L. A. Candy (L. A Candy Series #1) »

Lauren Conrad is the star of MTV's number-one hit show, The Hills. She launched her career as a fashion designer in Spring 2008 with the debut of the Lauren Conrad Collection. Lauren has been featured on the covers of Cosmopolitan, Rolling Stone, Seventeen, and Entertainment Weekly, among others. She lives in Los Angeles. This is her first novel.

Los Angeles is all about the sweet life: hot clubs, cute guys, designer . . . everything. 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! Soon Jane is TV's hottest star. Fame brings more than she ever imagined possible for a girl from Santa Barbara free designer clothes, the choicest tables at the most exclusive clubs, invites to Hollywood premieres and she's lapping up the VIP treatment with her eclectic entourage of new pals. But those same friends who are always up for a wild night are also out for a piece of Jane's spotlight. In a city filled with people chasing after their dreams, it's not long before Jane...

Publishers Weekly

In this flawed but fun novel, 19-year-old Jane Roberts, new to Los Angeles, and her best friend Scarlett are discovered by a producer who wants to cast them in a “reality version of Sex and the City.” Jane (who is, in the producer’s eyes, “fresh, innocent, vulnerable. Perfect”) and Scarlett (“a gorgeous brainiac”) jump at the chance to star in L.A. Candy, alongside two other girls: “spoiled, rich heiress” Madison and “loveable ditz” Gaby. Immediately famous, they enjoy new apartments, designer clothes and easy access to L.A. hot spots. Readers get a behind-the-scenes look at the production of a reality show, including how supposedly spontaneous scenes are set up and shot and reshot, presumably inspired by debut author Conrad’s own experiences on The Hills. Jane, who “no longer thought about an outfit as being complete without a mike under her clothes, taped to her skin,” predictably becomes the breakout star of the show and learns the high price of fame. The climactic cliffhanger ending and lack of resolution hurt the book’s ability to stand on its own, but this guilty pleasure should leave readers eager for more. Ages 14–up. (June)