Kindle Edition Download to your Nook (eBook) Download from Apple iTunes (eBook) Krysten Lindsay Hager author Category:  Young Adult/Teen Type: Fiction Copyright: September 2015 Being popular is a lot harder than it looks. It’s fun and flattering when YV star Simone includes Hadley in her circle, though Hadley is puzzled about why her new friend refuses to discuss her former Hollywood life  Hadley Daniels is tired of feeling invisible. After Hadley’s best friend moves away and she gets on the bad side of some girls at school, she goes to spend the summer with her grandparents in the Lake Michigan resort town of Grand Haven. Her next door neighbor is none other than teen TV star Simone Hendrickson, who is everything Hadley longs to be—pretty, popular, and famous—and she’s thrilled when Simone treats her like a friend. Being popular is a lot harder than it looks. It’s fun and flattering when Simone includes her in her circle, though Hadley is puzzled about why her new friend refuses to discuss her former Hollywood life. Caught up with Simone, Hadley finds herself ignoring her quiet, steadfast friend, Charlotte. To make things even more complicated, along comes Nick Jenkins… He’s sweet, good-looking, and Hadley can be herself around him without all the fake drama. However, the mean girls have other ideas and they fill Nick’s head with lies about Hadley, sending him running back to his ex-girlfriend and leaving Hadley heartbroken. So when her parents decide to relocate to Grand Haven, Hadley hopes things will change when school starts…only to be disappointed once again. Cliques. Back-stabbing. Love gone bad. Is this really what it’s like to live… Next Door To A Star?

Reviewed By Lisa McCombs for Readers' Favorite: 5 stars
Being fifteen is just not an easy job. Especially for the socially awkward. And Hadley fitted right into that category. Sometimes it was the only place she felt she fitted. When her best and only friend Lexi moves away, Hadley is certain that her future suddenly turned bleaker than ever, if that was possible. An invitation to spend the summer with her grandparents seemed the best solution for her. Hadley entertained hopes of befriending Simone Hendrickson, her grandparent's movie star neighbor. Of course, she thought, that will never happen. Things like that never happened to her, but it was fun to imagine. So, Hadley is surprised when Simone actually recognizes her as a companion, even though it is obvious that it is a rebound situation. Simone is constantly at odds with Morgan and Pilar, neither of whom give Hadley the time of day. It seems that Hadley is doomed to be the "loser," no matter where she lives.

Next Door to a Star by Krysten Lindsay Hager is a heart wrenching tale of a young girl growing into her teen years. Hadley is faced with the reality of the fickleness of young girls while also learning the truth of the old adage of "you can't judge a book by its cover." Caught in a maze of jealousy, painful gossip, and the status of brand name importance, Hager's main character is representative of every teenage girl. The author really nailed the reality of a young girl's early high school years. I think this is a valuable read for girls ages 12-18.