Description
The premise of The Porn Star’s Daughter shows promise, as Tali Hunter attempts to shed her family’s salacious legacy and start fresh at college in New Orleans. There are certainly entertaining moments and steamy scenes that deliver on the book’s bawdy premise. However, this new adult novel often gets bogged down by imprecise writing, cliched characterizations, and frustrating structural issues.
Stephens crafts a compelling central dilemma for her protagonist as Tali tries (and largely fails) to reinvent herself while her porn star roots threaten to be exposed. The early chapters setting up eccentric new social circle have an fun, almost farcical energy. But the muddled romantic subplot between Tali and walking wounded soldier stereotype James relies too heavily on tired tropes without adding any genuine novelty.
Persistent head-hopping between characters’ perspectives and plot points that strain credulity become increasingly distracting. While showing flashes of a bold, empowering voice, the novel overall suffers from needing another pass of tighter editing to smooth out the tonal whiplash and uneven characterizations. An ambitious effort that doesn’t quite live up to its provocative potential. Stephens has the makings of a unique story but needed to push it further.