Title: How To Be A Movie Star
Series How To Be #2
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Reese Dante
Publication Date: February 12, 2019
Length: 342 pages
Reviewed by Erin
Synopsis
Josiah Erickson wants to be a movie star. The problem with that is so does half of Los Angeles. But he’s on his way, what with memorable roles as a TV show background cadaver and a guy in a commercial for herpes medication. All he needs is his big break. And that break may come in the form of a novelist who goes by the enigmatic name of Q-Bert.
Q-Bert, who is ready to make his directorial debut in a film Josy would be perfect for. Q-Bert, who Josy may or may not have a friend-crush on, and potentially something more. Being demisexual can be confusing.
From the City of Angels to the small mountain town of Abby, Oregon, Josy will give his all to make sure his dreams come true—even the ones he never thought possible.
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Review
Like any tried and true
TJ Klune fan, when he announced he was writing the sequel to How to Be a Normal Person—you know the
one he swore up, and down, and sideways he would NEVER write—I was as excited
as anyone else at the news. Anytime TJ writes a new book is cause for
celebration, right? And when I found out the book was going to be about Josiah,
one of the Three Ironic Amigos we were introduced to in Normal Person, well, my excitement got even more and my
anticipation even higher. I mean just look at the blurb! A book about a wannabe
movie star who spends most of his time stoned and a writer of monster porn, I
mean come on, how could I NOT want to read this book?! Yes, the book is
as ridiculous as it sounds ... but in the VERY best way and in a way nobody but
TJ could pull off. It was silly and sweet and swoony—omg SO swoony—and I swear
you will not stop smiling throughout the entire book. Your face will hurt by
the end from smiling so much, I'm not even joking.
Josiah, or Josy to his
friends, Erickson is the biggest ball of sunshine you have ever come across, I
kid you not. This dude, and I mean dude in the sweetest way, is like puppies
and rainbows and cotton candy in a walking, talking hipster gay. He's not the
brightest light bulb, something he readily admits with no hint of shame
whatsoever, and his heart is as big as the sky. His friends adore him just the
way he is, demisexual af, a lover of marijuana, and an inexplicable ability to
win things at radio trivia. It's this particular gift that allows him to cross
paths with Quincy Moore, a la Q-bert, writer of the before-mentioned monster
porn.
Their meeting was ...
well, you'll just have to read the book to find out exactly what. From
there it doesn't take long for our beloved wannabe actor to be starring in his
first movie ... one that Quincy just happens to have written and will be
directing. I'm sure y'all can guess pretty clearly where this is all going to
go from here. *hint, you might be right about some of it, but this is TJ Klune
we're talking about here. You know he's going to surprise you!
I loved this book so
much! Like SO, so much. I'll admit, it took me a little bit to get into it, I
think because Josy is kind of all over the place, but once I found my groove, I
couldn't put the book down. The characters are all so fabulous. From Josy and
Quincy to seeing Xander and Serge again. And omg, let's not forget the awesomeness
of Casey and the unforgettable and lovable Gustavo Tiberius who is every bit as
amazing as I remember him being in How to
Be a Normal Person. Afterall, he has to be someone super special to be
Josy's BFF for life. What the hell, indeed. The We Three Queens make an
appearance and the addition of Roger and Dee just added to zaniness. But lest
you think this book is all about the ridiculous, stop right there. In true TJ
fashion, How to Be a Movie Star is
definitely laugh out loud til your stomach hurts funny, but it has a depth and
heart that sneaks up on you.
"I get that,"
Josy said seriously. "Sometimes I like to lay on my bed in the dark and
stare at the ceiling and think about things, like how I'm happy I got my big
break and why to taquitos taste so good, even the frozen kind."
"You're...serious."
"Yeah, man. Like, I
know frozen food isn't healthy or anything but you put some of those taquitos
in the oven and holy crap, I could eat an entire box if it didn't give me the
shits--"
"No. That's not
what I was asking. I meant about this being your big break. That's what you
think this is."
""Yeah,
man," Josy said easily. "I'm in a movie. A real movie, you know? It's
all I ever wanted, and now it's happened. How cool is that? My life is pretty
great."
"It's that simple
for you."
"Why wouldn't it be?"
Quincy slowly shook his
head. "I--I wish I could see things like you do."
"But then you
wouldn't see things like you do," Josy said. "And then there would be
two of me and none of you, and that wouldn't be so good."
"It wouldn't?"
"Nope. Because I
like you just the way you are."
And that right there is
what How to Be a Movie Star is REALLY
about. It's about finding your people, the ones who love you for who you are,
just as you are. Josy is demisexual and it's caused problems for him in the
past, but his friends, his chosen family, accept that part of him just like
they accept he loves weed and knows random facts that win him prizes on the
radio. Quincy has dealt with his mental health his whole life and sometimes he
wins and others ... he loses. I love how open Quincy is through the whole book
about what he deals with and that sometimes his depression and anxiety get the
best of him, but the important thing is to keep going, keep trying. This open
and honest look at how people learn to deal with their mental health is one of
the best things about the book.
Really, How to Be a Movie Star is excellent from
beginning to end. It’s a happy book, one that will leave your heart full and
with a smile on your face that will last long after you finish the last page.
That Epilogue?! Truly wonderful. The book is a perfect mix of sweet and fluffy
and heart and you should pick it up ASAP! You’ll be so happy you did, I
promise.
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