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Likely Story #1
Likely Story
MALLORY IS A teenage girl living in L.A. and her mother is the oftnominated, never-winning star of a daytime soap; she is, in fact, the ultimate drama queen. After yet another blow-out about her mother’s awful plotlines and overacting, Mallory starts blogging about how she wishes soap operas were more like real kids’ lives instead of the ridiculous storylines the shows usually feature.
When her mother’s agent reads the blog, Mallory ends up in her own whirlwind drama, both at school and on the lot, as she works to protect the integrity of her original idea, cope with her mother’s jealousy, and get her best friend a lead role on the show. Factor in her boyfriend with the girlfriend, the cute but bad brother to said-best-friend, and the super-cute male lead on her show, and Mallory’s got plenty of her own melodrama to cope with.
From the Hardcover edition.
When her mother’s agent reads the blog, Mallory ends up in her own whirlwind drama, both at school and on the lot, as she works to protect the integrity of her original idea, cope with her mother’s jealousy, and get her best friend a lead role on the show. Factor in her boyfriend with the girlfriend, the cute but bad brother to said-best-friend, and the super-cute male lead on her show, and Mallory’s got plenty of her own melodrama to cope with.
From the Hardcover edition.
230 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
4 people are currently reading
171 people want to read
About the author
David Van Etten
9 books6 followersDavid Van Etten is actually three writers: Chris Van Etten is a full-time writer for ABC's One Life to Live; David Ozanich is a freelance writer and playwright; and David Levithan is the author of Boy Meets Boy and many other young adult novels for Knopf.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
September 11, 2008
Written by David Levithan and two other writers (one a playwright and one a writer for One Life to Live) the story is about a girl born (literally) and raised on a soap opera set, the daughter of a TV daytime diva who has never won the daytime Emmy. She blogs about how soap operas are so unrealistic and that there needs to be a show that is a likely story showing the drama of everyday teen life. Before you can say Erica Kane, the girl is pitching, writing, and casting her own tv drama and her life gets as complicated as the shows she mocks. Pure fun for this recovering All My Children addict.
November 24, 2008
I'm not a soap opera fan but this funny smart book was a delight. It is an affectionate spoof of soaps and, like the soaps, quite addictive. I'm looking for the sequel now.
September 26, 2021
Originally wanted to read it as a transition between heavy books, but was so disappointed. I stopped reading halfway through the second book. I'm sorry, but it's just not it. Book 1 was inconclusive and lacks an actual story structure. Every single person, including the main character, is either despicable or an idiot (except for Scooter and the other nice guy [already forgot his name] , so far).
The depth of the characters is as shallow as a kiddie pool. I don't know if the author was trying to express the complex love-hate relationship between the main character and her mother, but all I managed to get is that the mom is the very definition of 'bipolar'.
I'm not done yet. Assuming that the main character is going to end up in love with Dallas, the hot actor, the problem s that I barely know the guy. In the first book, Dallas barely appeared, and I was unable to make out what kind of person he was AT ALL, except that he seemed like a polite person. Nonetheless, the main character was already obsessed with him, even though she already had a boyfriend who went to great lengths to be with her ().
And what is wrong with the ex-bestie?
I liked the idea of the entire story. Soap operas. pretty cool.I just have a problem with the execution. This is my opinion. I'm not trying to be mean, and if you have your own opinion, I respect that. This book is just not for me.
The depth of the characters is as shallow as a kiddie pool. I don't know if the author was trying to express the complex love-hate relationship between the main character and her mother, but all I managed to get is that the mom is the very definition of 'bipolar'.
I'm not done yet. Assuming that the main character is going to end up in love with Dallas, the hot actor, the problem s that I barely know the guy. In the first book, Dallas barely appeared, and I was unable to make out what kind of person he was AT ALL, except that he seemed like a polite person. Nonetheless, the main character was already obsessed with him, even though she already had a boyfriend who went to great lengths to be with her ().
And what is wrong with the ex-bestie?
I liked the idea of the entire story. Soap operas. pretty cool.I just have a problem with the execution. This is my opinion. I'm not trying to be mean, and if you have your own opinion, I respect that. This book is just not for me.
