This a quick fun read! Mallory's been raised on a soap opera set. Her mom's a star! But after Mallory gets fed up with the over-the-top stories and rants on her blog about the unrealistic nature of soap operas, she's challenged by her mom's agent to write one of her own - about real life focusing on teenagers. If you're interested in how the television and movie industry works, you'll probably enjoy this book. ( )

Why did you do that? You did not need to.

Likely Story by David Van Etten
2 out of 5 stars

Likely Story Book One in the Likely Story Series by David Van Etten was unfortunately a disappointment.

Mallory is the daughter of an openly affectionate mother. She is here boyfriend’s only girlfriend. She is surrounded by tons of close friends. And she has absolutely nothing to do with the unrealistic Soap Opera, Good as Gold. Well, only in her dreams. Actually she has selfish, to the core Soap Opera actress for a mother. Her “boyfriend” is in another relationship than just theirs. Mallory is close to being anti-social. And she practically grew up on the Good as Gold set.

To blow steam, Mallory keeps a blog. After one practically nasty fight with her mom, she vents on her blog about how unrealistic Soap Opera’s are. Little did she know that her mother’s agent would read it. Before she knows it she is typing out a bible for a possible soap opera she accidentally created. They like it. They it so much they decide that her show, Likely Story, would be an interesting new addition to their network. But will Mallory be able to handle a stressful job and her even more stressful home life?

I really like the idea of the book, a teen girl turns her experiences and thoughts into a show with real people viewing it. The skeleton or basic plot of the story was good. The fights with her mother, boy problems, and trust issues with friends are all realistic and added a lot of drama and plot buildup.

But I was greatly disappointed with the over all picture. Each chapter had improper matters in it. Sex and homosexuality were brought up way to often. It shouldn’t have been added at all. It didn’t add anything and I don’t believe 14 years olds like me should be reading a book like that. There is no way that I would suggest this book to my siblings or friends.

Just because sex and homosexuality is brought up a lot in these modern times, doesn’t mean its right. Would the book have been bad or worse without these improper matters? Definitely not. Would a Likely Story have been better without the improper matters? Absolutely.

Likely Story’s skeleton or basic plot was good, but was taken over by unneeded additions that overpowered the good.

Date Reviewed: July 21st, 2008 ( )

Mallory has spent all her life trying to stay drama-free in spite of the fact that her overbearing mother is a soap opera drama queen. The last thing she wants to do is follow in her mother's footprints and be a drama princess; she has little to no respect for her mother. Mallory is emotionally distant from her mother and scorns her overacting and poorly rated show. It is ironic then that she becomes a writer for a new soap opera, a show about believable – rather than unrealistic – people in unusual situations. Along with dealing with the challenges of being a scriptwriter, Mallory also has to deal with her personal relationships with others, including her best friend Amelia and her boyfriend Keith. AS she soon finds out, her life is already dramatic and soap opera-like as it is without her writing a soap opera.

Having grown up in a soap opera setting, Mallory soon adapts to the mind games of the television production crew; she realizes that it's impossible to please everyone every time. Still, she doesn't let anyone bring her down. Mallory is intelligent, spunky, and rebellious – she refuses to tolerate nonsense from her mother. However, she is flawed, which makes her realistic despite her situation. Perhaps it was because the story was in Mallory's perspective, but I didn't like the other characters; Mallory was the most decent character.

Etten uses good choice of words – Mallory sounds like a normal teenager, yet she's witty, a trait that nobody in the story seems to appreciate. I was hooked after reading the first few pages. One particular line that stood out was: "At school I learned addition, subtraction, multiplication, and long division. After school I learned seduction, distraction, manipulation, and long indecision (6-7)." That was a killer. ( )

Likely Story was an interesting novel written by a writer who also writes for One Life to Live on ABC Daytime television. Mallory wants the story to be a real story not full of the worst things that could happen in life since her mother appears to act the same at home as she does on the set. This would be a good book for a mixed group because it is easy to read and contains some young men who hold important parts in Mallory’s life. I found the story would relate to many young readers because at times their lives are soap operas. It would encourage some students to make an attempt to write since writing the soap opera is the main theme. Students could view their lives in a different manner as if it was a story ready to be written. There are also many good places to use in literature circles and dramatic interpretation. ( )

Likely Story is a funny look at the soap opera world on TV and of teenagers' lives. The language is full of humor and sarcasm. Mallory has a clear, well-developed voice. It is a quick read. It includes seemingly real information about the process that shows/soaps go through. ( )