June 10, 2015

The Lexie Project: On BFFs


I've been blogging for nearly four years now, and I've had wonderful opportunities come my way and made memories that I will treasure forever. But if there's one thing that I'm truly grateful for, it's the fact that I've met some of my very best friends through this book blogging community. Rachel of Hello, Chelly is a familiar presence on my blog, as we're constantly collaborating and hanging out, and I honestly wouldn't have it any other way. (In case you were interested in the collaborative blog features Rachel and I currently run, check out Friends with ARCs and Books in Real Life!) We're so excited to be talking about our friendship today, and to be celebrating The Lexie Project by Heather Demetrios too!

Let's start at the very beginning...

Alexa: I honestly can't tell you when I started following Rachel on social media or reading her blog. But I do remember, in full detail, the first time we ever met in person! Our paths crossed at Books of Wonder during the Gayle Forman/Melina Marchetta/Kristin Cashore event. We had dinner (along with two more of our friends Estelle & Sash), found out we were both Filipino, and basically bonded for life after that. We slowly but surely began to talk/tweet/text every day since then, which led to collaborations on the blog and our regular hangouts.

Rachel: I don't remember when we started following each other on Twitter or even each other's blogs but, as I was telling Alexa a few days ago, I vividly remember the first time we ever chatted online. (Don't ask me how or why. But I knew I was right about this so I found proof!) I had tweeted about waiting on yet another long line at Port Authority and almost immediately, Alexa responded to me. She realized I worked in NY, Throne of Glass came up, we thought we should meet and a month later we did at Books of Wonder. We went to a Melina Marchetta + Gayle Forman event and afterwards got dinner with two other friends, Estelle and Sash. We ended up sitting next to each other, talking for most of the night and the rest was history! We've talked almost every single day since.

Nowadays, online friendships are just as common as offline ones.

Alexa: It's also very different to be friends during this digital age. Social media sites like Twitter or Instagram are additional ways for us both to stay in touch, no matter where we happen to be, and it's fun to be able to cheer each other on or offer support on a public platform. Plus, our blogs (and the ups and downs of them) are another thing we bond over apart from our cultural heritage, love for travel and for books! It's also easy to be on chat regularly, which helps us plan all of our collaborations really easily. 

Still, I'd like to point out that we're very lucky to live close enough to one another that we can actually hang out in person! It's very different to have actual face time with your friends. Plus, we also don't have to connect just online - we can reach each other through actual encounters or via text. The transition between online and offline friendship is a delicate thing, but with proper caution, it can often work out well.

Rachel: Sometimes I think about what we did before Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or even blogging! I mean, nothing will ever beat spending time with a friend face-to-face but I can't deny that it's also nice that I have a dozen other ways to stay in touch with a friend and know what s/he is up to. Plus Twitter and blogging is how Alexa and I met. A month before we ever met in person, we began conversing all the time online so when we did meet, it was easy for us to carry our usual conversations to real life. It doesn't always work out that way but lucky for us, it did.

Name something you love about each other.

Alexa: I love that Rachel enjoys traveling, because she does it way more often than I do and I get to live vicariously through her adventures. Plus, she's got a great aesthetic which you'll see in her amazing photos and her well-curated apartment interior. Our minds are also very similar, since we often think the same way when we're planning things or share the same opinions on just about everything. And she's always there to offer sage advice when I need it!

Rachel: I love how easygoing and positive Alexa always is. She's constantly smiling and no matter what we're talking about (even if it includes ranting!), I know we'll be laughing minutes later. Her sunny personality is one of the many reasons why I'm grateful to have her in my life. We can make plans together on a whim, whether it's dinner after work or an entire blog event. It's great that we have our laidback natures in common, among many other things.

Lexie || Noelle
Lexie and Noelle are the BFFs in The Lexie Project, and we think they're pretty great.

Alexa: I've always loved reading about BFFs in YA fiction, and Lexie and Noelle are quickly making a good impression. Lexie, a reality TV star all her life, of The Lexie Project, has never been able to really call anyone her best friend until Noelle, an up and coming YouTube star. It's a fun dynamic, and from what I've read so far, she and Noelle are meant to be BFFs in the way that Rachel and I are. They have personalities that click together perfectly and a strong interest in each other's lives. I can't wait to read more about Lexie and Noelle! (PS - Go and check out Noelle's first video!)

