In or Out #3 : Sweet and Vicious by Claudia Gabel

Ex-best friends, Nola and Marnie, have been snapping at each other’s throats again. Nola, the formerly timid girl who suffered some nasty effects whenever she was nervous or embarrassed, is starting to discover her fiercer side in her quest for revenge. Gone are her nervousness-induced hive-break out days—Nola is out for revenge!

Meanwhile, Nola’s now sworn enemy, Marnie, is living it up; she’s slid into a new circle of friends and is the newly elected class treasurer! Lucky for her, her new friends are girls in high places, and among them is Lizette, the rich and popular girl that everyone wants to get close to. Marnie feels doubly lucky since Dane, one of the hottest guys in the school, is smitten with her and they keep sharing steamy make out sessions! She only has one thorn in her side—Brynne, who will do anything to ruin her. On second thought, make that two thorns—Nola and her scheming ways and new plots are starting to get to her!

Just when Marnie thinks that she’s had it made, things start heading downhill as she realizes that Dane may be cheating on her and that Lizette loves to keep secrets and often lies without batting an eye—whom can Marnie trust? Both Brynne and Nola and their schemes to drag her down are stressing Marnie out, and Lizette’s boyfriend is messing with her too! With every turn, Marnie’s life is plunging further into chaos!

Nola has her own fair share of problems as she keeps getting confused over her crush, Matt, who actually has a girlfriend, and another hot guy in her life. And not to mention her issues with Marnie! Can she sort out her messy love life, school issues, and problems about Marnie?

Dealing with problems that many teenagers face in high school, Nola and Marnie are trying to out do each other and forget the days when they had been the closest of friends—or are they? Both of them see just how sweet and vicious revenge can really be. Can a group of backstabbing, popular girls really be as good friends to Marnie as Nola was? Will her secret plots to humiliate Marnie really satisfy Nola?

This book may seem a bit cliché, but plenty of high school students deal with the same issues—betrayal, crushes, relationships, clique groups—the works! It’s easy to connect with this book since many of us face the same confusion and dilemmas that Marnie and Nola do. I’m looking forward to the next book to see what happens to Marnie and Nola, since they’re both left in a bit of a jam…