Katy Keene - Restless Hearts (a Prequel Novel of the CW TV Show)

I was never a "Katy Keen" fan before the CW television show.  I knew she was an Archie comics character, and I knew that she was involved with the fashion world - but that was literally all I knew about her.  I was never into romance comics, so "fashion" comics held very little interest for me.  And after watching just the first episode of Riverdale (the CW show based on the Archie characters), I never watched another episode of that show.  So, for reasons still unknown to me today, I did watch the first episode of Katy Keene on the CW back in February 2020 just to see what it was like.  And you know what?  I loved it!  So much so, that I watched that entire first season and was totally disappointed when it did not get picked up for a second season.  However, I did pick up the prequel novel written by Stephanie Kate Strohm when it was published in 2020 - and I just know finally got around to reading it.  I'm so glad that I saved it, because it was a thrill to re-enter the world of Katy Keene, even if it was for only this one book...

Restless Hearts was the only CW tie-in novel written in connection with the TV show, and it is a prequel novel that gives some background on the four main characters leading up to that first episode.  Strohm provides readers with alternating points of view, the chapters rotating between the four characters - Katy, Jorge, Pepper, and Josie; then back to Katie again for the rotation to repeat.  Had I not gotten so used to these rotating points of view with the Hardy Boys books over the past decade (has it really been that long?), it might have bothered me here.  As it is, I was able to enjoy it for what it was and not let the changes in points-of-view bother me so much.  Besides, it allowed Strohm to really delve into some of the characterization that the TV show did not have sufficient time to reveal.

Katy's story picks up after her mother's death, as she tries to cope with living alone.  She gets the chance of a lifetime, however, when Veronica Lodge (Archie cameo number one!) manages to finagle her a spot in a fashion show being held at Lacy's, sponsored by none other than fashion icon Rex London!  Katy is excited at first, but as the time draws closer and she can't seem to find her groove with a design that will actually be worth showing, she finds herself more and more lost without her mother...

Jorge, meanwhile, is dreaming of making it on Broadway!  He's been faithfully taking dance classes, and when an open casting call for a new show comes up, he waits in the long line of hopefuls to get his chance at stardom.  In that line, he meets up with Kevin Keller (Archie cameo number two!), who is also hoping to land a spot in the show.  Jorge's chances seem to get better when he gets called back not just once, but twice!  The only problem is, in order to clinch his place in the show, he will have to man-up and be something that he's not.  Just how much is Jorge willing to give up for his chance to be on Broadway?

Pepper's tale is about her arrival into New York City.  While Katy and Jorge are already friends, Pepper has not yet come into their lives.  Instead, her arrival is met with pomp and circumstance by all of the social media glitz, as everyone seems to want to know what is next for this shining social media celebrity's life.  But Pepper herself is not seven sure of that, as she goes from fling to fling, idea to idea, hoping to find something that will put her on the right course...

Finally, Josie is on the road with her father, singing alongside him for the experience of what it is like to be a traveling musician.  But his rules are strict, his criticism harsh, and his over protectiveness smothering.  When she meets a country singer who is on his own tour, and she gets the chance to sing away from her father, Josie finds that perhaps she really can make it on her own, away from her father, and be the star she always knew she could be.

 

Needless to say, KO is in the book, always supporting Katy (when he's not at the gym boxing alongside Jinx - Archie cameo number three!); Jorge's parents are in the book, trying to find their place in his life now that he is back home after being kicked out when he came out; Molly's Crisis is the bar to be for Katy and Jorge to sort out their problems; and Gloria Grandbilt makes her appearance before the story is over, ready to offer Katy the chance she has been waiting for.  Strohm provides readers with the perfect introduction to these characters, while giving fans a beautiful way to remember the cast from the show.  As I was reading the book, I could not only see each of the actors in their roles once again, but I could literally hear their voices speak each line and picture the settings of each spot - from Jorge's apartment to KO's gym to Lacy's store to Molly's Crisis.  It was almost like being transported right back onto the CW show once again!

