Appetite

June 1, 2009
Kendricks frothy, fun second novel, after Confessions of a Rookie Cheerleader (2007), follows the fortunes of Kennedy Sun Lee, a rising soap opera actress who has just been cast in the sudser Americas Next Sweetheart. Kennedys first day on the show is marred by a hangover from the previous evenings festivitiesand the discovery that she bedded her new costar, the slick, unscrupulous Jesse James, after the drunken revelry. Their romp is a secret Kennedy is determined to keep, especially after meeting the shows handsome, charming executive producer, Sam Cohen, who sweeps the starlet off her feet. The sexy EPs attentions only make Kennedys life more difficult at work as her costars become resentful of what they perceive as special treatment. Despite her seemingly charmed life, Kennedy is haunted by the death of her mother and is battling an eating disorder that she tries to keep from her new beau. Kennedys life is even more dramatic than that of her soap opera alter ego, and the wealth of sex and scandal here will keep readers turning the pages.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)