Biting the Big Apple, by Bella Vendramini

Reviewed by Cecilia Rotella

The art of a good book is to weave a spellbinding story that grabs you and doesn't let you go –– even after you've read the last sentence. There is nothing like a good, imaginative story to keep you company during afternoons at your favourite coffee shop, or to curl up with in bed at night.

But what is even better, something that can often beat a vivid imagination, is a compelling story that's true. Most biographies I've read have tended to be hit-and-miss. Some are boring and tedious, and seem to be part-and-parcel of a celebrity media deal.

But there are others that are just quirky, funny, enlightening and make you want to grab the world by the collar and shake it! The latter is how I felt when reading Biting the Big Apple by Bella Vendramini.

Bella is a down-to-earth New Zealand girl who grew up in Sydney. Since she was a little girl, she's had dreams of becoming an actress. She always knew acting was what she was meant to do –– crummy, boring jobs would never satisfy her.

After a bad bout of depression, Bella had a realisation: to fulfil her dreams, she would have to work towards them 100 percent, doing everything she could, and more. Otherwise, she would never get anywhere.

So Bella did what any smart, strong, actress-to-be would do: she moved to New York City, where she joined a prestigious acting school, fell in love with a millionaire, hung out with "QT" (or Quentin Tarantino to the uninitiated), and ultimately opened her heart to the City that Never Sleeps.

Vendramini effortlessly brings New York to life. Her love and passion for the city is evident throughout the book as she details her many highs and, equally, her many lows in a quest to fulfil her dream.

There are stories that'll make you laugh so hard, and stories that will make you cry, but each and every adventure is Bella's own, and it's so easy to fall in love with her.