Review: The Unscripted Joss Byrd by Lygia Day Peñaflor

Author: Lygia Day Peñaflor
Publisher: Roaring Books
Number of Pages: 211
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Synopsis:

"Hollywood critics agree. Joss Byrd is "fiercely emotional," a young actress with "complete conviction," and a "powerhouse." 
Joss Byrd is America's most celebrated young actress, but on the set of her latest project, a gritty indie film called The Locals, Joss's life is far from glamorous. While struggling with her mother's expectations, a crush on her movie brother, and a secret that could end her career, Joss must pull off a performance worthy of a star. When her renowned, charismatic director demands more than she is ready to deliver, Joss must go off-script to stay true to herself."

This was a beautiful story that shows the reality of acting in Hollywood at a young age. The internal struggle that Joss was going through with her mother, her feelings toward her costars, and her education brought to light the reality of the life of a young actress. The author did an amazing job of displaying the glamour of the job at the start through flashbacks that drastically contradicted the life three movies later.

Peñaflor did an amazing job writing a realistic perspective of an aspiring young actress, and she also did a great job progressing the characters. Throughout the story you see Joss experience things that an average teenager would: having a crush, arguing with her parents and struggling with school. But the difference between having these experiences while being an actress is drastic and almost frightening. The largest difference was that Joss and her mother were trying to hide her dyslexia when that would never happen to an average junior high student. These differences display the reality of a young actress, and I thought that this book did that beautifully. I did think that there were a few parts that the book lost momentum and I lost interest but it was able to keep me reading until the end.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick, contemporary book to end their summer.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars!