Simply Irresistible by Jennifer Banash

Simply Irresistible by Jennifer Banash

Release Date: October 13, 2009
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
Pages: 336

Welcome back to the Upper East Side--and to the set of De-Luxe, the new reality TV show starring the Bram Clan! Now with their lives caught on tape, and soon to be broadcast on TV, Casey is feeling more self-conscious than ever! She may be dressed in designer clothes and sporting a newly straightened hair, but Casey still feels like the small-town girl from the midwest. And despite her new looks, her on/off boyfriend, Drew Van Allen, has been ignoring her lately.

Fashion queen Madison Macallister, on the other hand, has no qualms about being in the lime light! What better way for her to strut her stuff than on a reality TV show? There's no stopping Madison from becoming even more famous now! But fame has it's price, and will Madison become more infamous than famous? Her life is hardly a walk in the park--drama at home and issues with her ex, Drew Van Allen, has caused her to have more than one less-than-flattering outburst. But Mad hardly thinks she's to blame, after all, her hot, european, almost-boyfriend is now dating her mother, who is twice his age! And to top it all off, her frenemy, Casey, might just be stealing the spot light from her! As if stealing Mad's ex wasn't bad enough!

But the drama doesn't stop there--Sophie's sweet 16 did not go as she had hoped: her real mother, who turned out to be a movie star, all but crashed her party and used the event for publicity for herself! All Sophie's hopes for a perfect mother were dashed, but her mom still wants to get to know her--or at least that's what she claims. Could she just want Sophie for publicity?

Phoebe's best friend, Sophie, has turned her back on Phoebe ever since she discovered Phoebe and her brother, Jared, together. But how can Phoebe turn away from Jared when he's all she can think of? (not to mention their steamy make-out sessions!) But not giving him up might mean the end of her and Sophie's friendship!

While these leading ladies have their own issues to deal with, Drew Van Allen is hardly living the easy life right now. Recently, his own image of a perfect family was shattered when he found out his parents weren't faithful to each other. Drew's father has been having an affair with Phoebe's mom and he's expecting Drew to understand his 'open marriage.' In addition to his family woes, Drew's worried he may have ruined his chances with Casey forever, and he can't get past his own confusion over his relationship with Madison. Wishing to get away from it all, Drew invents a new life for himself when he meets Olivia, a college student, telling her he's a student from Princeton. But how long can Drew keep spinning these lies and running away from his problems? Sooner or later, it'll all catch up to him, and it could end badly...

The drama never stops in the third installment of Jennifer Banash's The Elite series! Fans of her first two books will enjoy Simply Irresitable. It was an entertaining read, though sometimes I thought Drew's tendancy to lust for every other girl he comes across, a little much. Still, the rest of the characters and their feelings were portrayed quite believably--and vividly! When Madison gets angry, you better get out of her way!