Lauren Graham

A Novel

Someday, Someday, Maybe

Teresa Bonifácio

3.5 ⭐️

It’s a good book to hear while driving and walking! At first I didn’t connect that much with the characters but with time Franny grew on me and I loved the way she grew.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From Lauren Graham, the beloved star of Gilmore Girls and Parenthood, comes a witty, charming, and hilariously relatable debut novel about a struggling young actress trying to get ahead―and keep it together―in New York City. It’s January 1995, and Franny Banks has just six months left of the three-year deadline she set for herself when she came to New York, dreaming of Broadway and doing “important” work. But all she has to show for her efforts so far is a part in an ad for ugly Christmas sweaters, and a gig waiting tables at a comedy club. Her roommates―her best friend Jane, and Dan, an aspiring sci-fi writer―are supportive, yet Franny knows a two-person fan club doesn’t exactly count as success. Everyone tells her she needs a backup plan, and though she can almost picture moving back home and settling down with her perfectly nice ex-boyfriend, she’s not ready to give up on her goal of having a career like her idols Diane Keaton and Meryl Streep. Not just yet. But while she dreams of filling their shoes, in the meantime, she’d happily settle for a speaking part in almost anything—and finding a hair product combination that works. Everything is riding on the upcoming showcase for her acting class, where she’ll finally have a chance to perform for people who could actually hire her. And she can’t let herself be distracted by James Franklin, a notorious flirt and the most successful actor in her class, even though he’s suddenly started paying attention. Meanwhile, her bank account is rapidly dwindling, her father wants her to come home, and her agent doesn’t return her calls. But for some reason, she keeps believing that she just might get what she came for. Someday, Someday, Maybe is a story about hopes and dreams, being young in a city, and wanting something deeply, madly, desperately. It’s about finding love, finding yourself, and perhaps most difficult of all in New York City, finding an acting job. Praise for Someday, Someday, Maybe “A winning, entertaining read . . . [Lauren Graham] has smartly mined just the right details from her own experience, infusing her work with crackling dialogue and observations about show business that ring funny and true.”—The Washington Post “A charmer of a first novel . . . [Graham] has an easy, unforced style and, when the situation calls for it, a keen sense of the ridiculous.”—The Wall Street Journal “With insight, care, and an abundance of humor . . . Graham demonstrates that her acting chops are not her only talent.”—Library Journal “Thoroughly charming.”—Entertainment Weekly “Sweet, funny, and full of heart . . . a dazzling debut.”—Emily Giffin, New York Times bestselling author of Something Borrowed and Where We Belong “Warm and funny, charming and smart.”—Diane Keaton, New York Times bestselling author of Then Again “Graham deftly captures what it’s like to be young, ambitious, and hopeful in New York City.”—Candace Bushnell, New York Times bestselling author of Sex and the City and The Carrie Diaries “Fresh and funny and full of zingers, Lauren Graham’s charming writing style instantly drew me in.”—Meg Cabot, bestselling author of the Princess Diaries and Heather Wells Mystery series

this book is so lorelai coded, i’m a huge gilmore girls fan and i absolutely love this. 

olivia meintel 

Kayla Walters

I was so pleasantly surprised by this book that I had to call my sister just to tell her about it. I have been a fan of Lauren Grahams's since her Gilmore Girls days, so when I saw this book listed on Netgalley, I knew I had to read it. When I first started it, I have to admit that I was apprehensive. Would Graham be able to write? Had she been given a book deal because of her name? These were the thoughts going through my mind. However, these worries I had were quickly abated when I started to read. "Someday, Someday, Maybe" was a breath of fresh air. Graham's heroine, Franny, is your every day twenty-something woman with big aspirations. She is struggling to break into show business, to make a name for herself, all while trying to balance the struggles of big city living and her relationships. In this struggle, Franny becomes someone I could really relate to. I felt Graham's influence in her character's history and thought her experience in the industry added a sense of realism and honesty to the novel as a whole. This realism is what really hooked me. Graham's prose was sincere and I felt that she was able to paint a picture of a young actress in NYC masterfully.

