Play Shop: Let's Pretend Sets

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But Adam is a slippery fish with a temper. He is horrid to be around when in a bad mood and it’s not all red carpets and show stopping events. One evening when returning from a solitary walk, she finds Adam’s body, face down in a swimming pool. As no one else seems to care, it’s down to Lily to find out who did this to Adam as she doesn’t believe he will have taken his own life. I've read Vaughan's previous novel The Favour and this one is similar in the twisted character relationships and general sense of terrible people who might be capable of murder, though I didn't quite enjoy the atmosphere of this one as much. I found the pace of the first part wasn't for me and I was left a bit confused that it was suddenly the end of her agreement with Adam, but the party that forms the central moment of the book was good. I found that I wasn't connected to the characters, but that was fine because they're all intentionally awful. Having read The Favour, I thought I knew the author’s thought process and where this story was heading but I was way off the mark. This was a lot darker than it’s predecessor. Despite being the woman scorned, I really liked Lily and I was rooting for her to be right about Adam’s demise but was she? Was it murder or just a tragic accident?! Lily and Adam’s fauxmance is not the only thing in this book that is toxic. Adam himself, Talia, cousin Dido, the Momager, best friend Nina, even Lily herself, are all toxic in their own way. I quite liked Rafael, because he seems to be the only one who knows who and what he is. And most of all I disliked Dan, who thinks he is so nice, but is actually a hypocrite of the worst kind. Even Lily’s stalker Zalandra is more honest. The sale of customised goods or perishable goods, sealed audio or video recordings, or software, which has been opened.

Twists, however, are there. But they are delivered most intelligently and satisfyingly. Act three is an extraordinary display of storytelling and most captivating execution that will leave you literally out of breath. It’s one of those stories that can be devoured in a single reading, making it a perfect holiday read. It doesn’t mean however that it’s a simplistic read. It’s insanely well-plotted and delivered with truly Kingesque verbose panache. Finally, let’s talk about the theme of the novel: pursuit and loss. Vaughan not only masterfully dissects the world of minor celebrities and the lengths people are willing to take to earn their Warholian 15 minutes of fame. She looks at the intrinsic needs for it. Whether it’s a family tradition, peer pressure, or overbearing parents – fame can be equal to success, regardless of the cost. But becoming famous is only one side of the slightly rusty and misshapen coin. On the flip side, there is a fear of losing it. We’ve all experienced loss, and Laura Vaugh is not afraid to not only remind us what it feels like but that no one is immune to it. I really liked the latter part of the book as Lily is convinced all is not quite as it seems in terms of Adam’s death. I was intrigued to learn more, just like Lily, and particularly loved the final chapters in this section of the book as there were lots of things that took me by surprise! I would have liked a little more detail as the ending felt a little bit rushed, but I really liked the unexpected turns and thought it was very clever! I also liked how character driven this book was; there were definitely some shady characters along the way! After a couple of ‘unexpected’ encounters, Adam asks Lily to partake in a fauxmance with him. But not long after signing his NDA and a six month contract, Adam’s dark side starts to surface and things turn toxic! I think this book is one of great importance, especially with the amount of younger people going through their rise to fame as we watch others fall from their place in the limelight. This is a story about what life can be like for celebrities, focusing heavily on the bad side and the crap that they go through.Let’s Pretend has been a really eye-opening read portraying the dark side ready lurking behind the outward persona of those in the public eye. This story is told from the perspective of former child star Lily Thane, now a struggling actress in her early thirties. Her old stage-school friend Adam Harker is on the brink of huge success, but to keep up appearances needs a trusted companion. After a few unexpected encounters, Adam asks Lily to partake in a fauxmance with him. But soon after signing a NDA and six month contract, Adam’s dark side starts to surface and things turn toxic! How you look the choices you make in life can direct your future, people who seem to have it all really happy, on top of the world behind closed doors living in sin. Lily is convinced there's more to his death than meets the eye and turns amateur detective - but is it better to leave the dark side of fame buried?

I really didn’t have any interest in the characters and I also got confused as to who was who, whether related, friend or work. But as she gets swept up in Adam's hedonistic and lascivious lifestyle she also learns more of his secrets. Then one day she bumps into Adam Harker, short, plump, spotty teenager-turned-heart-throb (how did that happen?) from drama school and he seems determined to re-kindle their previously non-existent romance. Because Adam wants something from Lily and it’s not what she imagines. Let's Pretend is a novel about the world of acting and fame, and the kinds of performances it causes people to undertake. When former child star Lily Thane is approached by her old stage school acquaintance Adam Harker for a fake romance to stun the red carpet with, it seems like a great opportunity. It seems like maybe her struggling acting career could be on the rise, but she'll have to content with their toxic dynamic. When Adam is found dead in a swimming pool, Lily knows something was up, and gets drawn into finding out who supplied the drugs that killed him, and if they're still dangerous.

Applicability of cancellation rights: Legal rights of cancellation under the Distance Selling Regulations available for UK or EU consumers do not apply to certain products and services. She signs a 6 month contract to be his "partner" but all that glitters is not gold and the reality of living the celebrity high life with a troubled actor soon proves impossible and she is cast aside. Not long afterwards Adam is found floating dead in a pool. Within the first few chapters (and as detailed in the synopsis) we learn that Lily finds Adam’s lifeless body in a swimming pool, it’s not clear how this came to be.

This is definitely acts as a reminder too that you can never know what truly goes on in a relationship unless you are in it; contrary to what the press would have you read!This book started off slowly and took sometime to get into, there was a lot of stuff at the beginning which didn't particularly add to the story, and quite a lot of characters that I found hard to link up. There is a lot in here about the darker side of acting and the route to fame, and for someone who is not living in this world it is all a bit foreign and hard to relate to. Once the story got going I did enjoy reading it, though, and then as I neared the end it became more gripping as I waited to see who had done the crime. Soon after signing on the dotted line, Adam's dark side starts to surface and their perfect fauxmance turns toxic. A clever, darkly entertaining and suspenseful mystery, yielding an intriguing and immersive, fly-on-the-wall peep behind the showbiz scenes. Intelligent, fun and twisty, with echoes of Taylor Jenkins Reid and Robinne Lee. Slightly interesting, but with unlovable characters - after a while I wasn't sure whether I wanted the end to be good or not. A lot of the trouble that our 'heroine' got herself into had predictable outcomes, and the twists were also predictable. The end 'reveal' was a bit obvious. I nearly gave three stars, but it wasn't that bad - some may enjoy it. I do find that books with long explaining tags after the titles are normally a let down...

He needs someone to be his plus one at glitzy events, a person to show off via social media, to become part of a power couple. After all the world of celebrity is all about reputation and how things look and Lily's Momager couldn't be more thrilled.This book really moves at a pace and I found it really compelling (especially the first half). We follow the main character, Lily, a former child actor who has really done nothing of note for some time. When she bumps into an old stage school companion, Adam, she is drawn into his (more successful) world. I found Let’s Pretend a real eye opener into the world of celebrity dating. How true Vaughan’s got the shenanigans that are orchestrated by agents and PR, who knows but I felt the apple she wrote didn’t fall too far from the tree. Goods that by reason of their nature, cannot be returned - (Items such as underwear, where the 'hygiene patch' has been removed, or cosmetics where the seal has been broken). It starts with Lily Thane who is from an acting family but she is really only known for a film she made as a child.