November 9, 2012
Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com
Mallory's life is like a soap opera. She literally knows the set of Good as Gold better than her own home. Her mom has been the reigning queen of soaps for as long as Mallory can remember. Her mom has been married numerous times, engaged just as many, and they've lived in over ten different places in Mallory's sixteen years.
However, Mallory and her mother have a hard time relating. They barely talk in passing. Mallory has more of a relationship with her mom's make-up person, Gina. Mallory has always thought that the script for Good as Gold was a joke. The characters keep going through the same situations: being abducted, being killed off, falling in love with long-lost relatives, being locked in trunks, and other ridiculous themes. So one night, on her blog, she brashly notes that she could create a better soap opera.
Little does she realize that even though only a handful of people read the blog, the right person does. The next morning, she receives a call from Donald, her mother's agent. He asks her the routine Hollywood questions, and Mallory lies, saying she's got everything written out. Of course she can send it over. She spends that night in a writing frenzy, creating a synopsis or "Bible" of her proposed idea. The hardest concept was coming up with a name for the show. After many ideas, Likely Story is what she comes up with. Her rationale is that the story would be about normal people and all the messes they get into. Not the far-fetched stuff that is on TV currently.
Everything moves quickly after she hands over the bible she's written for Donald. Executives are calling her, meetings are arranged, and casting is in full swing. She wrote the part of Sarah with her best friend, Amelia, in mind. The casting people may want to go in a different direction, but they keep Amelia in the running through the different audition rounds. An unknown from Julliard, Dallas Grant, is the exact image of Ryan and is easily agreed upon by all.
LIKELY STORY is the first novel in a new series by a trio of male authors making up the pen name David Van Etten. The three authors write a fun quirky novel of how one girl's big talk turns into a real TV show. This novel gives the background of the show's inception and brings everyone into play. Book two, ALL THAT GLITTERS, is due out in October 2008. I am already eager to see what will happen when the production gears up for the pilot episode.
Mallory's life is like a soap opera. She literally knows the set of Good as Gold better than her own home. Her mom has been the reigning queen of soaps for as long as Mallory can remember. Her mom has been married numerous times, engaged just as many, and they've lived in over ten different places in Mallory's sixteen years.
However, Mallory and her mother have a hard time relating. They barely talk in passing. Mallory has more of a relationship with her mom's make-up person, Gina. Mallory has always thought that the script for Good as Gold was a joke. The characters keep going through the same situations: being abducted, being killed off, falling in love with long-lost relatives, being locked in trunks, and other ridiculous themes. So one night, on her blog, she brashly notes that she could create a better soap opera.
Little does she realize that even though only a handful of people read the blog, the right person does. The next morning, she receives a call from Donald, her mother's agent. He asks her the routine Hollywood questions, and Mallory lies, saying she's got everything written out. Of course she can send it over. She spends that night in a writing frenzy, creating a synopsis or "Bible" of her proposed idea. The hardest concept was coming up with a name for the show. After many ideas, Likely Story is what she comes up with. Her rationale is that the story would be about normal people and all the messes they get into. Not the far-fetched stuff that is on TV currently.
Everything moves quickly after she hands over the bible she's written for Donald. Executives are calling her, meetings are arranged, and casting is in full swing. She wrote the part of Sarah with her best friend, Amelia, in mind. The casting people may want to go in a different direction, but they keep Amelia in the running through the different audition rounds. An unknown from Julliard, Dallas Grant, is the exact image of Ryan and is easily agreed upon by all.
LIKELY STORY is the first novel in a new series by a trio of male authors making up the pen name David Van Etten. The three authors write a fun quirky novel of how one girl's big talk turns into a real TV show. This novel gives the background of the show's inception and brings everyone into play. Book two, ALL THAT GLITTERS, is due out in October 2008. I am already eager to see what will happen when the production gears up for the pilot episode.
June 15, 2015
Spoilers.
