According to a Source: A Novel

by Abby Stern

Overview

"A delicious novel." —People

Abby Stern's According to a Source is a juicy, big-hearted novel about a young woman who loses herself in a fast-paced, glamorous world where finding your authentic self isn’t easy.

Ella Warren loves her job working for celebrity news magazine, The Life, as an undercover reporter. Her evenings are spent using her alias to discreetly attend red carpet events, nightclubs, and Hollywood hotspots like the fabulous Chateau Marmont, where her eyes are always peeled for the next big celebrity story.

When Ella’s new boss starts a not-so-friendly competition among the reporters to find an exclusive story or be fired, the stakes are higher than ever. But is being in Hollywood’s elite inner circle worth jeopardizing her friendship with budding actress Holiday Hall and her relationships with her boyfriend and her family? As the competition grows fiercer, her life becomes intertwined in a public scandal that may cost her everything.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250181732
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	06/19/2018
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	682,017
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

ABBY STERN has been a Hollywood insider and freelance celebrity reporter for over nine years. She has covered red carpets and interviewed A-list celebrities for People Magazine, among other places. According to a Source is her first novel.

Editorial Reviews

"A delicious novel." —People

“I had SO much fun with this hysterical novel about Hollywood, and I can almost guess who the stars (in disguise) are! Abby Stern shows how Los Angeles is as dangerous as Rikers Island, yet how celebrities truly can be as superficial as Kardashians and glamorous as magic, all at once.” —Lucy Sykes, author of The Knockoff

"A compulsively readable sneak peek into the secret lives of Hollywood's glitterati. Ella's spiral into self-awareness reminded me of Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic—but with A-list celebrities instead of shoes!"
—Lauren Willig, New York Times bestselling author

"Who doesn't love a little celebrity gossip? (Answer: no one. We all love it!) But who's out there, getting you the scoop? Meet Ella Warren, celebrity news reporter... She loves spying on the Hollywood elite for her stories, but when one story hits a little too close to home, will she choose her job or the people closest to her?" —PopSugar, 26 Brilliant Books You Should Read This Spring

"Abby Stern’s debut is dishy, wise, and full of heart. According to a Source gives readers a tour of inner Hollywood, where the city’s dirty and glamorous sides meet. Despite the dazzling setting, protagonist Ella Warren is relatable for anyone who has faced difficult choices and made questionable decisions. Think you can’t love a Hollywood gossip? Think again. Stern has written a winner." —Michelle Gable, New York Times bestselling author of A Paris Apartment and I'll See You in Paris

"Ella's friends and family are vivid and memorable, and the blind-item celebrity nomenclature, including 'Rugged Award-Nominated Method Actor' and 'Southern Girl-Next-Door Movie Star,' remains fresh and witty. Fast-paced and charming, the novel gives a glimpse into the secret world of celebrity - and celebrity reporting - that many readers will eat up like the latest tabloid or reality television show. The human side of Hollywood is revealed in Stern’s strong debut." —Kirkus Reviews

"Readers who relish celebrity gossip will have a blast trying to identify the various celebrities alluded to with such colorful descriptions as 'Older Multi-Oscar Winning Womanizer' and 'Not-So-Innocent Oversexualized Pop Star' in this fun, frothy read." —Booklist

"In addition to the fascinating secrets of the rich and famous, a family crisis and a new romance add to the glitzy drama in the debut from real life journalist, Abby Stern. If you love The Devil Wears Prada, According to a Source is a summer must-read!" —The Zoe Report

"A fantastical narrative that really captures the voice of “Tinseltown.” According to a Source is the perfect book to indulge in while lounging around the pool this summer." —Black Chalk

"The slick sensation of Hollywood glamour combined with well-rounded characters go down like expensive champagne." —LA Weekly

"According to a Source is chatty and fast-paced and fun, all of the gossip with none of the guilt, but with a serious side about what it means to be true to your ethics and to yourself." —Brit + Co

