We Don't Have To Be Friends

Darleen R. Golke is a high-school teacher-librarian in Winnipeg,
Manitoba.

Reluctantly transplanted from Vancouver to Canmore, Alberta, after her
parent’s divorce and her mother’s remarriage, 16-year-old Bonnie
Chorski longs to escape. The arrival of Pacific Rim Pictures, which is
shooting a movie starring 15-year-old Ashleigh Parker, gives Bonnie her
wish. She ends up working as housekeeper for Ashleigh and her
mother/manager, Veronica. The excitement of working for a star begins to
pale when Bonnie discovers that Ashleigh has no interest in her, in
Canmore, or in anything except her acting and her dog, Oscar. When
Veronica heads to Indiana to cope with a family emergency, Bonnie takes
over as Ashleigh’s manager, a position for which she’s totally
unqualified. In the end, Bonnie comes to the realization that “there
[are] considerations more important than winning.”

This fast-paced story offers humor and realistic dialogue, but also
rather shallow solutions to Bonnie’s difficulties as the narrative
flows to its climax. Recommended with reservations.