Welcome to the bouncy castle of Los Angeles in 2004. At the dawn of social media, Carla and Pete embark on a quest for meaning in a city where dreams often fade into the smog. They came for indie rock stardom, only to find themselves sidelined by life's realities and their own emotional limitations. Carla experiences the true meaning of monotony as a TV extra, while Pete, wrestling with societal views on bisexuality, answers phones. Despite their mutual affection, Carla feels rejected, while Pete, secretly grappling with his identity, shies away from intimacy.

Their world, filled with vinyl records, a spirited cat named Joni, and an eccentric Hollywood landlady, offers fleeting moments of deep connection. But the arrival of a charismatic stranger disrupts their fragile status quo, forcing them to confront faded ambitions and the true nature of their relationship.

With the pop culture eye of Bret Easton Ellis and lyrical longing of Just Kids by Patti Smith, Somewhere in Hollywood explores the tight-rope walk of personal growth and relationship dynamics, capturing the soul of a generation in search of itself and the relentless pursuit of something more.

She blew off college and started a band with that stoner kid. He ditched his girlfriend to go on tour with that girl with the bangs. On the open road, can they start over, or will their secrets eventually catch up with them?

It's 2001 when boybands and thongs have assaulted pop culture, two college dropouts wander aimlessly through their suburban existence. When Carla runs into Pete, the aloof French kid in town, they decide to form a garage band. In the basement. Bored by the backup dancers of the new millennium, the two form a secret connection that goes deeper than the music. Before heading out on their greasy dive bar cross-country tour, tragedy turns the world upside down forcing them to face adulthood and decide if the band is just a teenage dream or a gateway to freedom....and to each other?

Slanted and Disenchanted is the debut novel by Lisa Czarina Michaud. Told with he said/she said conversational wit with quirky '90s and early-aughts pop culture references and rock snob winks, it's High Fidelity meets Normal People that explores sexual tension in friendships, the confusion of adulting, questioning family...and the soundtracks that get us through it all.

Welcome to the bouncy castle of Los Angeles in 2004. At the dawn of social media, Carla and Pete embark on a quest for meaning in a city where dreams often fade into the smog. They came for indie rock stardom, only to find themselves sidelined by life's realities and their own emotional limitations. Carla experiences the true meaning of monotony as a TV extra, while Pete, wrestling with societal views on bisexuality, answers phones. Despite their mutual affection, Carla feels rejected, while Pete, secretly grappling with his identity, shies away from intimacy.

Their world, filled with vinyl records, a spirited cat named Joni, and an eccentric Hollywood landlady, offers fleeting moments of deep connection. But the arrival of a charismatic stranger disrupts their fragile status quo, forcing them to confront faded ambitions and the true nature of their relationship.

With the pop culture eye of Bret Easton Ellis and lyrical longing of Just Kids by Patti Smith, Somewhere in Hollywood explores the tight-rope walk of personal growth and relationship dynamics, capturing the soul of a generation in search of itself and the relentless pursuit of something more.

She blew off college and started a band with that stoner kid. He ditched his girlfriend to go on tour with that girl with the bangs. On the open road, can they start over, or will their secrets eventually catch up with them?

In 2001 when boybands and thongs have assaulted pop culture, two college dropouts form a band. In the basement. When Carla runs into Pete, the aloof French kid in town, the two form a secret connection that goes deeper than the music. Before heading out on their greasy dive bar cross-country tour, tragedy turns the world upside down forcing them to face adulthood and decide if the band is just a teenage dream or a gateway to freedom....and to each other?

Slanted and Disenchanted is the debut novel by Lisa Czarina Michaud. Told with he said/she said conversational wit with quirky '90s and early-aughts pop culture references and rock snob winks, it's High Fidelity meets Normal People that explores sexual tension in friendships, the confusion of adulting, questioning family...and the soundtracks that get us through it all.