Janna Robinson

Written by Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore of Gilmore girls) and seems to follow Lorelai's witty, fast-paced rhythm.

Jo Young

** spoiler alert **
           I really liked this book. I was surprised I did as they were some reviews that said it wasn't too great. I really loved Franny's inner voice and her relationships with Jane, Dan, and eventually Penny. I did wish that Franny and Dan would have gotten together though, I thought from the begging that they might have feelings for each other.

Alexa Jade

Sarah Vaughan

Whyyyyy Lorelei Gilmore???? Why???? Why another chick lit load of crock that ends with the girl who is supposed to "find herself" who yet somehow still ends up miraculously in LA on her way to fame and fortune. No no no no no. Just once I would like to see a young woman stuck in a love triangle who actually makes the right choice! Woe is me and anyone else who has to suffer through another, "Well she didn't pick the wrong guy but she didn't pick the nice guy either." Because number one, if this were real life, which it's not, because no one ever really gets lucky enough to have a sucky couple of years followed by everything falling into place in just six months, SHE WOULDN'T HAVE FELT AWKWARD OR UNCOMFORTABLE WHEN THE NICE, QUIET, RESPECTABLE MAN KISSES HER! Because it makes total sense that a self-conscious young woman who has a crush on a devastatingly handsome actor she knows she can't have would suddenly find herself in a position to feel she's not interested in someone who shows genuine interest in her. Yeah right. The thing is, Lauren Graham, I love you. I love you as an actress. I love you as Rory's mom and Luke's love. And I love you for writing a book. So please don't take any of this the wrong way. But pleaseeeeeeee, next time, just make sure the dumb girl stops what she's doing immediately and runs to the guy she's meant to be with who makes her feel all warm and fuzzy inside so I can go to bed happy and all can be right with the world? K? Thanks.

Ella Zegarra

El Extraño Gato del Cuento
  
 


*baile de victoria* ¡¡¡lo terminé!!!

2.5 En realidad.

Recibí una copia de éste libro a inicios de abril, estuve muy emocionada porque es uno de los primeros libros que recibo en obsequio como Bloggera/Reviewer. Y a pesar del cariño que podría llegar a tenerle, no va a influenciar a mi crítica. La sinopsis a pesar de ser larga pinta bien ¿Cuántas veces no hemos visto las historias de la vida antes-de-ser famosos en los programas de espectáculos? Al menos yo muchas, así que un libro basado en eso era más que apetecible para mí.

A pesar de tener un buen inicio, bastante ágil y divertido, la historia va decayendo mucho.

La personalidad de Frances es muy aleatoria, pasa de defender el no ser una escuálida a sentirse cómoda con que su novio sólo se siente atraído por ella al comenzar a tener algo de fama ella también. Es cierto que el libro está ambientado en 1995 y quizá la presión por ser “perfecta” no es tanta, me gustó que Graham recalcara eso en su protagonista, aunque cómo digo, esos son sólo pinceladas de Frances.

Cómo ya mencioné la historia no es pareja, más o menos a la mitad del libro desconecté totalmente con los personajes, la mejor amiga de Frances, Jane, desaparece totalmente de la historia, cuando ella es uno de los puntos fuertes. Dan, el personaje masculino protagonista es lindo, y me gusta, pero no tiene la relevancia que éste libro necesitaba.

No me gustó como pensé que lo haría, la historia tenía un montón por explotar. Lauren Graham intentó darnos una historia centrada en Frances pero Frances cómo personaje no me fue del todo mi agrado. 

Reseña completa: El Extraño Gato del Cuento

Maria

с этой книгой вышло так, что обстоятельства повлияли на впечатление больше самого текста. я читала ее, когда была в первый раз в нью-йорке (и переживала его всеми пятью чувствами), да еще и каталась из коннектикута на манхэттен поездом metro north - что делает в книге и героиня. но все равно ни нью-йорка, ни любви к лорен грэм и лорелай гилмор (которая она для меня навсегда) не хватило, чтобы книгу вытянуть. средненько.

