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A STARLET'S SECRET TO A SENSATIONAL AFTERLIFE by Kendall Kulper

A STARLET'S SECRET TO A SENSATIONAL AFTERLIFE

by Kendall Kulper

Pub Date: May 23rd, 2023
ISBN: 9780823453610
Publisher: Holiday House

A mystical noir romance set in 1930s Hollywood.

Eighteen-year-old Henrietta is determined to make it in Hollywood. After a string of bad luck, she lands a dream contract at Silver Wing Studios. She is paired with surly Declan, a stuntman with the amazing ability to avoid injury even when jumping off buildings or being run over by a wagon, who is to pose as her love interest for media purposes. Henny is thrilled to land a starring role, but tragically her friend Midge, another actor, goes missing. Only Henny knows that Midge is not back home in New York as is being reported but is actually dead: She is being visited by Midge’s ghost. She also sees the ghosts of other young starlets who have disappeared. After a fraught beginning, Declan, who is secretly working with a private eye who’s looking for one of the missing girls, teams up with Henny to figure out what is happening to young women in Hollywood. Full of high-stakes tension, this exploration of what happens when powerful men don’t get what they want will resonate with ongoing conversations about women’s vulnerability in the entertainment industry. Refreshingly, Henny is no damsel in distress, and the simmering enemies-to-lovers romance with Declan, whose hard exterior disguises a heart of gold, is rewarding. Main characters are White.

An atmospheric page-turner with real-world resonance.

(Historical paranormal. 13-18)