Oh! You Pretty Things by Shanna Mahin (Dutton) is a fun read set in Los Angeles about life on the fringe of celebrity and the people who push you down on their way up. Much like Mahin herself, it is disarming yet bold, witty, and totally on-point.

Oh! You Pretty Things follows Jess as she struggles to make rent and make sense of it all. Her absentee mother, a failed actress, had hoped Jess would become the next Brooke Shields, but it only led to their estrangement. Now, at the ancient age of 30, Jess is a barista/celebrity assistant/aspiring chef. Currently, she’s working for an eccentric and erratic composer who sends his complaints via his manager. As she nears her breaking point, Jess’ culinary skills garner the attention of a rising starlet in need of an assistant. Jess is all too willing to jump ship for the new job, but on this ultra-competitive side of town it may mean jeopardizing some relationships. And then her mom shows up. If only Jess could figure out what she’s up to this time.

Praised for its razor-sharp, inside-the-fishbowl look at Hollywood’s glitzy façade, Oh! You Pretty Things offers a different perspective into the realities of life in L.A. Mahin herself has quite the ties to Hollywood. As third generation Hollywood, Mahin’s L.A. pedigree includes her Oscar-nominated screenwriter grandfather who worked on a slew of classic films ranging from “Gone with the Wind,” the original “Scarface,” and “Show Boat,” and co-founded the Screenwriters Guild. In the new Hollywood tradition, Mahin herself was a celebrity personal assistant before she became a full-time writer.

About Shanna Mahin:

Shanna Mahin is a middle-aged, high school dropout with a fierce desire to overcome what her 9th-grade English teacher predicted would be a lifetime of wasted potential. She mourns his passing for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the missed opportunity to point out that she has finally transcended a lifetime of lousy jobs—including dog walker (which was actually kind of great), cook, telemarketer, celebrity personal assistant, theme restaurant waitress and failed drug dealer, all of which she feels comfortable saying, because the statute of limitations has got to be up by now—to become a bona fide writer. Yep. For money and everything. She lives with her husband and dog in San Diego, California.

Follow the book’s journey on Facebook: Oh! You Pretty Things

And on Instagram @OHYPT

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By Marika Flatt