Megan

I absolutely loved it! If was fun, real, and loved that Lauren Graham seemed to put so much of herself into the book. I would definitely recommend it!

Michelle Boyea

Well written and a fun read. However it wasn't a book that I couldn't put down.

Nona G

Lorelai Gilmore is my soulmate and I think Lauren Graham herself is amazing. And if you follow her every step, like I go, you'll see that she's a lot like Lorelai in real life. No offense to my family, but I sort of want her to adopt me. So of course I had to get this book, loosely based on her life as a young actress! It took a long time for it to get to me, it's not translated in Romanian and the bookstores in my country don't sell books in other languages unless they're classics or other very famous, very mainstream literature. Add to this the cost of having it shipped from US and you've got a girl with a lot of impatience and very high expectations.

The novel is a chickflick. It doesn't pretend to be otherwise, so don't expect a life-changing experience after reading it. It is, though, not your regular, Nicholas Sparks-type, tear-jerking chickflick. OK, it's light and fun, perfect end-of-workday book. Or the perfect beach book. Happy ending(ish) and all. But it's also a growth story, a coming-of-age type of novel, something I truly enjoy in this type of books, where the main character is quite young.

I remember being a twenty-something insecure woman, not knowing what to do career-wise and making all the wrong choices when it came to romance. I, too, asked myself "what if" a lot, although I wasn't as smart as to think of it as a "romantic octogon". So I found Frannie completely relateable, despite having different career interests. She's a klutz and she lives a lot in her head, she has the same insecurities every 20-year-old would have and she never sees herself as highly as others see her. Things I think most women can relate to.

It's a fun read, I said that before. I found myself giggling a lot of times while reading it on the subway, which I'm sure raised some eyebrows, but hey! I only rarely do that, so it's a win in my book. The writing is enjoyable, clever. I particularly liked the filofax pages with doodles, it made it all so much more real and made me connect more with the character. 

The first few chapters felt funny. I mean, who uses filofaxes and answering machines anymore? You're expected to answer your phone anytime-anyplace, be reacheable. We're so connected by technology that we tend to forget that there was a time when we used payphones or when appointments were something you would never break, because you couldn't get in touch with people afterwards to let them know you're late. But after a while, I started getting nostalgic and missing the 90s a little bit. Simpler times, I guess.

The story moves a bit slow, which is why I only give this book a 3.5/4. It takes a while for the story to develop, and right when you think it finally gets somewhere, it ends. An open ending which leaves room for a second novel, much like the GG series. But, despite this, what makes he story so entrancing is the characters. Other than Frannie, which I've aready discussed, I found the assortment of characters fully enjoyable, so much fun to follow. I actually wish the dad in the story were my dad; he's one of the best of the whole bunch.

Truly charming read, I'm not disappointed at all, the book is exactly what I had expected. Lauren Graham's voice is quite visible throughout, which is exactly what I had hoped for. I can't wait to read her autobiography as well!

Danielle H.

Elize van Heerden

Being a huge Gilmore Girls fan and recently discovering Parenthood, I was pleasantly surprised when I found out Lauren Graham wrote a book. 

It follows Franny Banks, an aspiring actress whose self-set three-year deadline is fast approaching. Everything depends on the upcoming showcase where she will get exposure to agents who could help her make a name for herself. Together with her two-person fan club, Fanny overcomes obstacles along the way. 

I found it very funny that Fanny complained about love triangles in movies but she never realised that she was in one, It was quite refreshing and I found myself drawn into the story. There were times I wanted to reach into the book and shake Franny, and tell her to wake up and smell the coffee, but that is part of the wonderful story. 

The characters are lovable and very realistic. I felt that Graham wrote an amazing story with witty dialogue, definitely a page turner. The only complaint I have is that the ending was very sudden and it leaves you wanting for more.

Chantale

I listened to this on audiobook and I did enjoy this book but I know I would have enjoyed this one better if I would have read the book instead of listening to it.

