Dad suddenly died and left everything to his new wife, including their childhood home. So Mom, Grace, and Hallie leave the misty cool of San Francisco and move in with Mom's cousin - in his Beverly Hills mansion. Reinvent themselves or stay the same?
So weird to meet their stepmother's brother at Dad's wake - he's just a bit older than the sisters. Theo and Grace visit all her favorite places one last time before she moves to L.A. and he heads back east to college. They were getting along so well...
Sometimes, Grace feels like the parent as big sister is dramatic to extremes and mom is artistic, laid-back. For them, being in Cousin Auggie's guesthouse is starting anew; for shy Grace, it's anguishing to change, no matter how nice their cousin's young starlet wife is to them.
Hallie can't wait to start her acting career, but agencies won't even let her in the door. A chance encounter on the beach gets her into an exclusive circle of young actresses where she meets Dakota, lead singer for the hottest band, new love of her life! She'll be his inspiration now, and life is very, very good. Never mind scarred Brandon next door, offering to photograph her for agency headshots, trying to get over his tour in Iraq.
Grace stays by the pool at Auggie's all summer, then tries to find her place among the rich and ritzy at her new high school. Her lab partner Harry at least does his share of work and business-builder Palmer is a crazy-fun antidote to the celebrity gossip around them. Mom is so wrapped up in painting a new portrait series that she honestly has no idea what her daughters are experiencing, aside from the careful comments they make during family Sunday brunch.
Will Hallie ever get an audition? Will Dakota stay true to her?
Can Grace get over what might have been with Theo?
What happens when the in-crowd gossip hits a little too close to home?
Yes, this is Sense and Sensibility transplanted into 92010 with all the social posturing and misunderstandings intact - and an added dose of sunscreen, rock music, and current events.
Recommended by: Katy Manck, Librarian-at-Large (retired academic/corporate/school librarian), Gilmer, Texas, USA – blogging young adult books beyond the bestsellers at https://BooksYALove.com
