This book is packed with many interesting characters. It is fast paced and totally absorbing.

Definetly a must read.

Fun, Frenzied…
Flicking between the nineties and the noughties comes a romp of glitzy and glamour soaked Hollywood magnitude. It’s certainly a fun and frenzied ride, peppered with scandal, grit and intrigue and a fast paced yet credible dialogue and populated with a wildly believable cast of characters. A belter. (Note - previously published as ‘Taking Hollywood’)

The action in this book is so intense and good. With so many shocking revelations and plot twists, it's such a fun book to read. The writing is excellent, I was hooked all the way to the thrilling conclusion. It is full of fascinating characters, each with a unique backstory. Really great book.

They make it big but their past is behind them and is about to be exposed. Following three protagonists the story develops showing the darker side of life and asks, can you ever escape your past? A twisty read which I enjoyed. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

The Rise started off *very* slow, alternating narrators, going back and forth between past and present and proving the reader with a lot of backstory. Around the 35% mark I skimmed other reviews who indicated it started slow but it did pick up so I stuck with it, and kept waiting for it to pick up. Unfortunately, it never felt like there was a moment in the plot where things started to pick up. I finished the book to say I finished more than because I was invested in the story. I am in the minority with my feelings towards this book, it did fall short for me and wasn't worth finishing (hindsight), but others seemed to throughly enjoy this book which is what I hope happens for most readers.

I was drawn right in Hollywood glamour tension a true page turner.A book that kept me up late into the nght.Well written characters great storyline.#netgalley #boldwoodbooks

Thank you to @boldwoodbooks publishing and @Netgalley for the ARC in response to an honest review. Although I am feeling somewhat uncertain as to how I actually feel about this. I enjoyed the story, the characters (largely) and the writing style by Low and King. But did it enthral me, captivate me, and fascinate me...I don't know! It was a steady burner for me, enjoyable and popcorn worthy and the development of the three characters were great, the backstory was unravelled slowly and the revelations were perfectly timed. Escapism at it's best and even more fascinating to discover it is a re-write, the first in a trilogy. I will be looking out for the next instalment.

Thank you to @bookandtonic, @netgalley and @rachelsrandomresources for my advanced copy and my place on the tour!
Oh how I loved this and have missed this kind of storyline! It’s very Jackie Collins-esque and I devoured the Lucky Santangelo series so was thrilled to be accepted for an advanced copy.
Three friends from Glasgow are suddenly in the spotlight of the biggest stage in Hollywood which was the beginning of their careers but the end of their friendships. Mirren, Zander and Davie would not speak for two decades but why did their friendship end and is their world about to fall apart?
Following Mirren, Zander and Davie main characters and the paths that followed after their friendship ended was really interesting and intriguing. All three of them have brilliant storylines which is difficult to get right with one normally a little less interesting than the others. I particularly liked how the backstory was eventually unravelled and the revelations that were brought with it - got to love the drama! I was thoroughly absorbed in the story and I thought the ending was very fitting and satisfying. It’s a chunky book at 472 pages but I read it over 2 days and I was so engrossed.
Pure escapism! I believe this is the first in a trilogy and is a rewrite/update of a previously released book and I can’t wait to read more! Thank you @sharilowbooks and @therossking for republishing this brilliant story!

I received in advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyable, soapy popcorn thriller. If you like Hollywood dirt and Mayham this is the book for you. 3.5 rounded up

In the same vein as a Jackie Collins blockbuster Shari Low has taken her excellent writing skills and teamed up with Hollywood reporter Ross King to write this ideal beach/holiday read.
Set in LA in the early 80's, 3 friends, Davie, Zander and Mirren accept an Oscar for a hard hitting story of life in Glasgow for 3 teenagers. Twenty years later, having not spoken since that fateful night their lives become entwined again.
I was engrossed in all 3 stories, I enjoyed the glimpses into their childhood and also their rise and continued success in Hollywood. Adding to that the mystery of what happened to them as teenagers and why they've chosen not to speak.
Chick lit at its best, read on a sunlounger with a cocktail to hand. A sure fire bestseller

I enjoyed the read even though it took a while to get into! The story was well written and loved the actually narrative too. All the characters add to the magic of the story.

