UNRIVALED

Three fame-hungry teens vie for a prize they can win by running nightclubs for an unprincipled mogul, while a young A-list star tries to avoid them.

Layla dreams of going to journalism school, Tommy wants to be a famous musician, and Aster intends to become a famous actress. All three join a competition run by Ira, who wants to promote his string of nightclubs in Los Angeles. The three will try to increase traffic in their assigned clubs especially by attracting celebrities. Meanwhile, 18-year-old Madison, a real celebrity, wants to get out of her relationship with her official boyfriend, Ryan, whose TV series is on the verge of cancellation. Machinations and romantic entanglements ensue. When things blow up and Madison disappears, the teens must scramble to find out what’s going on. Noël aims for the celebrity-hungry chick-lit crowd and scores. Given that her characters tend to be struggling (unsuccessfully) with their already-thin morals, they are interesting if not always likable. With the exception of Iranian Aster, all the principals are white. While the plotting and intrigue keep things moving, the story’s basic premise—of adolescents promoting nightclubs—seems absurd. The cliffhanger ending sets up Volume 2 of this easy-reading and almost defiantly shallow series.

Chick-lit gold.