Cover Page

Title Page

Dedication

To my wonderful mom, who has encouraged me, supported me and inspired me through everything

Acknowledgments

A huge thank-you:

To all the teachers who encouraged my writing, especially Mr. Dorsett, Mrs. Vann and Ms. Marcotte from Northeast High!

To my super editor, Wendy Loggia: Working with you is such a pleasure. You’ve helped me to grow so much as a writer, and I can never thank you enough for that.

To my fantastic agent, Jenny Bent; her lovely assistant, Victoria Horn; my awesome film agent, Andy Cohen; cover designer Marci Senders, editorial assistant Pam Bobowicz, and the whole Delacorte family.

To my great family, including Mom, Karen, Dave and Dad, and to all my wonderful friends, including three of my favorite teenagers: Cole, Carly and Luke Pearson.

To the best and most supportive writer friends in the world: Sarah Mlynowski (to whom I owe a great deal), Melissa Senate, Alison Pace and Lynda Curnyn, and to the talented fashion designer Amy Tangerine.

And to the three coolest rock stars I know: Ben Bledsoe, Courtney Jaye and Michael Ghegan. Star Beck’s world would be a lot more fun if she could tour with you guys!

Chapter 1

You can be perfect—
if you want it.
You can be someone
else’s perfect girl.
If you wanna change your mind,
If you wanna change your life,
You can be, you can be.

—“YOU CAN BE,” STAR BECK
ALBUM: STAR LIGHT

Chapter 1

I’m in the middle of a big photo shoot, and there’s a fight going on about whether my bangs should be swept to the left or to the right. You would think that this decision is as important as, say, world peace or finding a cure for cancer.

Mariska (publicist): “Her best side is her right.”

Don (hairstylist): “No, definitely left.”

Marco Abruglio (the photographer): “Pgfnht tfdsh gsdhtr! Cghtrehty!” (Completely unintelligible yelps that I suspect are Italian curse words)

Mariska: “If her best side is her left, why did Jane shoot her right side?”

Don: “Why did Seventeen shoot her left?”

Unidentified fashion assistant: “Sweep her bangs back!”

Marco Abruglio: “Pgfnht tfdsh gsdhtr! Pgfnht tfdsh gsdhtr!”

Aimee (facialist): “She’s getting a pimple on her forehead! Can’t you see that? We must have the bangs!”

Mom (manager): “Can you pull the neckline down? Show a little more cleavage?”

Me: “Can’t I just wear my bangs parted in the middle and swept to both sides?”

There’s dead silence in the studio. All eyes turn to me. Everyone looks shocked that I have an opinion.

“Star?” my mother finally says, her voice as tight as her Botoxed forehead. “Why don’t you just sit there and look pretty and let the adults handle this?”

I stare at her for a moment. All I can hear is the steady whir of the massive fan that’s supposed to make me look windswept.