I read this book a while back when it first came out, but I never finished the trilogy. Normally when I have read a book before and re-read it at a later date, certain parts will stick in my head where I'll go, "Yeah, I remember reading this." Not so for this book. So I give it to two stars for forgettableness. I love David Levithan, but when I first saw this book I thought it might skew a bit younger. It does seem to be for a younger audience than his other books, and it's not filled with his magnetic and inspirational prose. This is also because he wrote it with two other men: another David and a Chris. However, whereas in David's other collaborations you can tell when his voice comes through, it's pretty impossible in this one. I will finish the trilogy since I don't want to quit on it a second time. But it's more out of dedication to David than any actual love of these books. Most disappointing is the complete lack of personality in the protagonist, Mallory. The book seems to harbor a lot of cliches. She grows up with a self-absorbed mother who is a soap opera star. One day Mallory posits an idea for her own soap show aimed at kids called Likely Story, and it is soon on the road to becoming a reality. Of course Mallory promised her best friend the role, and you can imagine how that goes (if you said anything other than badly, you are wrong). Mallory also has a boyfriend who happens to be the boyfriend of someone else he won't break up with for her (of course). And her mother gets no character development other than being a mean bitch who won't pay Mallory any mind unless it's to destroy her. They need to read some Sweet Valley and get back to me when they really know how to make a book about a teen soap opera interesting. This was just too bland for something that should be so juicy.
I read this book a while back when it first came out, but I never finished the trilogy. Normally when I have read a book before and re-read it at a later date, certain parts will stick in my head where I'll go, "Yeah, I remember reading this." Not so for this book. So I give it to two stars for forgettableness. I love David Levithan, but when I first saw this book I thought it might skew a bit younger. It does seem to be for a younger audience than his other books, and it's not filled with his magnetic and inspirational prose. This is also because he wrote it with two other men: another David and a Chris. However, whereas in David's other collaborations you can tell when his voice comes through, it's pretty impossible in this one. I will finish the trilogy since I don't want to quit on it a second time. But it's more out of dedication to David than any actual love of these books. Most disappointing is the complete lack of personality in the protagonist, Mallory. The book seems to harbor a lot of cliches. She grows up with a self-absorbed mother who is a soap opera star. One day Mallory posits an idea for her own soap show aimed at kids called Likely Story, and it is soon on the road to becoming a reality. Of course Mallory promised her best friend the role, and you can imagine how that goes (if you said anything other than badly, you are wrong). Mallory also has a boyfriend who happens to be the boyfriend of someone else he won't break up with for her (of course). And her mother gets no character development other than being a mean bitch who won't pay Mallory any mind unless it's to destroy her. They need to read some Sweet Valley and get back to me when they really know how to make a book about a teen soap opera interesting. This was just too bland for something that should be so juicy.
December 27, 2015
Túto knihu napísali traja autori. Autor YA kníh, autor scenárov, a autor soap-opier. A stále sa neviem rozhodnúť, či im šlo o paródiu alebo komédiu - v oboch prípadoch som sa ešte pred stranou 10 už dávno smiala ako šialená.
Mallory je dcéra stárnucej soap-operovej hviezdy. Nemá s matkou veľmi dobrý vzťah, a jej seriál jej pripadá ako najväčšia idiotina pod slnkom. Preto sa raz večer posťažuje na svojom blogu, že keby mala ONA písať seriál podľa životov svojich priateľov, bolo by to oveľa zaujímavejšie. Jej blog si prečíta jeden s matkinych producentov, nápad sa uchytí, a Mallory sa ocitne vo svete show-businessu, v prípravách svojho vlastného scenára.
Aby bolo jasné, ku prvému dňu nakrúcania sa v tejto časti ani nedostaneme. Napriek tomu si prejdeme cez písanie scenára, casting (Mallory chce na miesto hlavnej krásky pretlačiť svoju kamarátku Amandu), nútené zmeny v príbehu, roztržky s matkou.
Ak vám sadol humor Hex Hall-u, budete pri Likely Story umierať. Ku koncu už vtipných poznámok vädne, ale to vôbec nevadí, pretože po bombastickom začiatku vás do konca dotlačí aj zotrvačnosť.
