Boss Lady

June 20, 2005
Tracy Ellison Grant is in charge again in Tyree's latest Flyy Girl novel (after For the Love of Money
and Flyy Girl
), this time as mentor to her go-getter younger cousin, Vanessa Tracy Smith, who narrates this glitzy urban story about the payoff of hard work. Tracy Grant rose to fame earlier with her autobiography Flyy Girl
, which she parlayed into a booming career as a screenwriter, actress and producer. Now, an adoring and ambitious 16-year-old Vanessa moves from North Philly to L.A., and the novel tracks her three-year meteoric rise as Tracy's personal assistant and protégée to Hollywood powerbroker. Vanessa quickly learns the Hollywood game and takes the initiative to create a Flyy Girl franchise, including a sassy clothing line, while also pushing her older cousin to turn her autobiography into a movie. Tracy, Vanessa and friends hit the road to launch the Flyy Girl brand and conduct nationwide Flyy girl movie casting calls, a coming-of-age trip that teaches Vanessa important lessons in life and business. Snappy dialogue and the inspirational plot make this a readable story, but the plot drifts along without a climax—except for the evening a 20-year-old Vanessa loses her virginity. Devotees of the Flyy Girl trilogy will enjoy this addendum.

May 15, 2005
Tracy Ellison, of "Flyy Girl" and "For the Love of Money" fame, is back -this time in a book narrated in "Flyy Girl" -style, but with fewer expletives, by her younger cousin and personal assistant, Vanessa. Rescued from North Philadelphia by now successful filmmaker Tracy, Vanessa, a beautiful and serious-minded college freshman, finds herself immune to Hollywood's elegant parties and smooth-talking players. She concentrates instead on persuading Tracy to return to her roots and film "Flyy Girl" for all of the young urban women who loved Tracy's autobiographical coming-of-age story, "written with Omar Tyree." While launching a Flyy Girl clothing line and doing preliminary movie auditions back in Philly, Vanessa discovers that, although she may not be as creative as Tracy, she has her own strengths. Frequent, self-congratulatory references to "Flyy Girl" as a publishing phenomenon may annoy some; however, this book should be a hit with Tyree fans and readers clamoring for more urban fiction. Recommended for popular fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ "3/15/05.] -Laurie A. Cavanaugh, Brockton P.L., MA

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2005
Since " Flyy Girl" was first published, in 1996, Tracy Ellison has matured from a 17-year-old Philadelphia boy-crazy teenager to a successful celebrity living large in superficial Hollywood. This new novel is told by Vanessa, Tracy's younger cousin. After an unfortunate incident between Vanessa and her mother, Vanessa goes to Los Angeles to spend the summer with her older cousin, Tracy. Vanessa has the same no-nonsense, in-your-face attitude that Tracydisplayed in her youth. After making L.A. her home, Vanessa earns her cousin's trust and becomes Tracy's personal assistant and confidant. Vanessa is fanatical about branding the Flyy Girl name into an international marketing blitz. Her enthusiasm and commitment impress Tracy enough to give the idea a chance. Vanessa and four of her girlfriends accompany Tracy to Philly for a Flyy Girl casting call. The huge turnout energizes the group and convinces Vanessa that the project must move forward. Tracy confides some of her future plans, which only fuel Vanessa's drive and determination.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)