Rachel: I am a huge fan and supporter of positive female friendships in books and the tiny glimpse I got of the friendship between Lexie and Noelle makes me believe these two fit that mold. Lexie is a lifelong reality TV star and Noelle is a up and coming YouTube celebrity. That just sounds like a recipe for fun and crazy times right? It's clear they understand one another and share a love of Hollywood (they mentioned Audrey Hepburn and Clueless - how could I not love them?). I'm looking forward to seeing more of them both!

Lexie Baker is ready for her close up and nobody’s gonna get in her freaking way.

Nearly a year after graduating high school and taking a hiatus from her family’s reality TV show, "Baker's Dozen," Lexie is in Los Angeles, on a mission to take Hollywood by storm. From red carpet premiers to helping her YouTube star roommate film weird videos, Lex fits right in with the droves of girls just as hungry as she is for some screen time. When Jax Wilson, a young, hot producer, offers to launch The Lexie Project, a reality show that will chronicle Lex’s adventures trying to make it as an actress in LA, she jumps at the chance. It isn’t an Oscar-winning role, but it’s a start.

Then she meets Liam, a film student who brings books to parties and is one of her twin brother’s closest friends. When it becomes clear that her brother, Benny, has a serious drinking problem that's causing his life to spiral out of control, Lexie relies on Liam to help protect her brother from the media…and himself. But spending time with Liam soon makes Lexie question if the life of a starlet is really what she wants. And if it is, how far will she go to get it?

The City of Angels soon becomes Hell on Earth and Lexie realizes that everyone—even Liam—has something they’re hiding. It’s time to find a new role to play–not the one she was cast in at birth.

This companion novel to Something Real features several major characters from the novel. Perfect for fans of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, Lexie's novelized memoir is a multiplatform storytelling experience told in real time that reaches readers through social media, including weekly chapter installments on Wattpad. Daily updates on Lexie’s social media accounts will give readers the chance to interact directly with Lexie and have opportunities to influence the course of the story.

You can read The Lexie Project via Wattpad, where a new chapter will be uploaded every Wednesday for the next year! Since this is a story being told on various platforms, you can also experience more with Lexie on her website, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. You can also check out Noelle's YouTube channel and blog page. For more details, check out this post from Heather Demetrios or the graphic below.


16 Comments:

  1. Katherine @ Neon Yeti ReadsJune 10, 2015 at 8:34 AM

    Love this review! I enjoyed the first book so much, and I was thinking about rereading it too before I picked up PSISLY. The Summer I Turned Pretty series is next on my TBR as well, so I'm looking forward to enjoying Jenny Han for the next few months!

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  2. This is such a cute idea for a post! You girls are so sweet and I'm glad I've gotten to meet you both recently!

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  3. I love P.S. I Still Love You so so much<3 It's definitely my favorite contemporary read of the year!

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  4. So cute, guys! I loved hanging out with both of you at BEA last year, and I'm only sorry I didn't get to see you much this year. There's always another year? I agree with you on the sometimes difficult transition from online to real friends - sometimes it doesn't work out. But I'm so glad it did for you guys! =)

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  5. I also re-read To All the Boys I've Loved Before before tackling PS I Love You, and both books together make me just so happy. I will definitely be re-reading this series in the future!

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  6. Okay, you two just sold The Lexie Project to me. I hadn't been paying attention prior!

    I always feel so shy when I see Rachel with you and haven't talked much with her. I think we're both shy people! You're outgoing for all of us, Alexa! We'll have to fix that sometime! ;)

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  7. Gah! you two are adorable together. Hoping I can have a friendship likes yours someday. Heart you both!

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  8. I do not re-read a lot of books, but I had such a great time when I re-read To All the Boys I've Loved Before last year. It's such a fun book. These two titles make me happy the way few books do. I loved seeing Lara Jean's growth in the second book and all of the romantic contemplations and tension. Great review!

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  9. I'm so glad we helped spark your interest in The Lexie Project! Haha, yes, I'm very chatty - I tend to babble when I'm around people I know. Hopefully, you and Rachel get a chance to actually chat sometime :)

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  10. Thank you, Kristin! I'm so glad we've gotten to meet you <3 And hopefully, we see you at more book events!

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  11. Thank you, Tiff! I'm glad we got to hang out with you a little bit at last year's BEA - hopefully at another book convention, we'll get to hang out more!

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  12. I loved these books! I think they're smart, creative and very fun reads. Plus, it's all too easy to love Lara Jean <3

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  13. I feel the same way! There's something special about these two books (and Lara Jean).

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  14. It was SO good! I mean it's not easy to read about Lara Jean trying to deal with everything, but it felt realistic in the best way.

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  15. You definitely should read all of those books! I've enjoyed them all, and I think Jenny is a great writer.

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