Čaká na vás šialený svet tvorcov soap-opier, hrdinka, ktorá nešetrí vtipnými poznámkami, pohľad do zákulisia televízie... 6,5/10 všeobecne, 8/10 pre milovníkov humoru v štýle Hex Hall-u
Mallory je dcéra stárnucej soap-operovej hviezdy. Nemá s matkou veľmi dobrý vzťah, a jej seriál jej pripadá ako najväčšia idiotina pod slnkom. Preto sa raz večer posťažuje na svojom blogu, že keby mala ONA písať seriál podľa životov svojich priateľov, bolo by to oveľa zaujímavejšie. Jej blog si prečíta jeden s matkinych producentov, nápad sa uchytí, a Mallory sa ocitne vo svete show-businessu, v prípravách svojho vlastného scenára.
Aby bolo jasné, ku prvému dňu nakrúcania sa v tejto časti ani nedostaneme. Napriek tomu si prejdeme cez písanie scenára, casting (Mallory chce na miesto hlavnej krásky pretlačiť svoju kamarátku Amandu), nútené zmeny v príbehu, roztržky s matkou.
Ak vám sadol humor Hex Hall-u, budete pri Likely Story umierať. Ku koncu už vtipných poznámok vädne, ale to vôbec nevadí, pretože po bombastickom začiatku vás do konca dotlačí aj zotrvačnosť.
Čaká na vás šialený svet tvorcov soap-opier, hrdinka, ktorá nešetrí vtipnými poznámkami, pohľad do zákulisia televízie... 6,5/10 všeobecne, 8/10 pre milovníkov humoru v štýle Hex Hall-u
April 15, 2017
I grew up watching soap operas (though local) so I kind of already knew what to expect from this book. It's a peek into the world of TV, written from the voice of Mallory, the daughter of the ultimate drama queen. As most stereotypes on celebrities go, Mallory and her mom don't have a great relationship, and always just either tiptoe around or argue with each other. That changed when Mallory got contacted by her mom's agent to write for a new soap opera... OR worsen, because it was to replace her mother's show. The premise was interesting enough, but it was the delivery that was my problem. Maybe it was because that there were too many writers and each of their creativity was stunted and limited, or that the story needed something more to go on with, apart from soap opera drama and mother-daughter feud. Good thing this book is part of a series; there's a chance to do better.
June 10, 2008
Mallory is fed up with her life. Her mother is a soap opera diva, and Mallory can’t stand her fake lines and fake attitude. She can’t understand why soap operas are so phony, just like her mother. So when she vents one day on her personal blog about this and how if she had her own show, it would be much more realistic, she never expects anyone except maybe her best friend Amelia to see it. But it turns out that her mother’s agent Donald saw the blog entry. Soon, Mallory’s ideas are being turned into reality, and Mallory gets caught up in making decisions for her show and in her own life.
I didn’t really know what to expect when I started reading Likely Story, because I had never read anything quite like it before. The plot was unique, but I didn’t really like how Mallory’s life seemed to revolve around soap operas, although it was all she knew. I also found it kind of ironic that Mallory always thought that soap operas were so phony when her own life seemed played out like a soap opera. Besides this, I found Likely Story a refreshing break from other over-dramatized and -glamorized tales of Hollywood. The characters were easier to relate to than those in, for example, the A-List series.
Likely Story is not a particularly exciting novel all the time, but it was an enjoyable read. Readers looking for a milder version of the A-List will enjoy this novel too.
reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com
I didn’t really know what to expect when I started reading Likely Story, because I had never read anything quite like it before. The plot was unique, but I didn’t really like how Mallory’s life seemed to revolve around soap operas, although it was all she knew. I also found it kind of ironic that Mallory always thought that soap operas were so phony when her own life seemed played out like a soap opera. Besides this, I found Likely Story a refreshing break from other over-dramatized and -glamorized tales of Hollywood. The characters were easier to relate to than those in, for example, the A-List series.
