This is the debut novel of Lauren Graham who used to play Lorelai Gilmore on Gilmore Girls, and who now plays Sarah Braverman on Parenthood. This is the story of Franny, a girl who dreamt of becoming a famous actress and who moved to New York to reach her dreams, which she plans on achieving within the three-year deadline she has set. Franny has big dreams. She wants to be an actress and believes New York City is where her dream will come true. She moves to New York in 1995 and gives herself a three-year deadline to reach her goal - after which she will move back home and settle for a life in the suburbs. In the meantime, Franny moves in with two roommates, Jane and Dan, who become her two best friends and confidants in times of laughter and crisis.
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Throughout the book, she attends numerous acting classes and performs in small productions while struggling to secure auditions, having difficulty communicating with her several agents who either won't return her calls or are simply not working hard enough to find her more work. She is struggling to make ends meet and when she is indeed working as an actress, it is on small commercials, which is not what she has in mind when thinking of her career as an actress. She also works part-time at a bar which she hates but which job she can't quit and her father is pressuring her to come back home.
Franny is slowly but surely falling in love with a handsome young man in her acting class - who is unfortunately already someone else's boyfriend. Fortunately for her, things eventually begin to turn up. Dan, having recently broken up with his girlfriend and realizing he might have feeling for Franny, kisses her - yet she shakes the feeling away telling herself they are only friends, which feelings Dan don't reciprocate. They remain friends and Franny's lovely man from acting class breaks up with his girlfriend and starts dating her instead. She is head over heels until he asks her to attend a premiere with him yet refuses to hold hands in public. Realizing he wasn't truly into her and feeling humiliated, she goes home to find Dan in the apartment. They kiss once more and Franny realizes Dan was the one she should have been with all along. Having extended her three-year deadline as things didn't work out for her as quickly as planned with respect to her professional life, Franny stayed in New York and eventually secures a part on a tv show. She finally reaches her dream of becoming a known actress respected by her peers.
Best part of story, including ending:
It is a humorous story of a twenty-something girl who moves to the big city to make her dreams come true. Several twenty-something women can relate to her story and identify with her as she is extremely down-to-earth and makes mistakes.
Best scene in story:
The first time Franny and Dan kissed. Even though they had always established being only friends, they had always been so considerate towards one another that I felt there might be underlying feelings.
Opinion about the main character:
Franny is colorful and passionate and cannot shake the feeling that one day, she will get her big break - which she does. She never gives up despite being tempted to do so many times.
