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!

Love, Lies and Texas Dips by Susan McBride

Love, Lies and Texas Dips by Susan McBride

Release Date: June 9, 2009
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Pages: 304

The Debs are back--and so is all the drama! The Three Amigas, Laura, Ginger, and Mac are finally in and on their way to become debs, or rosebuds, in the Glass Slipper Club! Unfortunately, so is Jo Lynn and her cronies. But as they say, the hardest thing isn't getting in--it's staying in. And with Jo Lynn plotting to get ride of Laura (who she deems as too fat to be a deb) and her friends, retaining their statuses as upcoming debs will be no easy task!

Laura does not make things easier when she provokes Jo Lynn by begging Jo's hot, football player boyfriend, Dillon, to whip her into shape. Why? 3 words: "The Texas Dip"--a dreaded mandatory curtsy that's so low, debs all but sink into the ground! But is that really the only reason? Laura can't help but mess with Jo Lynn's head a bit...

But never underestimate Jo Lynn's maliciousness or ability to brew up a storm--especially when she's angry! Laura definitely went one step too far when she started messing around with Jo's boyfriend! Now with Jo Lynn working harder than ever to get Laura kicked out of the club, the Three Amigas must watch their backs since one misstep may take away their deb status!

Too bad Laura's woes don't stop there! Her on-and-off boyfriend Avery has been sending out mixed signals. While he seems to want to be close to Laura, he's still with Jo Lynn's evil friend, Cam. Why can't Avery just give her a strait answer?!

Laura isn't the only one with problems though; Mac is beginning to realize that she may just have stronger feelings for her best guy friend, Alex. But with Alex hanging out with new girl Cindy Chow more and more, is Mac too late? All the deb business isn't helping Mac's stress level either. She finds the whole ordeal rather shallow, but is trying to honor her late mother's memory, as her mother was a deb herself. Mac re-reads her mother's letters to her more than ever, hoping for some strength and guidance through her boy and rosebud struggles.

The third member of the Three Amigas, Ginger, just wants her friends to quit the drama and stop stirring up trouble (even if it's unintentional!). The last thing she wants to do is go through the deb process alone! But with an evil scheming rosebud like Jo Lynn, trouble will not be taking a break any time soon! Speaking of trouble, just when Ginger thought she got rid of her boy troubles, a new guy pops into her life. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem much better than Jared, who used her not too long ago, for his own cause. The whole event was hardly favorable in the eyes of the deb committee, yet Ginger can't help but feel attracted to this new bad boy! Can Ginger keep her friends together and make better choices when it comes to guys?

I definitely enjoyed Love, Lies and Texas Dips as much as I did The Debs! Susan McBride's series still has me hooked! With a lot of questions to be answered, I am definitely looking forward to finding out what happens next in the upcoming third installment of The Debs series! Although all the drama can be fascinating sometimes, I'm glad I'm not the one caught up in it! Laura definitely goes much farther than I would (as does Jo Lynn, of course) and I wish she wouldn't feed the fire so much...but then again, if she didn't, we wouldn't have a story, would we? That said, it's still not too far fetched, which helps in the believabilty department. I like the different charater's personas, and they're all strong, believable characters, which makes this novel very enjoyable! Fans of The Debs will not be disappointed with it's sequel!

In Too Deep by Jennifer Banash

At the conclusion of the previous book in Jennifer Banash’s The Elite series, new girl Casey was left in a bit of a jam. Frenemy and queen bee Madison Macallister was brutal to Casey at a party, but luckily, Casey’s crush, Drew, came to the rescue. The good news? Casey and Drew have been going strong ever since. The bad news? Drew is still Madison’s ex…and Madison wants him back. How long will Drew and Casey last?

Madison Macallister has been a bit of a wreck on the inside ever since Drew started dating Casey, or the hopeless “frizzy Midwestern freak,” as Madison sees her. But despite all the comfort shopping she is doing, (which, by the way, cost quite a pretty penny) Madison cannot get over the fact that Drew Van Allen would dump her—the hottest girl in the school—for fashion-disaster Casey! Nevertheless, Madison has been carefully keeping up her composure, not letting anyone know just how much the whole business is effecting her, not even her two best friends—after all, the queen bee of Manhattan’s Upper East Side has a reputation to maintain! But cool composure or no, Madison is out for revenge…

And what better revenge is there than success? Madison seems to have hit the jackpot; she is spotted by a totally hot modeling agent and offered a possible modeling contract! Soon Madison’ll be the star on every billboard and will be featured in countless ads! She’ll hit the hottest runways for the best designers and be the new ‘it’ girl. But should anyone really expect any less of Madison, the girl that has it all—well, almost has it all? But no matter, Drew will come groveling back to her soon enough when she becomes the hottest model around! Vengeance will be hers, and her standing as the social queen will be completely solidified!