I received this ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Three best friends from Glasgow Mirren McLean, Zander Leith & Davie Johnson make it BIG in Hollywood by winning an Oscar in 1993, now 20 years later they are all rich, powerful & successful in the movie industry doing different things but since that night in 1993 they’ve never spoken one word to each other.

What happened that fateful night & what is the BIG secret they are all keeping ?.

Oh god! I just LOVE all the glitz, glamour & backstabbing this book has which is the norm in Hollywood circles as we all know, this story reads like you are getting backstage access to all the biggest stars that you know & love.

I enjoyed all the different view points of the characters and the back and forth between 2013 and 20 years earlier back in Glasgow when the trio are just teenagers.

The story goes from strength to strength as you’re reading, it gives you little teasers/tasters as what’s to come further on in the story, you’ll be hooked just like i was.

This is an easy 5 Star read ⭐️

This book starts off as a slow burner but increases as the tension in the plot increases. It had me gripped and I read it really quickly. Twisty, unpredictable and I couldn't put it down.

Wow. Okay so I will admit that this book started out just a bit slow, but once it picked up it was amazing!

I've been a huge fan of pretty much everything Shari Low has ever written, so when I heard her latest novel was going to be a thriller, I was even keener to read it.

Co-written with Ross King, The Rise is set between Glasgow in the 80s and Los Angeles in the new Millenium. It manages to switch effortlessly between a crime-ridden Scottish council estate to the glitz, fake glamour, and gossip of Hollywood.

Whilst I wouldn't quite deem it a thriller, it's an enticing drama that has you invested in the very different lives of the three friends. With the exception of a couple of very violent scenes, I loved the story and hope there'll be more books like this from Shari and Ross.

4.5 stars

This book came across my inbox as part of the Xpresso Book Tours and sounded interesting and I also loved the cover. It screamed a mystery feel to it. The book starts with three friends in 1993 accepting an Oscar for their movie at the Academy Awards - The Brutal Truth directed by Wes Lomax. After the movie awards, you could feel the tension and the three vowed to never talk to each other again and went their separate ways. Fast forward twenty years and the three are still part of the Hollywood industry, worth millions, and have done everything they can to forget their past lives of twenty years ago before they came to LA from Scotland. Davie is an award-winning producer, Mirren- a writer whose series is being made into its 5th film, and Zander - is a Hollywood action hero. All goes well, until now when a reporter from The Daily Scot - Sarah threatens to unravel the dark secret that kept the three connected. Can the three relive the worst experience and time of their lives and get past it or will it threaten to destroy them once and for all? Find out in this past/present novel with past Scotland/LA and present LA.

The Rise by Shari Low and Ross King. Thanks to @boldwoodbooks and @netgalley for the gifted Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Three friends made it big and accepted an Oscar together, never to be friends again. Two decades later they are forced back together and their secrets are back as well.

Wow this really was like a Jackie Collins novel! It was just as entertaining and soapy. The Hollywood and celebrity aspect especially was a guilty pleasure. This is a total summer beach read! There were a lot of characters introduced very early which bogged me down a bit but then the drama took hold.

The Rise comes out 9/13.

Have read books by Shari before and enjoyed them, was hoping the addition of a cowriter would not spoil my enjoyment.
It didn't, i really enjoyed the characters and the twists and turns in the story. Reminded me of Jackie Collins but more politically correct for its time.

I loved this book! It’s like a modern day version of Jackie Collins novels from the 80s.
It’s full of drugs, alcohol, sex and scandal but also has character that I really liked.
The links to Glasgow are great and Ross King has really managed to capture the essence of the city in this book.
I can’t wait for the next ones!

Not really sure about this book which took me a while to get into but I think that is purely because it's not my usual type of read..

I can't say I loved it and for me personally I was glad when I had finished it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.