This is a tricky one. I really liked some aspects of this book, and I really disliked others.

As a millennial, I loved that this was based in the 90s, and I adored the throwback chapter title names. It was such a fun read to go behind the scenes of the film industry during that time. It did seem a bit at times like there were too many things happening at once and not all of them got proper resolutions, and it just seemed completely unbelievable at times, which sometimes took me out of the book.

I had forgotten the FBI investigation part of the description, so when it finally happened in the book (which was more than halfway through), it took me off guard because it seemed like such a turn from the style of book that I was reading up to that point, and the resolution for that storyline was also really weak. Kai as a love interest was just okay. He didn’t have much to do, he was kind of just there for Charity to flirt with.

Overall, it was a fun read, but not one I’d revisit. Now off to watch some classic 90s movies!

Charity Trickett Is Not So Glamorous is the perfect summer read.

Charity Trickett is an assistant on a movie set in Canada and is offered a job in LA finishing up the movie. The story takes us through her move to Hollywood and the travails of the movie industry.

Charity is the kind of character you want to root for and the friends she makes in Hollywood make a wonderful found family for her.

A quick read and a great book that is out June 10.

Oh, Charity. I really wanted to like this book, but it just kept falling flat. Multiple plot points were never resolved or connected to the actual storyline. If the description had avoided the phrase "FBI investigation", I think I would've enjoyed the story much more, as it never delivers on the assumed intrigue I was hoping for. While I appreciate the perspective from a young woman in a male-dominated field (and in the late-90s), I really wish the story had packed more of a punch and taken the time to wrap up some abandoned plotlines.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I first want to say that the cover of this book is so pretty! I knew right away I needed to read this book. I absolutely love a 90s Hollywood themed book, so this had me so excited to read it. I also really like that this is based on true events. The author did a great job depicting what it was like working in Hollywood during that time. The things the main character had to deal with were appalling! The Romance aspect of the book added such a nice touch. Overall, such a good book!

I did not finish this one because it was not for me at all.

Its a nostalgic, based on a true story, 90s hollywood thing.
Which I think misses me because I was a baby in the 90s and I don't have the whole Y2K interest in it.

Charity is a film assistant in Canada, drives through the night to visit her boyfriend and he's in bed with another woman *shocker*.
Then the classic, I thought you broke up with her, I did its over, what are you talking about.
Predictable and done to death.

Then she at a club cuddling a huge star and her boss offers her a huge job in Hollywood.
This joyful moment is ruined by the female assistant director saying shes seen a lot of assistants come and go.
In others words throwing her influence around and that was as much as I could stomach.

If you were a teen or young adult in the 90s it will be nostalgic.
If your into the whole Y2K thing you'll probably love it.

Its just not for me

This book was so much fun. There were times in the book for me when it just lagged but the humor in the book kept me going. It was such a fun read and made me laugh out loud multiple times.

Charity Trickett is Not So Glamorous
4/5 stars

Set in 1997, Charity Trickett is Not So Glamorous follows Charity Trickett, a recent film school grad who lands what seems like a dream job working for a big-shot director. But her dream job isn’t so dreamy.

The book is fast-paced and filled with awkward and funny moments. I even physically cringed a couple of times. Charity deals with toxic coworkers, disappearing paychecks, romantic drama, and even an FBI investigation. Some parts feel a little dramatic, but that’s also part of the appeal.

Many readers on compare it to Bridget Jones’s Diary, which I could totally see. It can feel like Charity never catches a break. But her determination keeps you rooting for her. Charity Trickett is Not So Glamorous is out June 10th, 2025!