But Mad isn’t the only one with issues. Her two best friends, Sophie and Phoebe, have their own drama to deal with. What Sophie has always believed in might not be true, and Phoebe has issues of her own concerning her love life.

The world and family Sophie has always believed in is about to be shattered. Nothing is like what it seems, but some secrets should never be revealed... And poor Phoebe is torn between what she wants and what’s right. But who says she has to please everyone?

You should never take anything for granted, but unfortunately, some people just have to learn it the hard way! But one thing’s for certain; there’s plenty of trouble brewing for all of these Upper East Side teens!

As you know, life in the posh and drama-filled Upper East Side is never easy! Hold onto your Hermes scarves and Coach handbags, the Bram Clan is back for more action and drama!

Fans of Jennifer Banash’s The Elite will love this second book in her series! Once again, Ms. Banash captures emotions wonderfully, and lets her excellent characters develop even more, showing their true colors and giving us readers a further look into their minds and privileged lives! Ms. Banash has already got me looking forward to book 3: Simply Irresistible!

Savvy Girl by Lynn Messina

Lily may be life-guarding on a beach with cute guys during the summer, but her best friend Chrissy Gibbons has really hit the summer jackpot—she gets to intern for the hippest, coolest magazine that so many people love: Savvy! Despite having to do some mundane things during her internship internship, there are some definite perks: parties, cute guys like Michael Davies, and meeting ex-supermodels like Jessica Cordero.

To top things off, Savvy is holding a contest for the interns to determine who the first teenage Savvy columnist will be! Chrissy knows she’s the perfect candidate for the job, but she doesn’t have to worry about that yet, right? I mean, she has all summer to write her entry column. In the meantime, Chrissy would rather be setting up “chance” meetings with Michael and hitting the hotspots with Jessica at night!

But when Chrissy bails out on Lily over and over again so she can attend parties of famous designers and other star-studded events with Jessica (and stagger into her home at unearthly hours, more than a little buzzed) Chrissy might be turning into someone completely different. She wasn’t the kind of person to ditch her best friend all the time, and definitely wasn’t the kind of girl to stumble in drunk past midnight without letting her parents know where she was. But all of those things Chrissy used to care about seem to be tossed aside without a second thought when she gets constant invites to attend classy parties with Jessica.

Surely Lily understands why Chrissy can’t turn down these fantastic parties, right? Doesn’t Lily have that cute guy Graham to hang out with, doesn’t she? And Chrissy can hardly turn down Michael when he wants to hang out with her!

But is all this glitz and glamour really that good for Chrissy? She’s come to work more often hung over than not, and she’s already caught Michael hitting on hot girls at the parties she brings him to, more than once. She’s become a rebellious party girl who’s lost her good sense and put herself above her friends and family. And with the summer quickly drawing to a close, Chrissy better shape up and think of what to write, or she may miss out on a great opportunity to become a Savvy columnist—and may even lose her best friend!

At first Chrissy didn’t act and sound mature enough to be a seventeen year old, but that quickly passed. Savvy Girl was a very realistic novel with, in my opinion, well crafted and believable characters. After becoming a Savvy intern and getting invited to a few bashes, Chrissy acted like most sixteen-year-old girls would after hitting a few high-class parties and meeting cutes guys for the first time. All the same, it was nice to see her grown up and learn more than how to file papers during her summer internship and adventure!

A BFF Novel: The Guy Next Door by Carol Culver

All may be going smoothly for the rest of the kids at Manderley Prep, but Maggie seems to be the only exception. Maggie’s parents are going through a divorce and the two are all too eager to express their rage and hatred for the other to Maggie. The worst thing is? Maggie’s dad is refusing to pay for her chorus’ spring competition trip to Hawaii! On top of that, the school’s fencing club has been cancelled, and fencing was the one sport Maggie loved and excelled at.

Already short on funds, it doesn’t help that Maggie wants to get invisible braces since she’s too afraid to smile with her teeth covered in metal braces. Surrounded by kids of wealthy families, Maggie’s too ashamed to let any one other than her closest friends know of her financial troubles. The main reason she wants her smile back? Ethan Andrews. Ethan’s always been the “guy next door” that Maggie hung out with throughout her childhood—until Maggie fell for him. But since Maggie’s parents are divorcing, Maggie has moved with her mother to rented home and her old house is being sold. With her less than extraordinary looks and her metal-filled smile, Maggie hardly catches Ethan’s eye. But that could all change, if only she could figure out a way to go on that trip to Hawaii and find the courage to make the first move!

