"starring me" by krista mcgee

About the book: Kara McKormick is auditioning for the role of a lifetime as the female host of a new teen sketch comedy show. She and nine other girls will live together in Orlando throughout the audition process. What they don't know is that their character, not their acting ability, is what's being examined.

America's Next Star winner Chad Beacon will be the male host of the show. When he agrees to let his parents have the final say in who his costar will be, the network suits think he's crazy. But he knows his parents have his best interests at heart, and he trusts their judgment, so he agrees to let them make the decision before he meets any of the girls ... still, he secretly wishes his costar could be Kara, the spunky redhead he met while visiting his friend Jonathon.

My take: I really enjoyed Starring Me, which is loosely based on the biblical story of Isaac and Rebekah. It's a fun—and funny—story that teens and beyond will enjoy. Though it includes characters from McGee's previous novel First Date, Starring Me can be read without any background knowledge from that book. (I hadn't read it, and I had no trouble following the plot. But reading Starring Me made me want to go back and catch up on what I'd missed!)

Kara is a fantastic leading lady—she's funny, outgoing, caring, and flawed. Because of the nature of the book, I was fairly certain she would become a Christian by book's end, but her journey to faith was much more organic than I expected.

Chad, on the other hand, seems just a bit too perfect. He's really just a supporting character—Kara's best friend Addy (from First Date) has a much larger role than he does—so perhaps his lack of page time kept McGee from fully fleshing out his character. Still, I liked him, and I enjoyed the path the story took.

Starring Me is a book I can wholeheartedly recommend to teens—it's funny, sweet, and full of the truth. 4 stars.

About the author: Krista McGee writes for teens, teaches teens, and more often than not, acts like a teen. She and her family have lived and ministered in Texas, Costa Rica, and Spain. Their current hometown is Tampa, FL. Check out her website for FAQ's, info on her books, and her blog.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."