Hollywood Hills by Aimee Friedman

It’s the week before high school graduation, and Alexa St. Laurent has scored two invitations to the hottest event of the year: Margaux Eklundstrom’s wedding. There’s no doubt who she’s inviting to come with her: her best friend Holly Jacobson. Neither girl can wait to get to Los Angeles, Alexa because she wants to hang with celebrities and Holly because she’s impatient to leave behind her parents’ and boyfriend’s expectations. But L.A. turns out to be different than each girl expected. With so many choices ahead of them and so many opportunities for having fun, there’s only one thing for sure: L.A. could change everything.

The latest and last of Alexa and Holly’s exciting vacations, Hollywood Hills is certainly the sweetest and most memorable. It’s not necessary to have read the story’s prequels, South Beach and French Kiss, to understand Hollywood Hills; in fact, this was the case the first time I read this book. However, the background is a plus, particularly because it details the development of Alexa and Holly’s current relationship. By now, their friendship is pretty much rock solid, and the girls rely on each other for fashion advice and moral support. Alexa’s and Holly’s characters don’t mature much through the course of this book, because each girl has more or less established who she is before this story even started, so most of the book is plain and simple guilty pleasure. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, and Friedman does a wonderful job of making this story about true friendship and love amidst the glitz and fake glamour or Hollywood. This is a very cute and satisfying read perfect for summer.

Fans of South Beach and French Kiss, both by Aimee Friedman, will enjoy Hollywood Hills, as will readers who liked Summer Boys and Summer Girls, both by Hailey Abbott.

Rating: 3.5

Review copy from publisher Scholastic