• According to a Source

  • A Novel
  • By: Abby Stern
  • Narrated by: Thérèse Plummer
  • Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (263 ratings)

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According to a Source  By  cover art

According to a Source

By: Abby Stern
Narrated by: Thérèse Plummer
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Publisher's summary

Ella Warren loves her job working for celebrity news magazine The Life as an undercover reporter. Her evenings are spent using her alias to discreetly attend red carpet events, nightclubs, and Hollywood hotspots like the fabulous Chateau Marmont, where her eyes are always peeled for the next big celebrity story.

When Ella's new Devil Wears Prada-type boss starts a not-so-friendly competition among the reporters to find an exclusive story or be fired, the stakes are higher than ever. But is being in Hollywood's elite inner circle worth jeopardizing her friendship with budding actress Holiday Hall and her relationships with her boyfriend and her family? As the competition grows fiercer, her life becomes intertwined in a public scandal that may cost her everything.

A juicy, bighearted audiobook about a young woman who loses herself in a fast-paced, glamorous world where finding your authentic self isn't easy.

©2017 Abby Stern (P)2017 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"I had so much fun with this hysterical novel about Hollywood, and I can almost guess who the stars (in disguise) are! Abby Stern shows how Los Angeles is as dangerous as Rikers Island, yet how celebrities truly can be as superficial as Kardashians and glamorous as magic, all at once." (Lucy Sykes, author of Fitness Junkie and The Knockoff)

"Ella is an undercover celebrity gossip writer who loves her job. That shows in narrator Thérèse Plummer’s lively tone, which also fills with attitude when Ella has to fight for her place among other Hollywood writers. Plummer seamlessly switches from voicing Ella to portraying her British celebrity bestie whose voice oozes 'darling' with languid affection just as easily as it can threaten with clipped tones." (AudioFile)

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What listeners say about According to a Source

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Hollywood Glitz and Gossip

This is a big change from my usual listening fare. I needed something for pure escapism, and this qualifies perfectly. It's fluffy but not quite trashy, entertaining without being too silly, and just a fun listen. Yes, the characters are rather unrealistic and shallow, and the plot has a lot of predictable episodes. The narration seemed way over the top initially, but I actually think it worked for this story of Hollywood glitz, gossip, and maliciousness.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I WANT MORE!

The worst thing about this book is that it had to end!! This is "The Devil Wears Prada" for 2017. So cool that the writer actually had this job. This book was sweet, funny, relatable and quenched the thirst for Hollywood gossip that so many of us have.
Great summer read with a great narrator!

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Ugh

Chick lit is a major guilty pleasure for me, so my tolerance for vapid fluff is pretty impressive. This particular book was pretty well-narrated, but the plot itself was far too unrealistic. Not only was it entirely unconvincing (e.g. the events resolving the story line were incredibly far-fetched and would never happen), but the characters were poorly drawn. They were essentially caricatures with super primitive motivations, making all of the relationships feel immature. You may find this listen more irritating than fun. I give it 2 stars because 1 star designations are reserved for Twilight-level quality.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Pretentious and full of name dropping

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised given that this is the story about Hollywood. Completely pretentious and full of brand name drops. And the way she refers to actors, for example, as “over sexualized popstar turned actor” over and over again gets old really fast. Also the narrator sounds like she has marbles in her mouth and sounds even worse when she’s trying to do a man’s voice. Bad story and awful narration.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Confusing

By not giving the celebs names the author makes the story difficult to follow. It was a cute story. Ella’s cognitive dissonance was well presented. A good lazy day read, if you can follow.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

It's a summer listen.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Maybe it would be less annoying in print, but the long descriptive names of the celebrities became very tiresome to listen too.

Was According to a Source worth the listening time?

I listen to make my commute more enjoyable. This was a fun summer listen. It was what I expected so I did enjoy it.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

light and fun

nice light fun read. good drama to get sucked into. I enjoyed the names of the celebs!

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Couldn’t finish!

I thought the summary looked entertaining and interesting, but I just couldn’t get into it

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Horrible Narration

The cadence of the narrator is absolutely awful! I tried and tried to listen.

The story itself may be OK as a book. Don't waste your credits on this audiobook. If I knew how to get a refund, I would.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Night Out in Hollywood is More Than Meets the...

Everything about this book makes me realize how much I miss my life prior to being in quarantine. The wild nights out in WeHo, the madness that was awards season, honestly just being out and about amongst Hollywood's elite. Thanks Abby for letting me remember what life once was. Reading this again for the 3rd time made me realize how much I need to appreciate the settings I'm put into, when so many all I ever wanted to do is go home after a long day of work...Thank you!

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