Trashy Book Roundup

One of my best friends recently got her wisdom teeth out. My best friend in the whole world is going to Israel for a few weeks soon. These events called for the three of us hanging out and eating ice cream! We were going to watch a movie, but were too tired to sit through one. So we decided to watch a few episodes of a TV show. Being the fan of horrible TV, I suggested Laguna Beach Season 1. First of all, I never actually watched Laguna Beach, I've only seen a few random episodes. Second of all, it's incredibly interesting.

If I had watched it five or six years ago when it first aired, I wouldn't find it this interesting. Although their clothes are pretty hilarious (pocketless jeans, anyone?) that's not the most interesting part. I love seeing Lauren, Lo and Kristin as young, naive high schoolers. When these episodes were being filmed, they had NO idea that they'd end up where they are now. I wish there were a documentary that showed them getting ready to film the show, them filming the show, and then them now. I just want to know what was going through their heads! What were they expecting to happen? Why did they do it? I'm sure I could find snippets of interviews that briefly explain this, but I want a full documentary or book!

I thought that maybe I could find answers to these questions by reading both of Lauren Conrad's books, LA Candy and Sweet Little Liars. If we're going to be real, they're pretty bad. I actually read the first one pretty quickly, but I had to force myself to get through Sweet Little Liars. It's obviously based almost directly off of her life, but is more similar to The Hills than Laguna Beach. After finishing LA Candy, I was still looking for another book that would answer these questions, or just offer possible answers!

I finally found the perfect book, The Real Real by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, the authors of The Nanny Diaries. It's basically Laguna Beach in a book, with all of the behind the scenes gossip! It's listed for 9th grade and up, but I don't even care. I LOVED IT and I read it the summer after graduating from high school! It was so much better than LA Candy, which is basically Lauren's autobiography drawn out into two books. I think there may be more coming. I hope not, because then I'll be tempted to read them and waste my time! Anyway, the point is, that The Real Real offers a look at the "real" high schoolers on the show (in the book, they're on "The Real Hampton Beach") and how they deal with all the cameras, microphones, and drama of the show itself. If you are looking for something extremely light to read this summer, read The Real Real!