Birds of California: A Novel
"Exquisite and delicious. . . Katie Cotugno has outdone herself." —Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of Daisy Jones & The Six and Malibu Rising
Sparks fly and things get real in this sharply sexy and whip-smart romantic comedy set against the backdrop of a post #metoo Hollywood from New York Times bestselling author Katie Cotugno
Former child actor Fiona St. James dropped out of the spotlight after a spectacularly public crash and burn. The tabloids called her crazy and self-destructive and said she’d lost her mind. Now in her late twenties, Fiona believes her humiliating past is firmly behind her. She’s finally regained a modicum of privacy, and she won’t let anything—or anyone—mess it up.
Unlike Fiona, Sam Fox, who played her older brother on the popular television show Birds of California, loves the perks that come with being a successful Hollywood actor: fame, women, parties, money. When his current show gets cancelled and his agent starts to avoid his calls, the desperate actor enthusiastically signs on for a Birds of California revival. But to make it happen, he needs Fiona St. James.
Against her better judgment, Fiona agrees to have lunch with Sam. What happens next takes them both by surprise. Sam is enthralled by Fiona’s take-no-prisoners attitude, and Fiona discovers a lovable goofball behind Sam’s close-up-ready face. Long drives to the beach, late nights at dive bars . . . theirs is the kind of kitschy romance Hollywood sells. But just like in the rom-coms Fiona despises, there’s a twist that threatens her new love. Sam doesn’t know the full story behind her breakdown. What happens when she reveals the truth?
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Community Reviews
Fiona and Sam argued and made up constantly, and I knew that per the pattern in most romances there would be one huge final blowout fight before they made up and lived happily ever after. And while this indeed happened, the resolution was too quick. After one short conversation that mostly consisted of them joking around they were in love again and the book was suddenly over. The ending felt rushed and left a lot of details unfinished. Why couldn't Sam ever book a part? Was he able to keep his apartment and find some money? What happened to his mom? Did Fiona's dad ever get better? And what was the reaction to Erin's article? Who knows? Certainly not me and evidently not the author of the book either. I kept flipping the last pages of the book to look for an epilogue that would surely sum everything up and show readers how the story ended but nope, the story just ends. Over and done with no real character development, resolution, or any kind of serious conversation about the central issue of the book pertaining to the #metoo movement.
My real rating would be 2.5 stars.
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