After finishing Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers, I had to follow it up with a frivolous, light read so I grabbed Jen Calonita’s Secrets of My Hollywood Life:  Family Affairs.  The third title in the Secret series, Calonita gives us an inside peek at Hollywood life from the eyes of a teenage actress.

I first discovered Calonita in 2006 and remember reading the first book on a Saturday afternoon rooting for Kaitlin Burke as she sought to have a normal teenage life in the midst of Hollywood with best friend Liz at her side and battling her antagonistic co-star Sky.

In this third title, Kaitlin’s back and so is Liz, Sky, boyfriend Austin, younger brother Matty, and the rest of Team Burke.  But trouble is brewing on the set of Family Affairs, the television show that Kaitlin has been a member of the cast since she was four years old.  New cast member Alexis is making trouble with her back stabbing ways and is so evil she makes Sky look like a saint.  Kind of.

Kaitlin is trying hard to be Zen thanks to a book she read, but it’s hard when she keeps hearing rumors about the future of Family Affairs which impacts her future as an actress.  Plus she’s feeling that she’s missing out on some of the typical teen milestones — driver’s ed, SATs, looking forward to college — but she’s not sure if she wants to go to college at the risk of jeopardizing her career.

Things come to a head on the set and sparks fly.  I won’t spoil it for you, but trust me when I say that Secrets of My Hollywood Life keeps the reader hooked throughout the 300+ page story.