Monday, April 22, 2013

Review: Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham

Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham
Series: Standalone
Published: April 30th, 2013
Publisher: Ballantine Books
352 pages (e-ARC)
Genre: Contemporary women’s fiction/chick lit
Acquired this book: From the publisher via NetGalley
Warning: May contain spoilers
{GoodReads || Buy this book: Book Depository || Amazon || Chapters/Indigo}

From Lauren Graham, the beloved star of Gilmore Girls and Parenthood, comes a witty, charming, and hilariously relatable debut novel about a struggling young actress trying to get ahead―and keep it together―in New York City.

It’s January 1995, and Franny Banks has just six months left of the three-year deadline she set for herself when she came to New York, dreaming of Broadway and doing “important” work. But all she has to show for her efforts so far is a part in an ad for ugly Christmas sweaters, and a gig waiting tables at a comedy club. Her roommates―her best friend Jane, and Dan, an aspiring sci-fi writer―are supportive, yet Franny knows a two-person fan club doesn’t exactly count as success. Everyone tells her she needs a backup plan, and though she can almost picture moving back home and settling down with her perfectly nice ex-boyfriend, she’s not ready to give up on her goal of having a career like her idols Diane Keaton and Meryl Streep. Not just yet. But while she dreams of filling their shoes, in the meantime, she’d happily settle for a speaking part in almost anything—and finding a hair product combination that works.

Everything is riding on the upcoming showcase for her acting class, where she’ll finally have a chance to perform for people who could actually hire her. And she can’t let herself be distracted by James Franklin, a notorious flirt and the most successful actor in her class, even though he’s suddenly started paying attention. Meanwhile, her bank account is rapidly dwindling, her father wants her to come home, and her agent doesn’t return her calls. But for some reason, she keeps believing that she just might get what she came for.

Someday, Someday, Maybe is a story about hopes and dreams, being young in a city, and wanting something deeply, madly, desperately. It’s about finding love, finding yourself, and perhaps most difficult of all in New York City, finding an acting job.


Lauren Graham has been one of my favourite actresses since 2000 when I was first introduced to her as Lorelei Gilmore on what would become one of my all-time favourite TV shows, Gilmore Girls. When I discovered she had written a book I was both excited and slightly wary. Many actors who decide to start writing should clearly stick with their day jobs, and I’ll admit I was afraid that would be true of Graham. Thankfully my concerns were unnecessary.

All of the charm and wit we see in Graham on the TV/movie screen translated into her debut novel, Someday, Someday, Maybe. I could almost hear her voice in my head while I was reading, as if we were friends and she was telling me about these crazy things that were happening to her. I’m not sure how much of the story is fiction and how much she took from her own experience, but to me Franny was Lauren, and I could picture the entire story with absolute clarity.

Franny was a great character. She was funny, smart, and determined, and I enjoyed watching her learn and grow. She discovered a lot about herself throughout the course of the book, and also about the people around her. Life doesn’t always take the direction you expect, and while sometimes it can be frustrating and heartbreaking, other times it can be the best thing in the world. 

The secondary characters were also terrific and well fleshed-out, from Franny's roommates to her dad to her friends and fellow actors. I particularly enjoyed how things played out with the romance - I won’t say too much because I don’t want to be spoiler-y, but I liked that it wasn’t the main focus of the book, and I also appreciated what it taught Franny and how it was an unexpected bonus in her life during a difficult time. 

I loved the setting of the book and getting to experience New York City in the ’90s. New York is always one of my favourite settings for books, and Graham made me feel like I was there. Through Franny’s experiences, I felt like I got an inside look at acting - the highs, the lows, the people, the crazy things you have to do sometimes. It was interesting to get that behind-the-scenes look, and to see that it’s not all glamorous, but that acting is indeed an art.
 
Quirky, laugh-out-loud funny, charming, and surprisingly touching, Someday, Someday, Maybe was a solid debut from Lauren Graham. I sincerely hope this multi-talented woman plans to write more novels in the future!

*I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*  

Have you read Someday, Someday, Maybe? What did you think? Are you a fan of Lauren Graham?

Any fellow diehard Gilmore Girls fans out there? This is one of my top 5 favourite shows of all time. It meant so much to me (still does), and I could talk about it for ages. So let's talk!
Also, have you seen the Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge? I haven't made it very far yet but I'm plugging away!
 
 

2 comments:

  1. Ahhh, SO happy that you liked this one. I was so afraid - like you said - that even though Lauren SEEMS awesome, her writing might not be. But the fact that you liked Franny, and thought she grew, and that the secondary characters were fleshed out...YEAH. Those are all huge wins for me. Can't wait to read this one!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This was another book I bought this month with my book budget and after reading this review,I am optimistic. I love Lauren Graham and so I had to buy her book BUT like you I was a little apprehensive.

    ReplyDelete

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~Marie

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