Far from the A-List

Burns debuts with the sparkling tale of a former child star at a crossroads in her life. Michaela Turner, 27, starred as wholesome, smart-alecky Daisy Breyer on Breyer’s Town, a family-friendly sitcom. Now, she struggles to be more than the “eighth hottest party girl in New York.” Things take a turn for the worse after Michaela drinks too much at her birthday party and makes out with an old flame, provoking her pro athlete boyfriend to dump her. Michaela’s self-destructive spiral intensifies when she reconnects with her rocker ex-boyfriend, then chafes at the reappearance of her estranged stage mother Caroline, whom she hasn’t seen for nearly a decade. Michaela desperately needs direction, and her best friend, a former member of a boy band, offers valuable wisdom until a misstep on Michaela’s part drives a wedge between them. The author nails her disillusioned protagonist’s voice, especially when Michaela is recognized by fans (“The woman blinked, like she was waiting for me to turn back into the girl on TV, the girl I was before I grew six inches and needed a bra and the world stopped knowing what to do with me”). As Michaela struggles to find herself and finally reckons with the problems in her life, the story builds to a satisfying conclusion. The author is off to a strong start. (Dec.)