With a few tricks up her sleeve, a bit of scheming, and her talented and caring friends, Maggie just may make her way to Hawaii, and make her way into Ethan’s heart!

The Guy Next Door is a light-hearted, romantic YA read. Although I have not read the rest of the novels in Carol Culver’s BFF series, and may be missing a bit of background information, I didn’t find The Guy Next Door confusing and it still made for a nice read. This novel (especially the plot) wasn’t anything that out of the ordinary, just cute romantic YA novel. But it does portray a typical teenager’s high school experience quite accurately, as well as Maggie’s feelings and her crush. Overall, it was realistic and believable, and I did like how the POV switched so we could get a peek into both Maggie’s and Ethan’s minds and thoughts—it definitely enhanced the story!

Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky

Dominique’s heading to her senior year of high school and she’s never really had a boyfriend before. The complete opposite is true for her best friend Amy, who thinks boys are the best thing around and have gone after her fair share of guys. But it all changes one day when Dominique, quite literally, runs into a cute guy at a game. With the help of Amy and some yearbook pictures, Dominique tracks down her cutie, who happens to be Amy’s fellow track team mate, Wes.

Emailing Wes to apologize for running into him and thanking him for the band-aids he offered, Dominique soon finds herself hanging out with Wes and getting to know him better. Before long, the two get over their shyness and start going out. Things move quickly from there as they find themselves going beyond French kissing. They spend time together doing various things and getting to know each other better. But even as they are getting closer and closer and going farther and farther, they both have to think of college next year. Wes has been accepted into NYU while Dominique decides to go to Tulane because of a large scholarship offer. The two believe that they can still be together, even with the distance between them.

Soon Wes and Dominique go to prom—and go all the way. They spend most of the summer together before they have to head off to college. At first things work out well, but as Wes grows more and more distant and doesn’t contact Dominique as much, Dominique starts to worry. Why is he ignoring her? Doesn’t he still love her? They had sex together (among other things) and were each others’ first, for crying out loud! So why isn’t he emailing her? And why isn’t he willing to see her more often?

Anatomy of a Boyfriend is a very blunt and honest story of a girl and a boy exploring relationships and sexuality for the first time. It gets very graphic and explicit at certain points, so I would only recommend this novel to older readers. But it’s an honest book that shows both the most agonizing and happiest parts of first love.

The paperback edition of this novel will be released on September 23, 2008, so don't forget to pick up a copy at your local bookstore!

(I think this has to be the first YA book I’ve read with a character that shares my first name, which is pretty cool!)

p.s. sorry about the font issues...I can't seem to fix it!

How to Be Bad by E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski, & Lauren Myracle

Three girls, whose seemingly only similarity is that they all work their local Waffle House, are about to embark on no ordinary road trip. Jesse and Vicks are friends, but lately that friendship has been under some strain with Jesse’s uptight ways and Vicks’ more relaxed style and her missing her college-bound boyfriend. The third girl in this unusual trio is Mel, a privileged girl who for some reason works at the Waffle House as well—and surprisingly doesn’t flaunt her wealth much. Vicks is unhappy with Jesse’s unbending Christian ways and Jesse is rather disdainful of Mel and her wealth so how on earth will these three last the long drive to Miami and survive this excursion?

When Jesse wants to get away for a bit from the troubles at home and her mother’s embarrassing activities, she offers to drive Vicks to Miami so she can see her boyfriend, who hasn’t been calling her and has only sent a text message or two at unearthly hours of the night. Their Waffle House coworker, Mel, who was standing next to Jesse and Vicks when they discussed their possible road trip, invites herself along, with Jesse only agreeing when Mel offers to cover their trip’s expenses.

Before long, these three take off in Jesse’s mom’s old car, stopping to visit unusual sites like the smallest police station and a large stuffed gator named Old Joe. Not long after they exit the museum where Old Joe was (having broken in to see the old gator since the museum was closed), they encounter a cutie guy named Marco, whom they eventually end up giving a ride to. Marco, much to Jesse’s dismay, invites them to a party where Vicks and Mel get extremely drunk and have to stay over for a night. Being a Christian, Jesse does not drink and cannot wait to leave the next morning, but Mel and Marco have begun to warm up to each other, showing some real chemistry.

