{2015 TBR Pile Challenge Review} SOMEDAY, SOMEDAY, MAYBE by Lauren Graham

Kathy's Review:

(Copied with her permission from her personal blog, Grown Up Book Reports)

You probably know Lauren Graham from her roles on television in shows like Gilmore Girls and Parenthood. However, she is also a writer – and a funny one at that!

I chose this for one of my 2015 TBR Pile Reading Challenge books because, as a huge fan of Parenthood, I was interested in what Graham had to say as a writer. I was not disappointed.

This book reads like a rom-com from start to finish. Our heroine, Franny, is trying to make it as an actress in New York. She’s goofy and clumsy and completely lacking in self-esteem. However, she has real acting talent and is starting to get noticed. James, for instance, an actor in her class, notices her. The two start to date – and by date, I mean they go hook up at his place. And then there’s Dan, her roommate, who has a girlfriend, but seems to wish he could be with her. She’s pretty much got him friendzoned.

As Franny’s career starts to take off, she sees the ugly side to show business and looks for support from James. An actor himself, he makes her an offer that shocks her. It’s obvious Dan is who she should be with. Dan and Franny even go see a romantic comedy in the theater and Dan draws a comparison to Franny’s life, which she refuses to even indulge.

The ending is sort of ambiguous, but it looks like she is going down the right path. She’s an endearing character, with her calendar pages that have her doodles and notes from her weeks that took place during the story. We want her to do well but we also are amused by her missteps. She’s like the one friend you have that something crazy is always happening to. We like to have those kinds of friends because of the stories we get from them.

Good stuff from Ms. Graham. It’s funny, light and smart. I wonder how much of this is drawn from her own life and struggle to make it? I’m sure she has seen similar situations to what she has described in the book – the auditions, the agencies that won’t call you back for weeks… it all seems very accurate and well described. Bravo.