Because here, my Faithful Reader, is where Vaughan employs an array of paradoxes that make ‘Let’s Pretend’ such a captivating read. Let’s Pretend is a well-written multifaceted novel comprising exceptionally well-developed characters and a tremendous economy of storytelling weaved woven into a brutal psychological thriller. I would've liked it to look a bit deeper into some of the things in the narrative, especially in terms of Adam's public self and also what is revealed at the end, as it felt like it only engaged superficially with a lot of the elements of the acting world that it was delving into, but the whole vibe of the book was staying at arm's length anyway. My main criticism is that the ending of the novel felt rushed and would have benefitted from both being made clearer and also explored in a little more depth.

It was good to see a fake relationship played as toxic and complex, rather than as a set up for romance, anyway. How you look the choices you make in life can direct your future, people who seem to have it all really happy, on top of the world behind closed doors living in sin. When Adam is found dead in a swimming pool a few months later, Lily is the only one who wants to get to the bottom of it. Vaughan not only masterfully dissects the world of minor celebrities and the lengths people are willing to take to earn their Warholian 15 minutes of fame. There is a lot in here about the darker side of acting and the route to fame, and for someone who is not living in this world it is all a bit foreign and hard to relate to.

In a way, Vaughan has created a special world which transcends geographical boundaries as she establishes a world where the super rich and the created celebrity images overlap, guarded by an impressive range of managers, agents and PR experts. Lily is a complex character who is far more vulnerable than she appears with more emotional depth than many of her contemporaries and her dry first-person narrative keeps the superficiality of the non-stop party lifestyle, and hedonistic antics that surround her, in perspective. Despite never particularly having liked Adam, there is something magnetic and dangerously alluring about him and so Lily agrees to the fauxmance and also signs a non-disclosure agreement.

How true Vaughan’s got the shenanigans that are orchestrated by agents and PR, who knows but I felt the apple she wrote didn’t fall too far from the tree. It seems like maybe her struggling acting career could be on the rise, but she'll have to content with their toxic dynamic. Laura Vaughan has created a character in Lily Thane that has a family that is known in theatrical circles, even if it’s not for the sort of lightweight roles that she is currently linked to in her efforts.Lots of the acting elements are similar to or ripping off existing things, building up a picture of a landscape close to the real world, though it does occasionally get a bit tiring to hear about. I also thought it was shocking that Adam felt like he had to hide his true self for fear of how he would be perceived in the acting world.

This story is told from the perspective of former child star Lily Thane, now a struggling actress in her early thirties. The plot plays host to quite a few egocentric, secretive characters but they are all credible and well depicted. Lily Thane is a thirty-two-year-old actress best known for her twenty minute appearance in a low-budget British romcom as winsome orphan ‘Little Lucie’ at the age of four, and it’s clear that her star is waning, not that her mother and manager, “the momager”, is willing to give up on a dream that easily. Lily was briefly a child star in a Christmas film in which she played ‘Little Lucie’ and shot to fame. When Adam is found dead in a swimming pool, Lily knows something was up, and gets drawn into finding out who supplied the drugs that killed him, and if they're still dangerous.Despite being the woman scorned, I really liked Lily and I was rooting for her to be right about Adam’s demise but was she? Adam is just as sneeringly dismissive of everyone else, so when he is found dead in the swimming pool after a party, there are no shortage of suspects. I was hugely impressed that Laura Vaughan managed to flesh her characters out, and conjure such a vivid picture of Adam’s fast-living circle and shady machinations, that it made for an unexpectedly complicated investigation, with numerous suspects and motives that blindsided me completely. Lily Thane is a struggling actress so when she meets her old pal from stage school Adam Harker and he suggests she act as his partner in a media fuelled "Faux-Mance" she jumps at the chance for any limelight. Despite being written in a light conversational style of a first-person account, the story’s tone shifts from elation to despair quickly, and when it hits, it packs a heavy punch.

Just when you think it is ending, another story comes through that didn’t even have a real ending to it, felt it was just left hanging. The perceived glamour of the characters is perfectly balanced with the hedonistic vanity that will always lead to a downfall. When Adam is found dead in a swimming pool, Lily fears someone was out to get him - and she may be next.It draws attention to both their modern day careers, with Adam continuing to flourish and Lily being caught in the past, only recognised for her work in her younger day.