Nothing Can Keep us Together
by Cecily von Ziegesar
A Gossip Girl Novel
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As a devoted reader of the Gossip Girl novels, I’ve begun to notice a trend with them starting from about Novel #6 on. Each book since has gotten racier, naughtier, and more outrageous. The latest one, “Nothing Can Keep Us Apart” (#8) is the naughtiest of them all. And although this quality grabbed me in the first book and kept me reading, it’s begun to wear thin.

Forget what you read on the back of the book - it has little, if anything, to do with the actual story. Blair did find her “devoted” boyfriend Nate in the shower with Serena in the previous book. But she doesn’t vow revenge. Meanwhile, Serena decides to pretend Nate and her are meant to be. Too bad Nate cannot stop neither his constant crying or stealing the coach’s stash of viagra. Meanwhile Jenny Humphrey is searching for a new boarding school. She wants to find a party school, but so far is having little luck. Blair has decided she doesn’t need Nate, and hooks up with one of the most eligible young men from England. And the other characters? Up to their usual snarky, bad behavior.

And Gossip Girl manages to catch it all in her online journal, as always.

I have to admit I was disappointed with Nothing Can Keep Us Apart. For one, the story line is just unbelievably outrageous, and so far-fetched to the point of being ridiculous. Blair hooking up so easily with the British guy? Nate suddenly turning into a crybaby because he is in love with Blair? Vanessa turning into a sex maniac, among other things? I know this series started out deliciously “bad” with plenty of twists and turns, but it’s gotten way out of hand. There was more sex in this book then there is in most adult chick lit!

The entire time I read this novel, I kept raising my eyebrows higher and higher, and actually found it hard to continue reading. The parts that were bad were too bad, and the parts that weren’t were boring. Jenny’s quest failed to interest me too much, although I’m interested in reading the spinoff series “The It Girl”.

It was the ending that made me decide to not bother reading the next book in this series. The author manages to leave it where the next book will undoubtedly be R-rated. But we may find out who “gossip girl” is.

Overall, I’d have to say pass on this unless you are a die-hard, devoted fan of this series. Anyone who has steadily become disappointed with the past few books probably won’t like this one either.

Reviewed by Rian
2/5 Stars