Someday, Someday, Maybe by: Lauren Graham (2013)
344 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: Fiction
Source: The Library
Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository
Goodreads Summary: Franny Banks is a struggling actress in New York City, with just six months left of the three year deadline she gave herself to succeed. But so far, all she has to show for her efforts is a single line in an ad for ugly Christmas sweaters and a degrading waitressing job. She lives in Brooklyn with two roommates-Jane, her best friend from college, and Dan, a sci-fi writer, who is very definitely not boyfriend material-and is struggling with her feelings for a suspiciously charming guy in her acting class, all while trying to find a hair-product cocktail that actually works.
Meanwhile, she dreams of doing "important" work, but only ever seems to get auditions for dishwashing liquid and peanut butter commercials. It's hard to tell if she'll run out of time or money first, but either way, failure would mean facing the fact that she has absolutely no skills to make it in the real world. Her father wants her to come home and teach, her agent won't call her back, and her classmate Penelope, who seems supportive, might just turn out to be her toughest competition yet.
Someday, Someday, Maybe is a funny and charming debut about finding yourself, finding love, and, most difficult of all, finding an acting job.
Meanwhile, she dreams of doing "important" work, but only ever seems to get auditions for dishwashing liquid and peanut butter commercials. It's hard to tell if she'll run out of time or money first, but either way, failure would mean facing the fact that she has absolutely no skills to make it in the real world. Her father wants her to come home and teach, her agent won't call her back, and her classmate Penelope, who seems supportive, might just turn out to be her toughest competition yet.
Someday, Someday, Maybe is a funny and charming debut about finding yourself, finding love, and, most difficult of all, finding an acting job.
My Review
I knew I had to read Someday, Someday, Maybe as soon as I heard that none other than Lauren Graham wrote it. I am a big Gilmore Girls fan. With that said, I was a little nervous about the book because not all actors can write well, but I was worrying for absolutely no reason.
Someday, Someday, Maybe blew me away. It was charming, funny, cute, and just all around a great read and lots of fun. The plot, although it may seem slow at times, flows rather well. I also like the occasional break-up between chapters with pages from Franny’s planner. They are hilarious (although sometimes it was hard to try and decipher her handwriting) and really emphasized who Franny was.
I love the main character Franny, a young woman hoping to make it big as an actress. She is an adorable awkward loveable character. I loved reading the inner dialogue she has with herself, which usually resulted in me laughing or giggling or just feeling embarrassed for her. Franny is somewhat of a mess, although not completely, she is just trying to find her way in the world. I love her courage and her ability to bounce back when things are tough. Did I mention I love when she has the occasional word vomit when she is nervous or trying to make a point? It is hilarious and reminded me of Lorelai from Gilmore Girls. Her roommates are great fun as well. Dan is an aspiring screenwriter and her other roommate Jane is an aspiring movie producer. The trio work well together as roommates. I actually think all of the minor characters are unique and interesting as well.
Graham also did a wonderful job at catching the New York setting just right in my opinion I liked the descriptions of the red carpet, auditions, plays, and everything in between. Not to mention that this book takes place in 1995 and I love that Franny gets excited about call waiting and having an answering machine. I remember those days.
My advice to you is to read it. It won’t take you long to read and I think you will be captivated with Franny’s story of chasing her dream. It is especially perfect for those that find the story of a young aspiring actor interesting, and this one is.
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ReplyDeleteOohh.. This is one of those books that I want to read (because I too am a HUGE Gilmore Girls fan) but never knew what to expect. Loved the review. I'm a huge fan of New York setting. Definitely one to look out for. :)
DeleteKate @ whYAnot
I would give it a shot! :)
DeleteSo I have a confession. Behind-closed-doors, I'm a bit of a theatre geek, so yeah, I'm all about books like this! Not to mention, the early-mid 90's holds a special place in my heart making this book a double-whammy. I think I might have to check this one out!
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking you would enjoy this book then!
DeleteGreat review! I second pretty much everything you said. Even though it was a little slow at points I was totally blown away by how much I liked it! And Franny's planner totally inspired me to keep a planner of my own :)
ReplyDeleteI really liked Franny and I too want an awesome planner and keep it up to date after reading. I'm glad you enjoyed this book as well!
DeleteAhh this sounds like so much fun! I too loved Gilmore Girls and it makes me so happy to see Lauren Graham's book as a success. I don't know when I'll get to it but I'll definitely be reading this one! Great review Kay!!
ReplyDeleteSomeday, Someday, Maybe sounds like a fun and charming book, I had no idea that it was Lauren Graham of Gilmore Girls who wrote it, sounds like a great debut! Great review and thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteOOh! This looks fantastic!
ReplyDelete