Already unhappy at the pervious night’s events, Jesse is furious at Vicks the next morning, and her opinion of Mel hasn’t improved either. But Jesse isn’t the only unhappy one. Arguments break out between Vicks and Jesse as Vicks is struggling with a drunken decision that she is starting to regret and Jesse struggles with what is going on with her mother. Things only get worse when a vicious storm breaks out and the trio is forced to look for somewhere to stay near DisneyLand. With their bickering almost as bad as the weather, the rest of this road trip does not look promising…

With three distinct characters and a road trip that you’ll never forget, Mel, Jesse, and Vicks have a lot to learn, not only about each other, but about themselves as well. And if only they could learn to be more forgiving, understanding and open-minded, their trip may prove to be a lot more enjoyable and fulfilling for all three of them!

The Debs by Susan McBride

Three BFFs, Laura Bell, Michelle “Mac” Mackenzie, and Ginger Fore live in Houston, TX, and with senior year of High School coming up, so is debutante season! These three girls live it up with their wealthy parents and can hardly wait for the elite invitations to debut into the exclusive Glass Slipper Club. If they’re invited, they’ll be “Rosebuds” until they official debut. All the Rosebuds will gather functions to get to know each other and prepare for their big debut where their fathers will present them and they’ll wear gorgeous white gowns and have escorts!

But the three ladies aren’t the only ones waiting for the special invitation—the Queen of Mean, Jo Lynn Bidwill, is also expecting and invitation. Expecting, because her mother is head of the selection committee. Jo Lynn and her two witless cronies want to be part of this long-standing tradition and all the glory that comes with it, and they’re willing to play dirty to put the others out of contention.

Laura Bell is a size fourteen, but she’s not too bothered with it—I mean, why would she be? She’s still snagging hot boys! Mac is the boyish one out of the three, but will probably follow her mother’s footsteps and wishes and debut, if she gets an invitation. Her father’s new trophy wife (as Mac refers to her as) whom he married because Mac’s mother died, is extremely enthusiastic and wants to, much to Mac’s horror, beautify Mac to perfection for her debut. Ginger hopes to don her grandmother’s gown for her debut and continue the legacy but for any of these three amigas to achieve any of this, they must first keep a clean slate and receive one of those coveted hand delivered invitations.

Jo Lynn Bidwill is a nasty piece of work. She throws booze-filled bashes and is all too happy to spread rumors and ruin anyone that poses a threat to her. She detests Laura Bell and her not-size-two body—and the fact that her ex-boyfriend got together with Laura. This sinister witch wants Laura out of the running and will sink to new lows to kick her out. But this former pageant queen may have a more tainted and smudged past than anyone would have known—will that past come back to haunt her? And why does her hot boyfriend keep running out on her?

The girls have it all, from the money, the fabulous cars, and the mansions to the boy issues, cat fights, and drama. Laura Bell can hardly stay away from Avery, her and Jo Lynn’s ex-boyfriend, even though her friends think she deserves better. Mac has her neighbor Alex who just came back from studying in Germany for the summer—who is quite a hottie—but is not her boyfriend, but she’s definitely developing some feelings towards him. And Ginger has Javier, the hot boy she met on a trip for Habitat to Louisiana and who is now painting a mural for her parents. Jo Lynn may have a new boyfriend, but she doesn’t want a size fourteen girl all over her ex! As debutante season is fast approaching, you can bet that sparks will fly! Jo Lynn is out to get Laura, but the three amigas are fighting back! The road to debuting may be a bit more hazardous and drama-filled than they expect!

Watch out—you’ll be in for one hot and heated end-of-the-summer and Deb season in Susan McBride’s The Debs! Some will go to any length to get rid of the debu-trash while others will do anything to make sure they’re on that debutante list! This is only the start of the adventures for these four wealthy girls and it’ll leave you craving for more!

Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway

Being an ordinary teenager living in California, Audrey would've never guessed that breaking up with her boyfriend would make her famous! But that ex-boyfriend happens to be an egotistical musician, and so, you guessed it! He wrote a song about their breakup. And surprisingly, the song, "Audrey, Wait!" has caught the interest of some minor record labels, and before anyone knows it, it's climbing the charts and is being played everywhere! Good bye, normal life! Now a piece of Audrey's love life is being made known to everyone and the tabloids are starting to follow the subject of this song, Audrey, around!

