Movie Star by Lizzie Pepper: A Novel
Written by Hilary Liftin
Narrated by Ariadne Meyers
3/5
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Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
"I've had a million meetings in my acting career, and I had no idea that this would be the one that would change my life forever. I walked into the room, and there was Rob . . . in the flesh."
Actress Lizzie Pepper was America's Girl Next Door and her marriage to Hollywood mega-star Rob Mars was tabloid gold-a whirlwind romance and an elaborate celebrity-studded wedding landed them on the cover of every celebrity weekly. But fame, beauty, and wealth weren't enough to keep their marriage together. Hollywood's "It" couple are over--and now Lizzie is going to tell her side of the story.
Celebrity ghostwriter Hilary Liftin chronicles the tabloids' favorite marriage as Lizzie Pepper realizes that, when the curtain falls, her romance isn't what she and everyone else thought. From her lonely holidays in sumptuous villas to her husband's deep commitment to a disconcertingly repressive mind-body group, Lizzie reveals a side of fame that her fans never get to see. Full of twists and turns, Movie Star by Lizzie Pepper is a breathless journey to the heights of Hollywood power and royalty and a life in the spotlight that is nearly impossible to escape.
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Reviews for Movie Star by Lizzie Pepper
21 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This is a thinly-veiled telling of Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise's whirlwind romance then subsequent marriage and split. I suppose there are enough differences to prevent the author from legal issues, but we all know whose tale she is telling. And what a tale it is! Whatever amount of this story has basis in actual fact, it gave me renewed sympathy but mostly respect, for Katie ("Kate," as he called her, remember? Just like "Lizzie" becomes "Elizabeth" in this book) Holmes. It couldn't have been easy to extract oneself from that world. It's a good reality check to remember that those who are lucky enough to make it big in their field of acting actually give up huge amounts of normalcy in most other areas of their lives.
Worth a summer read, for sure. Fun, but not deep. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chalk this up to an enjoyable speculation of the Tom Cruise/ Katie Holmes relationship. I don't know how much inside information the author had but the story makes you wonder. It all sounds very plausible. A cautionary tale of how fame and money really can't buy happiness.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Lizzie Pepper became a famous actress as a teen -- growing up before America's eyes on her TV show. Eventually Lizzie meets America's most famous movie star, Rob Mars -- and quickly their courtship and marriage becomes tabloid fodder and her life changes forever. At first, Lizzie is head over heels in love with Rob and all that he brings: romance, lavish trips, and instant stardom. But soon, her life is taken over by Rob's wealth and fame -- his constant absences, a complete lack of privacy, and a world overshadowed by Rob's total commitment to One Cell Studio, a form of study and practice that nears cult status. Once they have children, Lizzie begins to doubt everything about their relationship -- and what her husband stands for.
This was a fun book. Written by Hilary Liftin, a celebrity ghostwriter, Lizzie is a really enjoyable and insightful character. The book is clearly supposed to be based on Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. I kept imagining Rob Mars as a creepy twist between Tom Cruise and Rob Lowe, which was a little frightening. The One Cell piece is oddly disconcerting, as it's supposed to be, and made me want to delve more into the weirdness that is Scientology. Lizzie's evolution was fun to read about (I enjoyed, on a personal level, that she had twins) and she remained a realistic and relatable character, despite being elevated to movie star status. It truly makes you think about some of the insanity that movie stars have to go through, especially those that have children. It also gets you thinking about various religious cults and the power they have over people. In the end, probably a 3.5 star book, as it's a quick, fun read, but with a surprising depth behind it in places. After all, in the end, a marriage crumbling is a marriage crumbling, even in Hollywood. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Young actress Lizzie Pepper, a "girl next door" type, finds herself cast in the role of a lifetime when older Hollywood A-lister Rob Mars chooses her to be his real-life wife. Rob is known for his obsessive privacy and involvement in a shadowy self-help group known as One Cell Studio. For her part, Lizzie isn't after money or fame, although she winds up with plenty of both; rather, she wants nothing more than to understand who her husband is beneath his megastar persona. As is usual in stories like this one, everything isn't as it seems.Movie Star by Lizzie Pepper doesn't hide the fact that it is a roman a clef about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes's much-publicized marriage and subsequent divorce. Both of the lead characters are portrayed sympathetically. Rob in particular comes as a pathetic, emotionally limited man, rather than as an unhinged cult follower.This novel is not great literature, but is recommended as an entertaining beach read.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I was provided an Advance Reader Copy by Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review.
This book is “ghostwritten” by Hilary Liftin for Lizzie Pepper, who is a small-time movie star turned big-time paparazzi magnet. Lizzie meets Rob Mars, one of the biggest actors in Hollywood, and they fall madly in love. Some think too madly and quickly. Rob Mars is also a major advocate for a secretive cult-like “community” called One Cell, where they focus heavily on meditation and betterment of self. However, when Lizzie joins One Cell, things slowly spiral out of her control, and she has to find her way out of the community, celebrity, and her beloved husband’s home. This is a great guilty pleasure read, with romance, mystery, and a fight for life.
It would be impossible to ignore the fact that this story is a fictionalized version of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes's relationship. The marriage, the crazy controlling religion, down to the movie roles and relationships that the characters have. There were enough changes to help deny the connections, but it was very easy to spot from very early. Don't get me wrong though -- I found it very interesting as I hadn't followed the story of TomKat, and there are some things that are speculated that the public would not have known.
However, if you look past that, the story is intriguing and it was hard to put down. From the very beginning, I followed Lizzie's emotions. It was easy to see how she became so entrapped in her life of luxury and celebrity. It was also an interesting view into how Hollywood and One Cell/Scientology operate from the inside (allegedly). The end was kind of anti-climactic and less dramatic that I had wanted, but it did tie up most loose ends.