The family relocated to Slater County, Nebraska, when Ada was a little girl. She got her Irish-sounding name from the immigration official who misheard her shy whisper and wrote down Addison McGhee on the paperwork.
Her mother still wears the veil and works as a Wal-Mart greeter and her father cleans floors in the local slaughterhouse. But Addison has come a long way from her awkward teens and has distanced herself from both her parent's culture and their Nebraska home.
Addison tries to break into acting and modeling on the West Coast. After she's discovered by a fledgling gossip news network, she spends her time flirting on air with her co- host, Hughes, and making eyes at Baxter, the moody weatherman. She loves her job, and she loves discussing her own performances on her show's online message boards under an alias. Everything gets complicated when Addison comes back from Las Vegas married to one of her coworkers. Soon, an incriminating photograph of Addison at the White House hits the tabloids. After these events lead to her arrest and possible deportation, whatever is a cover girl to do? As Addison ponders her predicament, she shares her delightfully human experiences with breaking into the cult of celebrity, trying not to disappoint her parents, learning American etiquette from outdated books, starring on live television and falling in love.
Beverly Bartlett's exploration of modern immigration, refugee families, and the assumptions and stereotypes about multi-racial children enlighten the reader within the gossipy innuendo of the story. Bartlett updates the coming-to-America story for the new millennium and gives us laughter, wisdom and insight in the process. COVER GIRL CONFIDENTIAL is a highly recommended chick-lit celebrity romance with an underlying significance for modern relationships.
Posted March 15, 2007
Romance Chick-Lit
From her prison cell, where she's awaiting deportation to a home country she's never seen, Addison writes out her version of the events that have led to her incarceration. To start at the beginning, her parents met, married and began their family while living at a refugee camp in Turkey. The family relocated to Slater County, Nebraska, when Ada was a little girl. She got her Irish-sounding name from the immigration official who misheard her shy whisper and wrote down Addison McGhee on the paperwork.
Her mother still wears the veil and works as a Wal-Mart greeter and her father cleans floors in the local slaughterhouse. But Addison has come a long way from her awkward teens and has distanced herself from both her parent's culture and their Nebraska home.
Addison tries to break into acting and modeling on the West Coast. After she's discovered by a fledgling gossip news network, she spends her time flirting on air with her co- host, Hughes, and making eyes at Baxter, the moody weatherman. She loves her job, and she loves discussing her own performances on her show's online message boards under an alias. Everything gets complicated when Addison comes back from Las Vegas married to one of her coworkers. Soon, an incriminating photograph of Addison at the White House hits the tabloids. After these events lead to her arrest and possible deportation, whatever is a cover girl to do? As Addison ponders her predicament, she shares her delightfully human experiences with breaking into the cult of celebrity, trying not to disappoint her parents, learning American etiquette from outdated books, starring on live television and falling in love.
Beverly Bartlett's exploration of modern immigration, refugee families, and the assumptions and stereotypes about multi-racial children enlighten the reader within the gossipy innuendo of the story. Bartlett updates the coming-to-America story for the new millennium and gives us laughter, wisdom and insight in the process. COVER GIRL CONFIDENTIAL is a highly recommended chick-lit celebrity romance with an underlying significance for modern relationships.
June 30, 2011
Although the book had it's charming and humorous moments, I found it to be quite shallow for the bulk of the story. Addison is such a hollow character. By the way she was written, I think you were supposed to feel sorry for her but you really don't. I mean, when she gets arrested for assult, all she can think about is checking the internet to see what people are saying about her! And at the hearing when it's decided that she'll get deported to her father's country, the judge and everyone else in an elected office, feel sorry for her and decide to send her to Canada instead?! Well, I can say that I'm glad I only paid $1.00 for the book.
January 20, 2016
This is the story of an “exotic” beauty’s rags-to-riches-to-slammer story. (“exotic” because of the indiscernible ethnicity.)
Full of pop culture references that makes you feel like you’re in Hollywood Land. Yeah, I’m not into all that glitz and glamour.
“I was less the child of my parents and more a child of America.” (19) All Addison wanted was to be in the spotlight. She was such a vain and shallow character that sometimes comes up with a witty remark.
Why did I choose to read this? I must’ve gotten it for a reason, but I just can’t remember. In any sense, story wasn’t for me.
Full of pop culture references that makes you feel like you’re in Hollywood Land. Yeah, I’m not into all that glitz and glamour.
“I was less the child of my parents and more a child of America.” (19) All Addison wanted was to be in the spotlight. She was such a vain and shallow character that sometimes comes up with a witty remark.
Why did I choose to read this? I must’ve gotten it for a reason, but I just can’t remember. In any sense, story wasn’t for me.
July 17, 2007
a cute, fluffy, quick read.
September 27, 2007
a fun book...quite unrealistic but i enjoyed the writting and story..fluffy!!!
January 16, 2008
don't bother
September 17, 2009
Hard to get in to...
November 22, 2010
Quick to read, but that's about it. Main character was too self-centered, story line wasn't too thrilling...just an ok book.
May 26, 2010
fluffy. easy. guilty pleasure. This all describes this book.
Yet I found myself enjoying it. i didnt have to think too hard or read too much in the details.
Great beach book.
Yet I found myself enjoying it. i didnt have to think too hard or read too much in the details.
Great beach book.
July 12, 2010
Not worth the dollar I paid for it. Ridiculous beyond comprehension.
November 13, 2010
It was hard for me to connect with any of the characters.
January 11, 2012
Silly, but a lot of fun. :)
January 5, 2013
I couldn't finish it (very unusual for me!). Just too weird.
January 18, 2016
The leading character is Addison and she is a host for a hit morning TV talk show. I found Addison to be annoying, the humor was so so and the story hard to follow.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews