The Lexie Project: On BFFs

I've been blogging for nearly four years now, and I've had wonderful opportunities come my way and made memories that I will treasure forever. But if there's one thing that I'm truly grateful for, it's the fact that I've met some of my very best friends through this book blogging community. Rachel of Hello, Chelly is a familiar presence on my blog, as we're constantly collaborating and hanging out, and I honestly wouldn't have it any other way. (In case you were interested in the collaborative blog features Rachel and I currently run, check out Friends with ARCs and Books in Real Life!) We're so excited to be talking about our friendship today, and to be celebrating The Lexie Project by Heather Demetrios too!

Let's start at the very beginning...

Alexa: I honestly can't tell you when I started following Rachel on social media or reading her blog. But I do remember, in full detail, the first time we ever met in person! Our paths crossed at Books of Wonder during the Gayle Forman/Melina Marchetta/Kristin Cashore event. We had dinner (along with two more of our friends Estelle & Sash), found out we were both Filipino, and basically bonded for life after that. We slowly but surely began to talk/tweet/text every day since then, which led to collaborations on the blog and our regular hangouts.

Rachel: I don't remember when we started following each other on Twitter or even each other's blogs but, as I was telling Alexa a few days ago, I vividly remember the first time we ever chatted online. (Don't ask me how or why. But I knew I was right about this so I found proof!) I had tweeted about waiting on yet another long line at Port Authority and almost immediately, Alexa responded to me. She realized I worked in NY, Throne of Glass came up, we thought we should meet and a month later we did at Books of Wonder. We went to a Melina Marchetta + Gayle Forman event and afterwards got dinner with two other friends, Estelle and Sash. We ended up sitting next to each other, talking for most of the night and the rest was history! We've talked almost every single day since.

Nowadays, online friendships are just as common as offline ones.

Alexa: It's also very different to be friends during this digital age. Social media sites like Twitter or Instagram are additional ways for us both to stay in touch, no matter where we happen to be, and it's fun to be able to cheer each other on or offer support on a public platform. Plus, our blogs (and the ups and downs of them) are another thing we bond over apart from our cultural heritage, love for travel and for books! It's also easy to be on chat regularly, which helps us plan all of our collaborations really easily. 

Still, I'd like to point out that we're very lucky to live close enough to one another that we can actually hang out in person! It's very different to have actual face time with your friends. Plus, we also don't have to connect just online - we can reach each other through actual encounters or via text. The transition between online and offline friendship is a delicate thing, but with proper caution, it can often work out well.

Rachel: Sometimes I think about what we did before Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or even blogging! I mean, nothing will ever beat spending time with a friend face-to-face but I can't deny that it's also nice that I have a dozen other ways to stay in touch with a friend and know what s/he is up to. Plus Twitter and blogging is how Alexa and I met. A month before we ever met in person, we began conversing all the time online so when we did meet, it was easy for us to carry our usual conversations to real life. It doesn't always work out that way but lucky for us, it did.

Name something you love about each other.

Alexa: I love that Rachel enjoys traveling, because she does it way more often than I do and I get to live vicariously through her adventures. Plus, she's got a great aesthetic which you'll see in her amazing photos and her well-curated apartment interior. Our minds are also very similar, since we often think the same way when we're planning things or share the same opinions on just about everything. And she's always there to offer sage advice when I need it!

Rachel: I love how easygoing and positive Alexa always is. She's constantly smiling and no matter what we're talking about (even if it includes ranting!), I know we'll be laughing minutes later. Her sunny personality is one of the many reasons why I'm grateful to have her in my life. We can make plans together on a whim, whether it's dinner after work or an entire blog event. It's great that we have our laidback natures in common, among many other things.

Lexie || Noelle

Lexie and Noelle are the BFFs in The Lexie Project, and we think they're pretty great.

Alexa: I've always loved reading about BFFs in YA fiction, and Lexie and Noelle are quickly making a good impression. Lexie, a reality TV star all her life, of The Lexie Project, has never been able to really call anyone her best friend until Noelle, an up and coming YouTube star. It's a fun dynamic, and from what I've read so far, she and Noelle are meant to be BFFs in the way that Rachel and I are. They have personalities that click together perfectly and a strong interest in each other's lives. I can't wait to read more about Lexie and Noelle! (PS - Go and check out Noelle's first video!)

Rachel: I am a huge fan and supporter of positive female friendships in books and the tiny glimpse I got of the friendship between Lexie and Noelle makes me believe these two fit that mold. Lexie is a lifelong reality TV star and Noelle is a up and coming YouTube celebrity. That just sounds like a recipe for fun and crazy times right? It's clear they understand one another and share a love of Hollywood (they mentioned Audrey Hepburn and Clueless - how could I not love them?). I'm looking forward to seeing more of them both!

Lexie Baker is ready for her close up and nobody’s gonna get in her freaking way.

Nearly a year after graduating high school and taking a hiatus from her family’s reality TV show, "Baker's Dozen," Lexie is in Los Angeles, on a mission to take Hollywood by storm. From red carpet premiers to helping her YouTube star roommate film weird videos, Lex fits right in with the droves of girls just as hungry as she is for some screen time. When Jax Wilson, a young, hot producer, offers to launch The Lexie Project, a reality show that will chronicle Lex’s adventures trying to make it as an actress in LA, she jumps at the chance. It isn’t an Oscar-winning role, but it’s a start.

Then she meets Liam, a film student who brings books to parties and is one of her twin brother’s closest friends. When it becomes clear that her brother, Benny, has a serious drinking problem that's causing his life to spiral out of control, Lexie relies on Liam to help protect her brother from the media…and himself. But spending time with Liam soon makes Lexie question if the life of a starlet is really what she wants. And if it is, how far will she go to get it?

The City of Angels soon becomes Hell on Earth and Lexie realizes that everyone—even Liam—has something they’re hiding. It’s time to find a new role to play–not the one she was cast in at birth.

This companion novel to Something Real features several major characters from the novel. Perfect for fans of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, Lexie's novelized memoir is a multiplatform storytelling experience told in real time that reaches readers through social media, including weekly chapter installments on Wattpad. Daily updates on Lexie’s social media accounts will give readers the chance to interact directly with Lexie and have opportunities to influence the course of the story.

You can read The Lexie Project via Wattpad, where a new chapter will be uploaded every Wednesday for the next year! Since this is a story being told on various platforms, you can also experience more with Lexie on her website, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. You can also check out Noelle's YouTube channel and blog page. For more details, check out this post from Heather Demetrios or the graphic below.

Now head on over to Rachel's blog to see the rest of our conversation!