Laura Hankin immerses us into the private lives of stars in her nostalgic new novel The Daydreams (May 2) which has been described as “Daisy Jones in the Britney/Justin era” and “The OC meets High School Musical“. Umm, we are SOLD. This book is addictive, hilarious, twisty, and better than a stack of juicy tabloids.
In Hankin’s novel, it’s 2004 and the television show The Daydreams had everything a popular teen show needed: The perfect cast of actors/singers, high ratings, and a romance that kept its viewers guessing and obsessing. When the show imploded during a live-streaming of the season two finale, no one could understand what went wrong. Afterwards, the four stars went their separate ways. When fans demand a reunion special years later, cast-members Liana, Noah, Kat and Summer, come together again—some for love, some for revenge, and some for forgiveness. As the magic of the show begins to remerge, so do old secrets, and the real reason for their downfall starts to become more clear.
Our May guest author Laura Hankin is an author, screenwriter, and performer. She has written two other books, Happy & You Know It and A Special Place for Women, and also writes songs for her musical comedy duo “Feminarchy” which has been featured in outlets like The Washington Post and the New York Times.
The Book…
I am currently reading: Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
I recommend to everyone: I’m on a streak of recommending How Not To Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz
That was my favorite to read last year, and why: Ghosts by Dolly Alderton. It was so relatable, while being absolutely hilarious and moving. Oh wait, but also Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, like everyone else!
Whose author I would love to have lunch with: Taylor Jenkins Reid. I love her work and she seems very fun, so I’d love to geek out over pop culture with her.
That made me realize language had power: This wasn’t the first one to make me realize it, but one I read recently that made this hit home for me was The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. Not all that much happens plot-wise, but the language was so perfectly chosen that by the end, I was weeping.
I’d like to see adapted to the screen: I think a film adaptation of Stone Cold Fox by Rachel Koller Croft would be VERY fun.
That made me laugh out loud—or cry—while reading it: Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto had me cackling.
That has the most gorgeous cover: This one’s so hard, but maybe Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez (though I have to say that I think my cover designers for The Daydreams also knocked it out of the freaking park).
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