Limelight by Amy Poeppel was a re-read for me. I loved it the first time. The second time around, I couldn’t quite figure out why.
Allison is a mom of three and newly minted New York City resident searching for meaning and purpose as her kids grow up and need less of her. Through a series of wacky circumstances, she becomes personal assistant to Carter, a troubled young celebrity of the Justin Bieber variety, tasked with getting him in line in time to star in a Broadway musical.
Allison is easy to root for and the supporting characters are good and fully fleshed out. But Carter is the worst, and he experiences zero personal growth over the course of the book. That keeps it from being as fun as it could have been.
Amy Poeppel remains one of my favorite authors. But I’m downgrading this one from a love to a like and pulling it from my top tier of her books. Recommended only for Poeppel completists and Broadway lovers who’d enjoy the behind-the-scenes content (the vibe at times is reminiscent of the TV show Smash). Not awful. Just not her best.