Rebecca Light

I didn't think I could love Lauren Graham more, and now I've discovered the girl can write. This is a delightful tour of the ups and downs that accompany any artistic pursuit, though actors will appreciate this story especially. Inspired by her early career in New York, it was comforting to identify with the doubts, hopes, fears, dreams that clearly plagued Ms. Graham before she was Ms. Gilmore. It was also quite fun to wax nostalgic about what navigating the industry was like prior to the internet and cell phones. 

This is a work of fiction, though obviously heavily based on the author's life. It's funny, romantic, sweet, and uplifting. A good book to read right now.

Hayley 📖🌈💜🌸

It only took me, what, 18 months to read this?

I listened to the audiobook and it's read by Lauren Graham, so it's quite good. It's almost like this is how it's supposed to be read. She does all these lovely voices and she's just so charming. But, having said that, I'm not sure if it was the book that I loved, or having her read it to me?

Heather Killeen

Rating: 4/5 filofax entries

Format: audiobook. 

What it's like: This was just delightful. It's like watching Gilmore Girls but with Lorelei as an aspiring actress.

What I loved: I love love love the main character. She is basically Lorelei and I don't think it's just because it's narrated by Lauren Graham. She is witty, talks to fast, uses lots of references and gets in a lot of silly areas of debate (such as how the dry cleaning business is an elaborate scam). It was so funny, adorable, relatable, and just such a fun read! 

ALSO - So I have a confession to make. Because I didn't look closely at the details of this book at all, I totally thought this was a story of Lauren Graham's life. Even the fact that the main character uses a different name, I'm like OHH SHE CHANGED HER NAME AFTER SHE GOT FAMOUS, INTERESTINGGG lolllll I'm such an idiot. The WHOLE time I was like this is such a clever way to write a memoir, it has such nice structure, like a NOVEL. *face palm* In my defense, there is just so much of a Lorelei character in there, I thought this had to be Lauren's personality! So anyways, this could possibly have changed my experience of the book. It's possible it's just a mediocre story with a fun protagonist, but I refuse to believe that. I think it really was a nicely told story, and totally worth experiencing via audio because I just love Lauren narrating the main character!
 
What was meh: I don't have much here, there just wasn't enough of a little punch or emotional kick for it to feel outstanding to me, but a very enjoyable read!

Who I'd recommend it to: people who love Gilmore Girls, theater and/or tales of trying to become and actor!

Favorite quotes: 
Today is the day you have to start believing in yourself. No one can do it for you anymore.

Over and over in the play my character says, "I'm thirty-two years old," as if that should explain everything that's wrong in her life. I don't know what it's like to be thirty-two, but I can imagine. I imagine she means she's stuck in an in-between time, she's at an age that isn't a milestone but more of a no-man's-land, an age where she's feeling like her hopes are fading.

Actors should ACT. Not sell perfume, or write cookbooks.

Dry-cleaning is like this secret society you’re not allowed into. No matter what, you’re at their mercy. You can have a Ph.D. in anything, but you still can’t dry-clean your own clothes. They’ll never tell you how. No one’s ever even seen what the machine looks like. Think about it. There’s a reason they keep the actual dry-cleaning apparatus hidden behind all those racks of hanging clothes. They don’t want you to crack their code. They won’t let anybody in. Not anybody. Even rich people. You know any rich people with dry-cleaning machines in their house? Exactly. Even they still have to pick it up and drop it off like everyone else.

I don’t know what happens in between today and the night of my career retrospective. But on the bright side, I can picture those two things at least, can imagine the events like bookends, even if the actual books on the shelves between them aren’t yet written.

“I worry that you expect the worst sometimes, because of what happened,” he continued softly, and I managed just a small nod. “Imagine the best for yourself now and then, won’t you, hon?” 

“What do I say? “Oh, fine, thanks, today was great, but it doesn’t take away my general fear that I’m not now nor will I ever be good enough.”

Someday, Someday, Maybe A Novel

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