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125Pages

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No Ordinary Life – Suzanne Redfearn

Broken marriage, child stars, greedy spouses, naïve Hollywood newcomers. What do all of these have in common? They are all plot points in No Ordinary Life, and they all work so very well together. Suzanne Redfearn has created a moving and thought provoking tale of what happens when you run from one life and leap into another that you are not prepared for. Faye’s husband has done a runner and has left her and their three children with nothing. Seeing no other option, Faye moves them to L.A. and in with her star obsessed mother. Cue the montage of struggling for a job and the angst of her babies. Then, with a seemingly innocuous dance, her family is thrust into fame and the pressures of Hollywood.

 

Redfearn has a way of writing that sucks you in. She created a delicate balance of internal thought and external action that completely work within the scope of the story. She creates a vivid world, in which you can see the lights and hear the cacophony on the set. Her pacing is spot on and there were only a few lulls in the driving action. The plot was great, it was almost like reading a Where Are They Nowspecial. The characters were spectacular. Their motivation was obvious and understandable. They were people you wanted to root for, people you wanted to see fall from grace and people that you just wanted to go away. Their interactions were powerful and the interplay was what made the book.

 

I was so happily surprised by No Ordinary Life and with Suzanne Redfearn. I was thinking this would be another mom done her kids wrong or questing for fame novel and it was not. It was nuanced and strong and showed the power of a mother balancing what is best for her life and what is best for her children’s future. Redfearn is an author to watch, as her turn of phrase and vivid world building are top notch.

 

I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Source: http://125pages.com/no-ordinary-life-suzanne-redfearn