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Well, John Green is baaaaaaaack!
Over the weekend, I finished reading Green’s latest novel, “Hollywood, Ending,” his first adult novel and his first novel in nine years… whew!
If you’re not familiar with Green, he’s best-known for his young adult novels, such as “The Fault in Our Stars” and “Looking for Alaska”
I’ve read all of Green’s books, including his non-fiction and any co-authored books. I truly have and will read anything he writes!
When he announced he was releasing an adult novel, I think we all wondered whether we’d love it as much as his other books.
Okay, so let’s get into it.
What is ‘Hollywood, Ending’ about?
This book follows two young actors who are navigating fame, relationships, and the cost of living in the public eye.
The two main characters, Kai and Juniper, are co-stars in a film about Andy Warhol. The film’s popularity puts a spotlight on them, their careers, and their pasts, whether they approve or not.
Kai and Juniper develop a friendship as they navigate new challenges in their acting careers.
My thoughts: what worked for me
Admittedly, it took me a little while (okay, almost half the book) to feel invested in this story.
I struggled to care about the characters until more of their backstory was revealed. Don’t get me wrong: Green’s writing is still TOP TIER 🙂 The book is beautifully written!
What I really enjoyed about this book (aside from the writing) is the Warhol angle. Putting the characters in a Warhol movie let a secondary story (also about the cost of fame) come through.
In the book’s acknowledgments, Green says his wife is a Warhol scholar, so he could use her as a resource for those parts of the book, and I find that so sweet and cool.
Overall, I think this book offers food for thought on the price of fame, particularly for young actors and actresses. It also made me think a lot about how, if you’re a creator, you often have to seek methods to market your work that may not align with your personal values.
It also made me think about all the press we see when a movie is being promoted: how much of what people say in those interviews is real versus just trying to get us to buy movie tickets?
In the age of online living, social media, and the like, I think we’re all aware of how little we really know about anyone, celebrity or not.
As someone who shares my life online through my writing, it’s sometimes hard for me to understand how people think they know my entire life, my motivations, or what my day-to-day is like, because I still choose not to share a lot.
i wonder sometimes if I enjoy fucking up my life, if there’s something way down deep within me that wants to see everything torn to rags, that wants to walk away calmly from the explosion of my self.
How does ‘Hollywood, Ending’ compare to John Green’s other books?
My immediate thought when I finished this book was: wow, that was a little darker than I was anticipating.
But then I realized most of Green’s books cover difficult topics, including Cancer, OCD, teenage death, tuberculosis, etc., and he handles them well.
I felt like I didn’t DEVOUR this book like I have his others, but that’s likely more about me and my current state of mind than anything.
This book is just as beautifully written as his other books; the only difference for me was that I didn’t immediately feel connected to the characters.
Overall, though, I enjoyed this book, and I’ll be thinking about it for a long time. It also made me want to learn more about Andy Warhol, and I’ve already checked out a book on him from the library!
I’d recommend this book to anyone who’s already a fan of Green’s writing, but also to fans of character-driven contemporary fiction, anyone interested in celebrity culture and social media’s influence, and readers who enjoy romance with heavier emotional themes.
Have you read this book? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts 🙂
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