So, I first heard that Hilary Duff was going to release a book perhaps one or two months ago? I'm not too sure, but once I had heard it, my curiosity got the better of me. Within a matter of the week that it was released, I had put it on hold at the library. Now, I'd watched interviews on the book that Duff had taken and I was completely frazzled by the storyline. It just, honestly, didn't make any sense at all to me, so sorry right now if this summary bemuses you, but I tried my best. SCOUT'S HONOUR!
So the story is told from the perspective of Clea Raymond. She is the daughter of a politician and a renowned surgeon (naturally). Her father disappeared about six months ago (I think, I'm working on this through memory, so you're going to have to forgive me if a small detail or two isn't right) on a mission in South America and Clea is just trying to cope. She also dreams of being a photojournalist someday, and when one dude keeps popping up in her photos, it freaks her out. Because not only is this dude in her photos doing unnatural things (like *SPOILER* being captured on film in the air), but he also seems vaguely familiar to Clea. As part of an assignment, Clea is flown over to Brazil (at least, I'm pretty sure that's where it was), to where he father was last seen. And, oh, the plot thickens when....
Sorry, I can't reveal that next part without saying any spoilers, so no soup for you! *Anybody get the reference?* I was kind of iffy about whether or not this would be a good book, because, naturally, I get suspicious when actors try their hand at writing, but I'll admit that this was an ok book. It wasn't too 'WOW! THAT'S AMAZING', but it also wasn't too 'BOO! NEVER READ THAT EVER' *echoes ensue*. It was just ok. Very compelling read, though. The writing was actually surprisingly really good (mind you, she did have a ghost writer with her, so kudos to Elise Allen), and I found some of the characters quite lovable (like Clea's best friend, Rayna, whom I absolutely adored), whilst I found other characters just ok.
Even after finishing this book, and having moved on to about three other books, I'm still not entirely clear of what genre this is, nor what the basic storyline is. I think that if it were to be labelled into any genre at all, it would classically have to be romance. That's the one thing I suggest to Ms Duff, perhaps get the storyline cleared up a bit. I've heard she thinking about writing a sequel to this book. If that is the case, I will happily read it as leisure and entertainment (again, like Spells, not something I would get obsessed with, like perhaps Harry Potter).
Everything about this book is ok. It certainly isn't memorable (in my opinion, anyway), but it still is a nice, light read if you are in between books. Overall, I find it a very good, intriguing book for a first time writer such as Ms Duff.
BOOK CURRENTLY READING: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl.
p.s. remember this is just my personal opinion. Everybody has a different taste, so if you're into that sort of thing, I suggest you read it to form your own opinion. :)
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