Review: Spun by Catherine McKenzie

Title: Spun
Author: Catherine McKenzie
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publish Date: April 29, 2014
Source: I received a copy from the PR; however, this did not affect my review.

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "In this funny and touching novella, bestselling author Catherine McKenzie returns to the story of Amber Sheppard, It Girl and celebrity train wreck from McKenzie’s reader-favourite novel, Spin.

Life has been rough for starlet Amber since leaving rehab. She’s been two years sober, but no one seems to believe her -- not the gossip media, not casting agents, and most certainly not her spotlight-loving parents. With her friendships ruined by betrayal and her career at a standstill, Amber’s just trying to get her life back on track. It doesn’t help that her former love, movie star Connor Parks, keeps trying to draw Amber back in, not just to their relationship but to his hard-partying ways. One fateful night, Amber breaks down and agrees to join him on board his private jet as it readies for take-off -- a decision that will change her life forever and expose her to a whole new level of scrutiny and heartbreak."

My Two Cents:

"Spun" is the novella sequel to Catherine McKenzie's "Spin." This book focuses on Amber, the starlet that Katie meets in rehab in "Spin" and is told from Amber's perspective. This is definitely a book that you will appreciate more if you read the first book first. In the first book, you really get to know the characters whereas this book just jumps right in. I really enjoyed the first book so I was excited to read this book. I was definitely not disappointed.

The first book was told from Katie's perspective so I was really excited to see Amber's side of things. Amber is a person who on the outside looks very vain and flaky but on the inside, a lot of it seems like a show so that she can get her way. She is smart and this book shows how she copes with some missteps (both her own and those of her friends and lovers). I don't want to give too much away so excuse me for being vague.

One thing that I really enjoyed about both this book and "Spin" is that McKenzie was able to come up with characters that really felt real to me. In "Spin," Amber sort of seems untouchable because that is how Katie really sees her at first. In this book, we get to see what Amber is like under all of that glossy veneer. The writing of this book is nicely paced and the story left me wanting more of Amber and her sparkly life.

This book would be a great pick when you want a fun read with a fascinating character that you will want to get to know better!