"If you relish celebrity gossip, then this book is for you." —FabFitFun

"Such a fast, witty book with a dose of gravitas." —Goop

From the Publisher

11/01/2017
Ella Warren loves her job as a freelance undercover spy for The Life, an online Los Angeles gossip mag. She spends her evenings in swanky restaurants and nightclubs, searching for a juicy scoop for the morning edition, and her best friend, Holiday Hall, a gorgeous British heiress and up-and-coming actress, invites her to all the best parties. Ella has always refused to turn Holiday's doings into gossip fodder. But everything changes when a cutthroat manager takes over The Life with plans to drastically reduce freelance staff. Reporters must deliver exclusive stories or else. As the pressure mounts, Ella jeopardizes her relationships with her friends, lover, and family members to keep her job. Teens will see themselves in Ella, and Stern's use of descriptive aliases, combined with teasing bits of familiar entertainment news, will keep them guessing about the real celebrities behind the sobriquets. VERDICT Fans of celebrity gossip and fashion will be riveted by this predictable though entertaining read.—Cary Frostick, formerly at Mary Riley Styles Public Library, Falls Church, VA

School Library Journal

Ella is an undercover celebrity gossip writer who loves her job. That shows in narrator Thérèse Plummer’s lively tone, which also fills with attitude when Ella has to fight for her place among other Hollywood writers. Plummer seamlessly switches from voicing Ella to portraying her British celebrity bestie whose voice oozes “darling” with languid affection just as easily as it can threaten with clipped tones. As Ella stumbles onto hard times involving heartbreak and an ailing mother, her growing self-awareness will touch listeners. This delicious story won’t become dated as the celebrity names are disguised in detailed modifiers like “Southern girl-next-door movie star,” which are quickly rattled off by Plummer. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

JUNE 2017 - AudioFile

Ella is an undercover celebrity gossip writer who loves her job. That shows in narrator Thérèse Plummer’s lively tone, which also fills with attitude when Ella has to fight for her place among other Hollywood writers. Plummer seamlessly switches from voicing Ella to portraying her British celebrity bestie whose voice oozes “darling” with languid affection just as easily as it can threaten with clipped tones. As Ella stumbles onto hard times involving heartbreak and an ailing mother, her growing self-awareness will touch listeners. This delicious story won’t become dated as the celebrity names are disguised in detailed modifiers like “Southern girl-next-door movie star,” which are quickly rattled off by Plummer. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

JUNE 2017 - AudioFile

2017-03-07
An undercover celebrity reporter discovers there are things more important than the latest exclusive.Ella Warren's life is a whirlwind. As a freelance reporter for the Life, a leading celebrity gossip magazine and website, she has become the secret queen of Hollywood nightlife. By day, she's dependable Ella, but by night she transforms into her alter ego, Bella, a regular at all the celebrity hot spots and the glamorous and outrageous after-parties where the press isn't allowed. Despite her dedication to her job, she does have a set of rules for herself so she doesn't cross the line and damage the confidence of her best friend, rising star and British heiress Holiday Hall. For one, Ella swears that she will report only on celebrity scandals that occur in public places and never divulge the sordid details she observes at Holiday's friends' homes. She also will never report on anything that would hurt Holiday or her closest friends. But after her long-term relationship with boyfriend and aspiring screenwriter Ethan crumbles and a demanding new editor-in-chief takes over at the magazine, Ella's promises, both personal and professional, become harder to keep. Cutthroat editor Victoria Davis makes her freelance staff crazy when she institutes a points policy to determine who will stay on and who will be fired. While Ella tries to rise to the top, she also must stop and question who she is along the way. Ella's friends and family are vivid and memorable, and the blind-item celebrity nomenclature, including "Rugged Award-Nominated Method Actor" and "Southern Girl-Next-Door Movie Star," remains fresh and witty. Fast-paced and charming, the novel gives a glimpse into the secret world of celebrity—and celebrity reporting—that many readers will eat up like the latest tabloid or reality television show. The human side of Hollywood is revealed in Stern's strong debut.

Kirkus Reviews