Today's Read: I'm Your Biggest Fan by Kate Coyne

How do you go from teenage fan girl to adult professional fan woman? Just ask Kate Coyne, who got her first autograph at age 13 and turned her passion into a career, first as a reporter for Page Six and now as executive editor of People magazine. Here is her story: the funny, the embarrassing, and the maddening.

Let's cut to the chase: Tom Cruise is insanely charismatic, so much so that you do feel as though you could maybe, kind of, possibly, convert to Scientology for him. Charlize Theron is so stunningly beautiful it's hard not to reach out and touch her face just to make sure she's real and not carved out of some sort of highly rare and expensive marble that's lit from within. Kelly Ripa is hilarious and warm and bawdy and she makes you want to be her best friend or her babysitter or anything that would involve getting to call her whenever you wanted and hearing her latest outrageous story (the ones you're hearing on morning television are beyond sanitized). Cindy Crawford has no cellulite—believe me. I've stared long enough to make sure. And yes, there are stars who are so cold and aloof and rude that you want to slap them, and others who are so incredibly kind and gracious that you want to write their parents a thank-you note for raising them right.

—I'm Your Biggest Fan by Kate Coyne (Hachette Books, 2016, pp. 1–2, uncorrected ARC)

Quick Facts

• Setting: modern times, lots of places
• Circumstances: In this memoir Coyne tells us about her rise through the ranks of celebrity reporting and shares some stories about the many famous people she's met over the years. She lets us in on her most awkward moments, her mega fangirl meltdowns, and her favorite bonding interviews.
  
• Genre, style: memoir written in a fun, light conversational style.
• Thoughts: I don't follow celebrity gossip, but nonetheless I was curious about how Coyne turned her lifelong passion into a career. I found her to be funny and down to earth. The stories she tells give you a real sense of what it's like to be a celebrity reporter. I laughed at the "Oh No" goofs, like when she published Conan O'Brien's St. Patrick's Day Stew in Good Housekeeping only to learn while watching Conan on his live TV show that the recipe wasn't his and he doesn't know how to cook . . . anything! I laughed at her complete "full-blown nose-dive" at meeting Neil Patrick Harris, and then cheered at Tom Hanks's gentlemanly rescue of her. I also liked Coyne's lists: what not to eat while interviewing a star, the dumbest things she's said on TV, and what celebrity clothing is now in her closet. I'm glad Coyne didn't listen to Michael Douglas, who advised her to quit her job, because clearly she found her niche.
• Recommendation: I read this while at the beach and thought it was perfect for a lazy afternoon. Plus I had fun sharing some of the stories with my family and friends. You won't find anything mean in I'm Your Biggest Fan, but you will gain new insight into some your favorite stars. They may seem larger than life, but Kate Coyne shows us that they are, in the end, just regular people who (usually) love to be loved. You may want to borrow this memoir instead of buying it, but in either case, don't forget to add it to your summer reading list.