I found this to be a cutesy throwback to the 1990’s. I read another book that tried to do something similar but it felt overkill. This book, I thought had the throwbacks blended in nicely and I appreciated the accuracy of it all.
I found Charity to be incredibly likeable and Saffron the perfect villain. I appreciated the secondary characters and the attention to detail the author gave to everything Charity was doing and going through.
I thought the romance part with Kai was second fiddle to the book as a whole and I wished for more details about their relationship throughout the book but ultimately, the book was really fast paced and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

This book was fun. I needed a fun book to read after some heavier things that I had been reading.
It was also so nostalgic!
If you grew up in the 90s.. man, this will take you back! All the references.. so fun.
This is almost like reading a movie you would have watched back in the 90s.
Misadventure with emotional moments all mixed in.
Charity wants to be in film and isn't giving up easily.
She works for a big-time director on a blockbuster set.
She has mishaps, all those awkward moments, and of course, an almost catastrophic event.
There is wittiness, vulnerability, optimism, and RESILIENCE to Charity.
The reader roots for Charity throughout the entire book.
We also got those learning moments, like in most of our '90s films and TV shows. Some ethical challenges, struggling to keep afloat (financial struggle), co-workers who made life far more difficult than it needed to be, and running around with your "hair on fire," as my boss calls it.
Overall, this was a lighthearted, fun, and enjoyable book. A little serious but not much.
It was a quick read.
We have all been Charity in our 20s to some extent.
I think this is a great poolside book for the summer.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Happy Reading!

Thank you, Netgalley for another read. Unfortunately, this book is on my "did not finish" pile. I tried to like the story but I am not a big fan of the plotline. It is a pretty slow plot in my opinion.

This was a fun book about the thrills (or lack thereof) of Hollywood. You follow Charity, a film assistant, as she moves from Vancouver to Hollywood with a coworker to attempt to make it big. Along the way, she learns more about herself than she’d ever know. This was a fun spin on mid-2000s culture and an enjoyable, lighthearted read.

This is a cute, fun, lighthearted novel that is a great look back at the optimism of the '90s and what it's like to be young and just starting out in your career. Charity Trickett is a Canadian assistant on a film in Vancouver where she is hired by the film's director to be his assistant in LA. She packs up her life and moves to Hollywood where initially her star is rising and then she quickly finds out how cutthroat and brutal the film industry is- handled humorously though!

While Charity encounters many difficult and awkward situations- including incredibly mean and unfair bosses and studio executives- this book is very lighthearted and doesn't dwell on the negative. Charity is very matter of fact and resourceful and despite the nature of Hollywood, she does have kind people and genuine friends in her circle. Some of it was a little too "twee" and Charity a little bit of an irritating "quirky girl" at times with a lot of suspicious good luck that can only happen to a fictional character, but that didn't detract too much from the story.

The author is an actual former MGM assistant who experienced similar circumstances to Charity. I like that this book offers an actual behind the scenes look of what working in the film industry is actually like even if a lot of Charity's luck and plot armor seems unrealistic. I wish that some of the characters were developed more and were not just props in Charity's life. Her best friend "Pup" is essentially ditched in the book which may be realistic, but also wasn't really addressed.

I would definitely recommend this for someone looking for a fun, lighthearted read, without much serious conflict.

Many thanks to SparkPress and to NetGalley for this ARC to review. This review is my honest opinion.

I really wanted to love this as the storyline sounded like a fun beach read and I live in Los Angeles and really enjoy stories that take place in Hollywood. However, I just could not get into it. The writing felt a bit unorganized and it was difficult for me to identify Charity as a character. The story also started off very.. horny? And I don't think that was the best tone to kick things off with.

I received a free copy vi NetGalley for an honest review.