Before I sign off for this post, I do have to give Strohm double kudos for managing to sneak in a Nancy Drew reference on page 90 when Jorge is talking to his mother about the way she sneaks him audition notices so his father won't see:  "You leave me secret audition notices like we're in some kind of Nancy Drew mystery..."  Gotta give props to any author who manages to put a reference to my favorite female detective!  Just a shame that this is my last time I'll get to enjoy the CW cast of Katy Keene...

RATING:  10 squashed bouquets of roses out of 10 for giving me one final chance to enjoy some time with Katy and her friends as they were brought to life so perfectly by the CW!

Nancy Drew: The Curse (Based on the Hit CW TV Show)

What better way to celebrate Nancy Drew's 90th anniversary than with a new Nancy Drew book? Yes, today marks 90 years since the first three Nancy Drew books were published way back on April 28, 1930.  Hard to believe she's been around that long - even moreso when you consider that very few series have continued publishing new stories on a regular basis for such a great length of time (Hardy Boys and Boxcar Children being the only two that come to mind).  And there is so much to celebrate this year - new comic book series that have been published in recent years from Dynamite Entertainment; new books published in the Nancy Drew Diaries and Nancy Drew Clue Book series; a new coloring book last year from artist extraordinaire Ruth Sanderson; the release of the new HER Interactive video game last Fall; and more recently, the new CW television series that brings Nancy, Bess and George to the small screen each and every week.  It is this new TV show that this book is based upon.

Nancy Drew: The Curse is a prequel of sorts to the CW hit television show.  Thus, fans of Nancy Drew who have never watched the new show may find some very jarring changes about Nancy and her world when reading this book. First, in this series, Nancy lives in Horseshoe Bay, not River Heights. Second, her mother did not die until Nancy was much older (meaning she is still alive in this story, set prior to the first episode of the television show). Third, Nancy's friends at this time are not Bess and George. However, in spite of these changes, some things remain the same.  Carson Drew is still a lawyer who dotes on his daughter. Chief McGinnis is still the local law in town. And Nancy Drew is still the determined sleuth who will set out to right any wrong and help anyone in need.  So, despite any changes, the true essence of Nancy Drew is still there!

That being said - the mystery in this book centers around the Horseshoe Bay Naming Day Curse. A curse that no one seems to know anything about. A curse that has no visible footprint online, nor any mention in the local town newspapers. A curse that - in a town filled with legends and ghost stories - seems to be hidden deeper than any other secret in Horseshoe Bay (which is really saying something). But when one of Nancy's friends, Daisy Dewitt, is selected to play a lead role in the upcoming Naming Day Reinactment  play, strange things start to happen. A raven carrying a warning note crashes against the window of the school newspaper. A threat is spray painted inside Daisy's locker. The word "Beware" is written on Nancy's windshield. Then one of the students disappears, and suddenly what started out looking like pranks turns into something much more serious.

While the book gives hints at supernatural elements (the television show, for those who don't watch, is filled with the supernatural), the author, Micol Ostow, keeps Nancy Drew grounded in reality. She questions things she sees, dreams she has, and things that occur, but ultimately, she is able to find logical, real explanations for everything.  A second disappearance, along with a warning to shut down the Naming Day Celebration or else puts Nancy on edge, knowing she has to solve the mystery before her best friend winds up dead.  Doing things the old-fashioned way, like going to the library, looking through public records, driving out and interviewing witnesses - it was great to see Nancy Drew in her real element again.  Fans who dislike the television show should really give this book a chance, as it definitely hearkens back to the Nancy Drew of days gone by!  And although there are no Bess and George, there are Daisy and Lena, who definitely channel elements of Bess and George (Daisy is the Bess archetype, while Lena tends to be more like George).

Fair warning: there are several profanities thrown out by the characters, so the book is not exactly squeaky clean. However, the words are mild (no f-bombs) and do not appear frequently.

Hope Simon & Schuster puts out some more novels like this one, based on the television show - it's a great way to expand on the characters and storylines from the TV show, plus provide fans with even more Nancy Drew!

RATING:  9 fat striped tabby cats named Sprinkles out of 10 for feeding the fans' need for more of the CW Nancy Drew!