REVIEW: Beneath the Glitter by Elle & Blair Fowler

Name: Beneath the Glitter

Author: Elle & Blair Fowler

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Release Date: September 4, 2012 (US)

Pages: 288, Hardcover

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Rating: 3 Teacups

From internet stars Elle and Blair Fowler comes a scintillating new novel that takes readers Beneath the Glitter of the glitzy L.A. social scene.
Welcome to a place where dreams are made.  And where nothing—and no one—is ever what it seems.
After their make-up and fashion videos went viral on YouTube, sisters Sophia and Ava London are thrust into the exclusive life of the Los Angeles elite.  Here fabulous parties, air kisses, paparazzi and hot guys all come with the scene. Sophia finds herself torn between a gorgeous bartender and a millionaire playboy, and Ava starts dating an A-list actor.  But as they’re about to discover, the life they’ve always dreamed of comes with a cost.
Beneath the glitter of the Hollywood social scene lies a world of ruthless ambition, vicious gossip…and betrayal.  Someone close to them, someone they trust, is working in the shadows to bring the London sisters falling down. And once the betrayal is complete, Sophia and Ava find themselves knee-deep in a scandal that could take away everything they care about, including the one thing that matters most—each other.

[summary taken from Goodreads]

Jen's Review 

Having watched Elle & Blair's beauty videos on Youtube for more than a year now, I am a huge fan of both of their videos, and so I didn't hesitate at the chance to read their debut novel. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect--it's not like I should judge before I've even read the book (that's just RUDE!). I went into it expecting a light, fun, drama-filled read, perfect for lounging by the pool. That's exactly what I got, but I was pleasantly surprised with the depth of some of the situations. BENEATH THE GLITTER had its ups and downs for me, nonetheless it all balanced out to be a pretty good novel.

The Good Stuff:

• The characters. I think that the characters were all super fun and enjoyable.  They could have been developed more (there's always room for improvement!), but what I got was good enough to be likeable. I found it extremely amusing with the fact that Sophia & Ava are pretty much Elle & Blair themselves. I genuinely saw themselves in the characters in the story.
• Lots of description! I loved the description and detail for the story. Though sometimes it was unnecessary, it created a very vivid world of LA for me.
• Cute chapter titles. Though this doesn't matter much, I found the chapter titles to be entertaining, and it just added to the cute and funny factor for this story.
• The sister-bondage. The relationship between Sophia & Ava was very precious and I adored their growth in working together as business partners, and as sisters. It's heartwarming.

The… Not So Good Stuff:

• The plot. Sure, the plot was drama-filled, but it wasn't really working out for me. Being just short of 300 pages, BENEATH THE GLITTER took me much too long to read. It was really slow from beginning to end (okay, there was ONE scene that was intense),  and I kind of felt myself pushing through the novel. It's a bit repetitive, even.
• The amount of STUFF going on. I just said the plot was kind of boring, and it kind of was. But there was also  too much stuff going on. I would have liked it if the story stuck to one main problem. We've got boy problems, London Calling, photography, sister problems, love triangle (ish), the pet shelter, etc. It kept jumping back and forth, and honestly, I think the story would have been more organized if it was toned down a little.
• The AMOUNT of characters in the story. At one point, it got a little overwhelming. There are SO many characters, from the main, to the love interests, to the side characters. GAH.
• THE ENDING. My goodness, the ending is frustrating me right now as I type. It's so confusing, there HAS to be a companion/sequel to it. I'm not saying it's exactly a cliffhanger, but it's discombobulating and there were quite a few questions left unanswered. It's frustrating!

So, there you have it. My thoughts. The plot really derailed my overall enjoyment of the story for me. However, I'm pretty happy with the way the story turned out, and I am still looking forward to whatever Elle & Blair have in store for their readers. If you liked Lauren Conrad's L.A. CANDY series, you are sure to enjoy this one as well. A cute, Gossip-Girl-esque novel that is entertaining and light-hearted.

3 teacups for Beneath the Glitter!

                   *Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin for providing me eARC to review*