Likely Story is not a particularly exciting novel all the time, but it was an enjoyable read. Readers looking for a milder version of the A-List will enjoy this novel too.
reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com
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September 10, 2012This books isn't going to break any awards for breaking new ground. It's not written in breathtaking prose. However, I really liked it. I thought it was cute, and interesting. It read really quickly. I think it would really appeal to teenaged girls without having overt sex or vampires. The teen relationships were very realistic but the adult relationships not so much. How did such a horrible mother raise a daughter who is so functional? Although on the other hand,we only see Mallory's side of it. There was one moment toward the end where Mallory's mother says, "You have no idea how hard I have worked to give you what you need", or something to that effect, that I felt some empathy for her. We have all been there with teenaged offspring who only see how mean you are and can't really see that you are up against it, partially because you don't really want them to know. I would read more of these books, although I have a feeling that they are probably all similar.
January 1, 2012
A Likely Story by David Van Etten is about Mallory, the teenage daughter of a popular soap opera actress. Mallory's mom is the ultimate drama queen and believes everything is about her. So when Mallory decides to write a soap opera script of her own, her Mom totally freaks out and is anything but supportive. Oh, and speaking of soap operas, Mallory's best friend is expecting to be the lead actress in her new show. Mallory is her boyfriend's secret girlfrined that his "real" girlfriend can never find out about, and Mallory is developing a crush on her new show's leading man. Discuss amongst yourselves.
July 17, 2008
This was written by 3 guys--1 YA writer, 1 film maker and 1 soap opera writer--and it shows.
As in "hey, let's create a cool new teen series and make MONEY!"
The irony of it all is that the heroine wants to create a new teen soap opera that's more realistic because she's grown up as the daughter of a soap opera diva and finds the plots ludicrous and the dialog turgid. And that's exactly what's wrong with this book....
As in "hey, let's create a cool new teen series and make MONEY!"
The irony of it all is that the heroine wants to create a new teen soap opera that's more realistic because she's grown up as the daughter of a soap opera diva and finds the plots ludicrous and the dialog turgid. And that's exactly what's wrong with this book....
May 25, 2016
This is a book about a girl who writes her own soap series. A GIRL who WRITES HER OWN SOAP SERIES. Needless to say, it is awesome for that alone. I just...SOAPS! YA LIT! My two favorite things converging into one book of awesomeness with lots of drama and SOAPS!
It is a super fun read and quick. Good times.
It is a super fun read and quick. Good times.
November 30, 2008
Soap-opera royalty Mallory sells her own script and becomes caught up in the same crazy showbiz world as her mom. Written by David Levithan, David Ozanich and Chris Van Etten together. First in series.
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February 9, 2009Fun story about the teenage daughter of a soap-opera drama queen (the star of a long-running soap) who launches her own show, stealing her [aging:] mother's thunder. The backstage intrigue makes for fun reading; I enjoyed this enough to read the sequel, and I think students will like it as well.
March 12, 2010
this was a good book, but i actually read the third one before this one and i think the third one was a lot better. this was good and interesting and kept me reading, but just wasn't as up to the point as the third one.
March 19, 2010
I really liked this book. I especially liked the way the author wrote. He is so funny! The plot was good and the writing was hilarious so the book proved to be a satisfying read.
Maybe you get a different perspective if you read the third before the first and second...:)
Maybe you get a different perspective if you read the third before the first and second...:)
September 14, 2008
finished it in a day
November 11, 2009
Mallory begins to write a soap opera for teens but looses her best friend in the process. Her mother, the drama queen ends up on her soap too but she won't let them "see her sweat."
January 1, 2011
This and the whole series was cute -- I really liked the smart, pop-culture savvy protagonist. Nothing worth rereading, but a fun indulgence for an hour.
May 11, 2012
LOVE this book! Can't wait to finish the series!
December 23, 2012
It was surprisingly good...not really my type of story but yeah it's alright.
February 25, 2014
I thought this book was okay.
January 3, 2015
Not sure how I really felt about the ending of this story, left me hanging and I really didn't enjoy it doing that.
January 29, 2016
Empty. Not particularly interesting. Filler if you've got nothing left to read or need to waste time.
February 18, 2010
It was a desent read.
June 3, 2011
I loved this whole series...so amazing!
I think I'm going to re-read them... :)
I think I'm going to re-read them... :)
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews