Priceless by Nicole Richie

At first, the thought of performing with Jackson had made her nervous, but now she recognized the feeling as exhilaration. She knew her voice was good, and she'd loved the music he'd taught her, and why not go for it? Besides, she was encouraged by Jackson's faith in her. He was right- she was tougher than everyone thought. 

-from Priceless by Nicole Richie

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Yes, Nicole Richie wrote a novel! In fact, she's written two! I found this book on clearance and was more curious than anything else. The synopsis itself isn't anything too intriguing, especially coming from Richie: after her millionaire father is arrested for fraud, spoiled little rich girl Charlotte Williams must navigate the scandal without any of her financial assets to back her up. Between victims of the fraud harassing her, anonymous death threats, and her own supposed friends selling gossip to get on the news, Charlotte fleas to the New Orleans home of her childhood nanny to find solace and, surprisingly, a place for her talent for singing to shine. 

Overall this story was predictable and somewhat bland at times albeit well constructed with a better arc than I suspected. I was actually really impressed by Richie's writing; supposedly she did not use a ghost writer (although why would she admit if she did?). Initially the writing felt overly sanitized with splashes of Richie's personality that came seemingly out of nowhere. However, I feel Richie came into her own voice as the story progresses and I found myself enjoying the book more the more I read.

My favorite character is Kat Karraby, a friend Charlotte makes in New Orleans. Her personality jumps off the pages, especially through her colorful dialogue, self-confidence and heart. Between Charlotte and Kat, there is a lot of discussion about fashion. As someone not very well-versed in fashion, I was afraid I would feel isolated out of the story from these references. But that wasn't the case: I actually enjoyed both characters excitement over fashion and found myself googling designers as I read.

I don't think this book is for everybody, but it exceeds the expectations implied by the general reaction, "Nicole Richie wrote a novel?" The characters are likable and the story is well developed with a nice message about identity and money not buying you everything. While the story may sound really shallow at first glance, it's a story of redemption that might make you think twice about judging a book by its cover.

Bottom Line: If you like Nicole Richie and the storyline appeals to you, you will probably enjoy the book. Definitely exceeded my expectations! 3/5 stars.