Do you love Hollywood novels? Movie stars. Luxury homes. A life of glamour. Even if you can’t go to California or star in a movie, you can experience this magical world any time you want just by opening a book. Here’s a list of my absolute favorite glamorous Hollywood novels.
The Best Hollywood Novels:
Behind the Scenes, Dahlia Adler (YA, Romance)
High school senior Ally Duncan’s best friend may be the Vanessa Park – star of TV’s hottest new teen drama – but Ally’s not interested in following in her BFF’s Hollywood footsteps until her father’s mounting medical bills threaten to stop her dream in its tracks, Ally nabs a position as Van’s on-set assistant to get the cash she needs. Spending the extra time with Van turns out to be fun, and getting to know her sexy co-star Liam is an added bonus.
Hollywood Wives, Jackie Collins (Adult, Romance)
Collins’s ninth novel, and her most successful, selling over 15 million copies. “Hollywood Wives” tells the stories of several women in Hollywood, ranging all the way from long-time talent agents and screenwriters to vivacious screen vixens and young, innocent newcomers. After the novel’s international success, it was adapted as a television miniseries by producer Aaron Spelling that aired on ABC in February 1985. It was a ratings hit, and one of the most successful mini-series of the 1980s.
Taffy Sinclair Goes to Hollywood, Betsy Haynes (MG, Romance)
Taffy Sinclair from the popular middle grade series “The Fabulous Five” gets her own book! Taffy lands the starring role in a movie titled Nobody Like Tiffany Stafford. While Taffy’s playing the part of the beautiful blond heroine, some of her co-stars become jealous, and she discovers that not all of the villains are in the script.
Teen Idol, Meg Cabot (YA, Romance)
High school junior Jenny Greenley is so good at keeping secrets that she’s the school newspaper’s anonymous advice columnist. She’s so good at it that, when hotter-than-hot Hollywood star Luke Striker comes to her small town to research a role, Jenny is the one in charge of keeping his identity under wraps. But Luke doesn’t make it easy, and soon everyone – the town, the paparazzi, and the tabloids alike – know his secret . . . and Jenny is caught right in the middle of all the chaos.
Flavor of the Month, Olivia Goldsmith (Adult, Romance)
Mary Jane Moran was an ambitious New York stage actress who lost the role of a lifetime and the one man she loved—all because Hollywood thought she was too plain and too old to star in the movies. But two years, forty pounds, sixty-seven thousand dollars, and a full round of nips, tucks, lipos, and implants later, the Broadway gypsy moth emerged a gorgeous butterfly with a new name and a new body and ripe for the big time. Now MJ and her two co-starlets-in-arms—ruthless L.A. native Lila Kyle and sweet Texas belle Sharleen Smith—are making their move on the West Coast.
LA Candy, Lauren Conrad (NA, Romance)
Nineteen-year-old Jane Roberts can’t wait to start living it up. She may be in L.A. for an internship, but Jane plans to play as hard as she works, and has enlisted her BFF Scarlett to join in the fun. When Jane and Scarlett are approached by a producer who wants them to be on his new series, a “reality version of Sex and the City,” they can hardly believe their luck. Their own show? Yes, please! But in a city filled with people chasing after their dreams, it’s not long before Jane wakes up to the reality that everyone wants something from her, and nothing is what it seems to be.
Gossip Girl by Cecily Von Ziegesar (Young Adult, Romance)
Okay, so it’s New York, not California, but otherwise it’s just as glamorous as any Hollywood novel on this list. The #1 New York Times bestselling series inspired the original hit CW show and the HBO Max series and is a lot of fun. Serena van der Woodsen is back from boarding school — but is she still the Upper East Side’s It Girl? You’ll have to read the book to find out and learn why she left in the first place.
When It’s Real by Erin Watt (Young Adult, Romance)
When music meets Hollywood glamour. Under ordinary circumstances, Oakley Ford and Vaughn Bennett would never even cross paths.There’s nothing ordinary about Oakley. This bad-boy pop star’s got Grammy awards, millions of fangirls and a reputation as a restless, too-charming troublemaker. But with his home life disintegrating, his music well suddenly running dry and the tabloids having a field day over his outrageous exploits, Oakley needs to show the world he’s settling down—and who better to help him than Vaughn, a part-time waitress trying to help her family get by? Posing as his girlfriend, Vaughn will overhaul Oakley’s image from troublemaker to serious artist. In return for enough money to put her brothers through college, she can endure outlandish Hollywood parties and carefully orchestrated Twitter exchanges. She’ll fool the paparazzi and the groupies. She might even start fooling herself a little. Because when ordinary rules no longer apply, there’s no telling what your heart will do…
Geekerella by Ashley Poston (Young Adult, Romance)
Even if it doesn’t talk place exactly in Hollywood, it’s got a big time, swoonworthy movie star as the main love interest. This is one of my favorite 5 star reads! Geek girl Elle Wittimer lives and breathes Starfield, the classic sci-fi series she grew up watching with her late father. So when she sees a cosplay contest for a new Starfield movie, she has to enter. The prize? An invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball, and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. With savings from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck (and her dad’s old costume), Elle’s determined to win…unless her stepsisters get there first. Teen actor Darien Freeman used to live for cons—before he was famous. Now they’re nothing but autographs and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Carmindor is all he’s ever wanted, but the Starfield fandom has written him off as just another dumb heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, Darien feels more and more like a fake—until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise.
Stalk Me (Keatyn Chronicles) by Jillian Dodd (Young Adult, Romance)
This guilty pleasure series follows the life of Keatyn, the daughter of a movie star with swoon-worthy characters and suspense set in a glittering celebrity world. Keatyn has everything she ever dreamed. Her life is following the script she wrote for the perfect high school experience. She’s popular, goes to the best parties, dates the hottest guy, and sits at the most-coveted lunch table. She’s just not sure she wants it anymore. Because, really, things aren’t all that perfect. To add to the drama, her movie star mom has a creepy stalker. A hot, older man flirts with her and tells her they should make a movie together. And she’s crushing on an adorable surfer. Dating him would mean committing social suicide. So she writes a new script. One where all the pieces of her life will come together in perfect harmony. But little does she know, the stalker will do anything to make sure that doesn’t happen.
For more winter fashion styles and book recs make sure to check out Cold Weather Must-Haves for Outdoor Reading. What are your favorite Hollywood novels? Share them in the comments below!
