Review by Booklist Review
Upon leaving London and landing in Hollywood, Abel can't believe his luck: he's landed the coveted role in an upcoming teen drama. In addition to being a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the new role gives Abel a chance to investigate who murdered his brother. Years ago, Abel's brother worked on a previous rendition of the show before his untimely fall from a hotel roof. Something about the studio and his brother's death seems suspicious, and as Abel gets to know his co-stars, he learns that something is rotten in the land of glitz and glitter, and the reader realizes that if he doesn't stop poking around, another death may be connected to the ill-fated show. The latest from Dean (The King Is Dead, 2023) explores predatory contracts and the negative effect fame and pressure can have on young stars. The trials and tribulations of the four teen actors are compelling, but the novel's pacing and muddled focus make it difficult to enjoy the story at heart. Shocking and frustrating, Dean's work doesn't hold back when it comes to exploring child actor exploitation.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Young actors expose a deadly scandal in this twisty, tantalizing thriller from Dean (The King Is Dead) that pits "a billion-dollar company against four teenagers." Abel Miller, who is "mixed race," seizes the chance to costar in the reboot of the hit teen dramedy Sunset High; mysterious disappearances and death blight the original production's "cursed" history. But he doesn't accept the role simply to launch his career--a celebrity reporter approaches Abel to go undercover to investigate the off-set drama, to which Abel agrees for personal reasons: his older brother died in a "tragic accident" while working as a production assistant for the studio three years ago, and Abel suspects foul play. While befriending costars to untangle the truth (and his own romantic feelings for the leading man), Abel learns that Sunset High's makers and players all harbor dangerous secrets that will prove deadly for one teen star. Multiple narrators deglamorize Hollywood's every angle with searing social commentary on stalkers, abusive guardians, alcohol dependency, racism, sexism, and homophobia, while soapy drama and plentiful pop culture references keep this mystery compulsively readable. Characters are intersectionally diverse. Ages 14--up. Agent: Chloe Seager, Madeleine Milburn Literary. (July)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A rising TV star vows to uncover the unsettling truth behind his older brother's death. British entertainment industry newcomer Abel Miller, a multiracial Black teen, has just landed a role on Omni Channel's Sunset High, a star-making teen drama with a controversial history. An actress from the original series experienced a mental breakdown, and in 2022 the reboot's junior assistant--Abel's 22-year-old brother, Adam--died after falling from the roof of a hotel and a young lead actor vanished during her evening run. When Abel joins the cast in 2024, he partners with a tabloid journalist to expose Omni's underbelly and shed light on the strange circumstances surrounding Adam's death. As Abel adjusts to the spotlight, he connects with his three teen co-stars, who are guarding career-ending secrets. Soon, Abel's mission is at war with his loyalties, and he realizes that Omni is much more dangerous than anyone could imagine. Told through first-person narration that alternates between Abel and white co-star Ella Winter, Dean's sophomore YA novel effectively combines pop-culture elements with the tension of a murder mystery. The author explores the exploitation of children in show business, from the selfish demands of stage parents to the insatiable greed of industry executives, with realism. Abel's unresolved grief is movingly depicted, and the ending, though a little too conveniently earned, leaves room for a sequel. A twisty whodunit that critiques the toxicity of celebrity while exploring bonds of friendship and brotherhood. (Thriller. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