Audrey just wants a normal life, but that’s completely out of the questions when bands, fans, reporters, and crazy managers are plaguing her house with calls, killing her e-mail, and sending more text-messages than you can shake a stick at! While Audrey is trying to evade the limelight, her best friend, Victoria, wants Audrey to play up the fame and get free lip gloss, concert tickets, and more publicity! But how can she concentrate on free lip gloss when her love life is out for everyone to hear, people are selling out random information about her to the tabloids, and the press portray her as the ‘bad girl friend’ and are publishing lies? She’s just trying to hold her job at the Scooper Dooper ice cream store at the mall, listen to music, and hang out with her friends! But speaking of her love life…there has been some pretty interesting twists lately…her co-worker at the Scooper Dooper is kinda hot, but so is the lead singer of the Lolitas…ack! What would the media do about this new development in her love life (seemingly the top interest of all teens right now!) if they heard??

There was just one predictable, slightly cliché part: of course pressure gets to Audrey and she really does try to do the right thing, but relations between her and her best friend are strained, and they argue. That, in turn, causes further discord and Audrey eventually discovers herself and spills the truth and kicks butt in front of a (very) large audience. Just a bit predictable for me in the later part of the book, but definitely a unique and fun read overall!! Audrey sees how ugly the other side of fame is and is often forced to do damage control for her parents! It's not too hard to connect to some of the characters in the story; Audrey attends your typical school with a popular crowd and students that buzz about with the latest rumors.

Audrey, Wait! had a fast pace that doesn’t let the book drag on, and personally, I loved the lyric snippets from different songs that started out each chapter (little foreshadowing)—fantastic idea! Audrey herself is quite a spunky character and I loved her fat cat! Great, dynamic characters, mixed with some creativity, humor and pop culture, and I would say Audrey, Wait! is a pretty good read. I definitely recommend it for all you looking for a light-hearted summer read, so long as you’re not someone who’s easily offended by plenty of cussing since this book does drop the F-bomb quite a few times.

The Market by J.M. Steele

How far would you go to be popular? Is popularity really all that great?

Katie Winthrop was on the verge of depression after she was introduced to The Market by a mysterious stranger through IM one night. She learns that The Market is an online bidding site someone at her school set up where all the girls in the senior class are ranked. Katie finds that out of the 140 girls in her senior class, she is ranked a measely #71. 71?! That's less than average--she's in the lower half of the class! Surely she must not be that bad! Okay, so she isn't exactly the queen of fashion at her school, but her taste in clothes isn't horrendous! And she is a slightly shy, but nice girl that holds a part time job at the local bookstore--so she can't possibly be so low on the food chain, right? Greatly upset to be considered a "junk bond" on The Market, Katie runs to one of her closest friends, Dev, and confesses everything to her. Lending a sympathetic ear, Dev listens to Katie's tearful account and quickly hatches a plot to use the situation to their advantage--they're going to beat the system!

Dev explains to Katie that all the share holders had to pay $500 real cash to join the Market and get Market money to bid on different stocks, or senior girls. At the end of the year, the bidder/player with the highest folder gets all the money, and with that money being several thousand, Dev devises a plan to help Katie beat the system so they can win and split the prize money. So Dev fronts the $500 and they buy a folder and call up their friend Callie (who does have a good eye for fashion) to help Katie with her makeover. Dev is hoping that if Katie can improve her looks, befriend the "Proud Crowd" (the most popular ring of girls at school), and make her mark, Katie's stock price will go up, as well as their folder's worth.

And thus, Katie is dragged around for said makeover--they hit the clothing stores for some trendier threads. Not too long after, the made-over "Kat" hits the school runway, turning heads with her new found fashion sense and confidence! The two hottest boys in her class, Will and Jack are starting to notice her, and even talk to her! As time progresses, with help from Dev's plots, Kat steadily climbs the social ladder, nearing "blue chip status." Even Gretchen Tanner, the head girl of the Proud Crowd has noticed her and invited to to hang out. As these hang outs, parties, and other events becoming more common, Kat starts to stray from her original friends and values.

But how long will this new found popularity last? As they say, the higher you are, the harder you fall. Has Kat gone too far to achive "blue chip status?" Gone is Katie, the sweet girl who cared about her friends, in her place is Kat, a girl who wants to be #1 on The Market, and will stop at almost nothing to do so. Is Kat really trying to beat the system anymore, or has she become a power-hungry girl that wants nothing more than ultimate popularity? She has all but left her friends, got caught up in a harsh love triangle, and has trampled on many people, not caring if their feelings are hurt or not, in an attempt to keep up with Gretchen and her Proud Crowd. Is popularity really worth losing her friends, her dignity, and ultimately, herself? Kat learns that behind the illusion of endless friends and getting everything you want, popularity has an uglier, back-stabbing side that could leave you friendless and emotionally hurt.