I want to start with saying I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun easy read and I flew through it. The characters are great. And a minor thing but I loved the chapter titles being a nod to 90's pop culture elements. I am embarrassed to admit that it took me almost 10 chapters to catch on. I think it was Cruel Intentions followed by Poetic Justice that did it for me.
With all of that being said I didn't feel satisfied at the end of the story. It felt like some of the major plot points were full realized or maybe just anticlimactic. I think this could have been a five star read but it didn't quite get there. I hope based on the ending that there is a sequel and we can see more about where Charity Trickett's life has taken her.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Charity Trickett totally stole my heart. She’s sweet, genuine, and just trying to follow her dreams without stepping on anyone’s toes — which is easier said than done when she lands a new “promotion” as the assistant to a hotshot Hollywood director 🎬✨ So she packs up, moves to L.A., and sets her sights on screenwriting glory…

But just when things start falling into place, the FBI shows up — and suddenly she’s being investigated and wondering if orange really is the new black. 🧡🚔

This book had me laughing out loud at the beginning and fully in my feelings by the end. I felt like I was right there with Charity — navigating the chaos, the hope, the fear, and all the messy in-between moments. Her interactions with the other characters were SO well done, and the writing just sparkled.

One of my favorites of the year so far — you don’t want to miss this one!! 📚

oh this book was so wonderful. i cant explain all as to why that was either. because its weird how much i related and was comforted by this tale and yet its definitely does seem to relate to my life at all.
the front cover firstly is just gorgeous. the softness, the lettering, the character at the bottom. it just held my eyes and bought me into what i new was going to be a wonderful read. and as i said above, it just was. in all its glory this book is full of magical chaos. we are bought characters we love and dont like so much (you know who you are) and we are taken into an industry that shoved people aside and down wholes! its an industry so blooming dark but books like this make it so much more of a manageable place to read about.
dont get me wrong i still felt so much for our Charity. but thats what makes her all the more a quickly loved character. because you just want to hug and hold her tight and make sure she comes out of this industry alive.
its full of such emotional maturity and honest words that have your heart in an aching hold. but the lightness is there too. all the way through Christine picks you back up right when you need to be.
the book covered many important topics but did so with whip smart direction and plot points. its not cliche, too heavy but neither does it shy away from some truly important societal awfulness.
and through it all our warm and naive Charity is there. getting up and trying once again to make it.
a book so perfect i could ask for more from it. just what i needed.

This book is set in Hollywood in the 90s and follows Charity Trickett as she tries to make it as a writer. It’s loosely based on the authors actual life as an MGM assistant. This book was a fun read! There were a lot of 90s pop culture references, which I loved! I really loved most of the characters and their interactions with each other! There were definitely some characters that I think you’re meant to hate(mostly Saffron). I also really enjoyed the romance between Charity and Kai. My only issue with that is, like with most romances, they fall in love abnormally fast. But they were cute together and I enjoyed every scene with them!

The book ended somewhat abruptly. I wish we had at least one more chapter or an epilogue to know what happened at the end. I’m hoping that this will lead into a second book following Charity and all of her adventures in Hollywood!

Thank you so much NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!!

saying this with all due respect to the author knowing this story was based off of something that happened to her... but the writing started to fall flat about 25% of the way in. at first it was kinda fun and quirky but then just became... not great. the story was all over the place and i definitely felt like certain plot lines never got the closure they needed! specifically wtf was going on with saffron because it was built up as sabotage and then nothing came of it?? anyway, i had been looking forward to this because the premise sounded fun but i ended up just not really enjoying it

Charity Trickett seems like the girl everyone would want to be friends with. She is friendly, bubbly, and not afraid to pursue her dreams. She has a dream to be a screenwriter and producer, but sometimes you have to start at the bottom of the food chain. That is exactly where this story starts. The setting is 1990’s Hollywood. Charity is the assistant for one of the biggest movie producers in the industry. She has the right connections and the grit to make things happen. Unfortunately, being an assistant means she is “expected” to do whatever task her boss sees fit for her, putting her in a risky spot. Her boss’ request could cost the company millions of dollars and ruin Charity’s career in film.

This is a great book for film industry lovers. There is a bit of romance, but that isn’t the focus of the book. The content is clean other than the language used. I found this to be an entertaining read. The chapter titles felt very nostalgic.

This would make a great series in books and tv. I look forward to more content by Christine Stringer.