Play Shop: Let's Pretend Sets

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Having read The Favour, I thought I knew the author’s thought process and where this story was heading but I was way off the mark. This was a lot darker than it’s predecessor. Despite being the woman scorned, I really liked Lily and I was rooting for her to be right about Adam’s demise but was she? Was it murder or just a tragic accident?! For someone like me who has never been to a party where anything stronger than weed was smoked, the lines of cocaine on the table where the wine is usually laid out, was a real eye-opener, though I hope I never experience it. I’d like to keep my septum thanks very much. I really didn’t have any interest in the characters and I also got confused as to who was who, whether related, friend or work. Soon after signing on the dotted line, Adam's dark side starts to surface and their perfect fauxmance turns toxic. I liked how the author focuses on Lily as the central character. I liked how it was written in the first person so you as the reader find out about their secrets and hopes. I also liked their normal interactions with other characters.

Former child star Lily Thane is now a struggling thirty-something actress. Her old stage-school buddy, Adam Harker, is on the brink of making it big, but he needs an appropriate red-carpet companion to seal the deal, and Lily fits the bill. Lily is convinced there's more to his death than meets the eye and turns amateur detective - but is it better to leave the dark side of fame buried? Just when you think it is ending, another story comes through that didn’t even have a real ending to it, felt it was just left hanging.This book started off slowly and took sometime to get into, there was a lot of stuff at the beginning which didn't particularly add to the story, and quite a lot of characters that I found hard to link up. There is a lot in here about the darker side of acting and the route to fame, and for someone who is not living in this world it is all a bit foreign and hard to relate to. Once the story got going I did enjoy reading it, though, and then as I neared the end it became more gripping as I waited to see who had done the crime. This is a contemporary fiction that centres around a young film-star couple, Lily Thane and Adam Harker. Let’s Pretend has been a really eye-opening read portraying the dark side ready lurking behind the outward persona of those in the public eye. Let’s Pretend is a well-written multifaceted novel comprising exceptionally well-developed characters and a tremendous economy of storytelling weaved woven into a brutal psychological thriller. But the brutality has very little to do with gore of upsetting scenes (there are none), but with the choices that our cast of characters will have to live with.

What bothered me was that none of the characters in this book were likeable, not even Lily who we were supposed to root for. Therefore towards the end of the book I didn't really care who was responsible for Adam's death as none of the characters would have been a surprise. This took away a lot of the intrigue from the revelation and the book felt flat at the end. But as she gets swept up in Adam's hedonistic and lascivious lifestyle she also learns more of his secrets. Finally, let’s talk about the theme of the novel: pursuit and loss. Vaughan not only masterfully dissects the world of minor celebrities and the lengths people are willing to take to earn their Warholian 15 minutes of fame. She looks at the intrinsic needs for it. Whether it’s a family tradition, peer pressure, or overbearing parents – fame can be equal to success, regardless of the cost. But becoming famous is only one side of the slightly rusty and misshapen coin. On the flip side, there is a fear of losing it. We’ve all experienced loss, and Laura Vaugh is not afraid to not only remind us what it feels like but that no one is immune to it. A perfect title to the book where no one is quite who they seem. In stage school, Lily makes friends and frenemies that will last her whole life. The main person to benefit from Lily’s false-ness is Adam Harker. He is a gay man trapped in a beautiful body that demands he pays his attentions to girls.

This story is told from the perspective of former childstar Lily Thane, now a somewhat struggling actress in her early thirties. Lily’s old stage-school friend from many moons, Adam Harker is on the brink to huge success, but to keep up appearances needs a ‘trusted’ life companion. This is not intended to be a full statement of all your rights under the Distance Selling Regulations. Full details of your rights under the Distance Selling Regulations are available in the UK from your local Citizens' Advice Bureau or your Local Authority's Trading Standards Office. Within the first few chapters (and as detailed in the synopsis) we learn that Lily finds Adam’s lifeless body in a swimming pool, it’s not clear how this came to be.

Slightly interesting, but with unlovable characters - after a while I wasn't sure whether I wanted the end to be good or not. A lot of the trouble that our 'heroine' got herself into had predictable outcomes, and the twists were also predictable. The end 'reveal' was a bit obvious. I nearly gave three stars, but it wasn't that bad - some may enjoy it. I do find that books with long explaining tags after the titles are normally a let down... It’s awful to think real people out there, actors, singers, sportsman in the eye who think this is still the only option available to them! Many never do come out for fear. A clever, darkly entertaining and suspenseful mystery, yielding an intriguing and immersive, fly-on-the-wall peep behind the showbiz scenes. Intelligent, fun and twisty, with echoes of Taylor Jenkins Reid and Robinne Lee. She signs a 6 month contract to be his "partner" but all that glitters is not gold and the reality of living the celebrity high life with a troubled actor soon proves impossible and she is cast aside. Not long afterwards Adam is found floating dead in a pool. I really liked the latter part of the book as Lily is convinced all is not quite as it seems in terms of Adam’s death. I was intrigued to learn more, just like Lily, and particularly loved the final chapters in this section of the book as there were lots of things that took me by surprise! I would have liked a little more detail as the ending felt a little bit rushed, but I really liked the unexpected turns and thought it was very clever! I also liked how character driven this book was; there were definitely some shady characters along the way!

Let’s Pretend has been a really eye-opening read showing the darkness that can be lurking behind the outward persona of those in the public eye. It definitely acts as a reminder too that you can never know what truly goes on in a relationship unless you are in it; contrary to what the press would have you believe! After a couple of ‘unexpected’ encounters, Adam asks Lily to partake in a fauxmance with him. But not long after signing his NDA and a six month contract, Adam’s dark side starts to surface and things turn toxic!

Laura Vaughan’s debut novel The Favour was one of my favourite books of 2021. Her new book 'Let's Pretend' has the same mix of perception and humour. I found Let’s Pretend a real eye opener into the world of celebrity dating. How true Vaughan’s got the shenanigans that are orchestrated by agents and PR, who knows but I felt the apple she wrote didn’t fall too far from the tree.I really enjoyed this book, though it is sad to imagine that all budding stars behave like this. I really hope not, but I am not naive enough to think it’s all sweetness and light. I look forward to this author’s next book. The sale of customised goods or perishable goods, sealed audio or video recordings, or software, which has been opened.