The Market was a fantastic read that will capture you with its honesty and creativity. Many readers can relate to Katie and her quest for popularity, since most teens want to be accepted and have wanted to be popular one time or another at school. But Katie ultimately sees the truth in things and that looks can be decieving, so don't lose those who understand you and who have stuck by you from the start!

The Elite by Jennifer Banash

Casey McCloy jumped at the chance to see the Big Apple when her mother announced that she was going overseas to do some research for her book. The next thing Casey knows, she is moving in with her grandmother into the luxurious Bramford apartments of Manhatten’s Upper East Side. But can a girl from an all but unheard of town in Illinois fit into the big city and the prestigious Meadowlark Academy, where fashion divas and trendsetters like Madison Macallister rule the scene? I mean, when she first set foot in the Bram and bumped into Madison and her posse, she was instantly labeled a walking fashion violation—apparently Abercrombie isn’t high enough on the fashion food chain to warrant anything but distain from It Girl Madison! So does Casey stand a chance in Meadowlark and NYC?

Although Madison and her ladies seem imposing in their high fashion and expensive heels, Casey thinks she stands a chance to befriend the queen of style and sets out to do just that. Casey is taken out to do some shopping for a make over, but the sky high prices on all the designer brands that are a must for the stars of Meadowlark are completely out of Casey’s range! Luckily, with some unexpectedly generous assistance from Madison, Casey is now ready for her first day at the elite academy! But will a new outfit completely prepare Casey for what she’s about to face? And what is she to do with the hottie, Drew, also known as Madison’s on and off boyfriend, who keeps catching her eye?

Who can Casey trust? Can she really fit into this high-priced society? Can Casey keep up with Madison and her girls, or are they out of her league and only letting her in out of pity?

The Elite is a great start to a new series by Jennifer Banash! It was a bit heavy on the fashion brands and the language is a bit strong (but that’s how it is for many teens nowadays in the US) but the characters all had some very interesting stories to tell. I loved how the point of view switched between the characters so that we could get a bigger picture of their lives. Most of them deal with issues that plenty of teens have and it was nice to get to know more about the others, besides Casey—it definitely helped develop the characters more, and readers will find it easier to understand these dynamic teens! They all had realistic, believable feelings and actions that were wonderfully expressed throughout the novel! It was also great to see down-to-earth Casey shine and show that you don’t need to be rolling in gold to be happy with yourself. There’s more to even the rich and popular kids than all that glitz and glamour they live with! And it would seem that Casey has it easy with just her frizzy-hair problems, after seeing what some of those oh-so-perfect teens have to deal with, behind their sophisticated and happy façade…wealth may not necessarily guarantee happiness…

Airhead by Meg Cabot

Meg Cabot fans, watch out! Ms. Cabot has written another fabulous novel that will captivate many readers--keep an eye out for Airhead, which will hit bookstores in June!

**This review is spoiler free!**

Em (that’s short for Emerson, not Emily!) Watson has always been a tomboy, preferring video games to truth-or-dare sessions. She doesn’t have many girl friends, since she’ll take trying to reach the new level of JourneyQuest, over a shopping spree at the mall and slathering makeup on any day! Her only ‘girly’ trait? Having a crush on her best buddy, Christopher, with whom she spends most of her video game playing hours.

Her sister Frida, on the other hand, is one of the “Walking Dead” as Em and Christopher likes to call them—a queen bee wannabe who is obsessed with makeup, cheerleading, and trying to be like the head of the “Walking Dead”—Whitney Robertson. That being said, of course Frida has to go to the new Stark mega-store opening, which will include a performance by the new hot British singer that all “Walking Dead” girls are swooning for, Gabriel Luna. Pushed along by their mom, Em finds herself accompanying her sister to the grand opening—and her life taking a whole different turn.

I was extremely excited when I got an ARC of this book, and just could not put it down! Meg Cabot has created another great novel with an unexpected twist and topic that has not been broached in very many other YA novels (if any!), which made this book all the more interesting! Ms. Cabot’s characters are highly realistic and believable, as usual, making it easy for readers to connect to them and making Airhead a fantastically captivating read! This book has not even hit bookstores yet and I’m already dying for its sequel! Airhead is a must read for all Meg Cabot fans!

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…