Here is a full review for the entire 3-book series entitled “Fast Girls, Hot Boys” written by Kylie Adams:

Let me start out by saying this was - by far - one of the BEST mini-series (teen or otherwise!) I have ever read. If you like series like “Gossip Girls” and/or “The Au Pairs”, you will absolutely adore these books. There is a sinfully delicious combination of rich, glamorous girls, cute boys, secrets, jealousies, friendships, danger and even murder within the pages of these novels.

Book one, which is Cruel Summer, introduces the key characters. There is the rich, beautiful Vanity St. John, who has it all but never enough to feel happy. There is Max Biaggi, another rich, overprivileged kid who likes to party hard. There is Christina Perez, who has a secret that she does NOT want her mother to find out about. There is Pippa Keith, a heartbreakingly gorgeous British girl who never seems to have any money. And lastly there is Dante Medina, who has a dream to make waves in the hip-hop world, but in the meantime teaches rich children how to swim for extra cash. All five of these friends attend the Miami Academy for Creative and Performing Arts. They are all destined for greatness.

But by the end of senior year, there will only be four of them, because one of them will die. (This is made clear from the very first chapter). But who? And why? The three books delve deeply into the characters’ lives, thoughts, dreams, fears and disappointments.

As I mentioned above, this was one of the best series I have ever read. There was something for everyone - enough bling and designer label-dropping to satisfying the fashionistas; plenty of romance, jealousy and heartbreak to satisfy the romance junkies; lots of friendship up and downs, and best of all, lots of mystery and suspense.

I really wish this series continued longer - it blows “Gossip Girls” right out of the water in character depth and plot lines.

Overall, I cannot recommend this series highly enough - go out and grab yourself the first book at least to see if you like it! (I guarantee you will end up getting the other 2 books later).

Reviewed by Rian
5/5 Stars

Bras and Broomsticks
by Sarah Mlynowski
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I was excited when I heard Sarah Mlynowski had written a teen chick lit/fantasy book - especially since she is one of my favorite chick lit authors!

Meet Rachel. She is 14, unpopular and and suffering from the usual teenage angst. That all changes one day when she discovers that her younger sister Miri is a witch. Yes, a witch. Apparently it was passed down from their mother. While Rachel wonders why she didn’t inherit her mother’s powers, she knows that she can convince Miri to help her cast spells to help her out. (Behind their mother’s back, of course). For instance, there is a freshman fashion show coming up. Rachel knew if she got chosen to be in it, she’d become popular and get invited to the A-list parties. Too bad that normally she couldn’t dance to save her own life.

Although the girls’ mother warns Miri not to use her powers until she is fully trained in them, under Rachel’s begging and pleading, Miri begins doing some small spells to help out. First it’s just to help Rachel become a dancer. Then there is the zit-away concoction. Then the girls decide to try and break up their father’s soon-to-be-wedding with a woman they feel is horrible and two-faced. Meanwhile Rachel is ecstatic with her newfound popularity - not only did she get chosen to be in the freshman fashion show as a dancer, but she suddenly is dating one of the most handsome boys in school, and the A-list is inviting her to parties.

But after a few disasters and spells-gone-wrong, the girls realize they might be in over their heads. Maybe their mother was right. Will Rachel end up losing her new popularity and best friend? Will she make a complete fool of herself in front of the school? Will the girls’ dad end up making the biggest mistake of his life? Find out this and more by reading this delightful novel.

This book was a wonderful read. It has all of the ingredients you could ever want in a teen fantasy chick lit novel: family angst, friendship and popularity dilemmas, crushes, parties, magic, and more. Mlynowski’s trademark wit, warmth, and addictive storytelling come through in this book stronger than ever. Reading her novels is usually like having your best friend confide juicy secrets to you, but even better - and Bras and Broomsticks is no exception! The characters and dialogue are realistic, and the plot is original and absorbing.

I highly recommend Bras and Broomsticks to all chick lit and fantasy fans of all ages. Adult readers will forget they are reading a teen novel as they get lost in the pages of this book, and teen readers will be delighted. Harry Potter, move over - there is a new preteen with superpowers in town!

Reviewed by Rian
5/5 Stars

Faking 19
by Alyson Noel
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Alex, a 17 year-old AP student, has lately gone from a promising young student into failing her classes and hanging out in LA with her friend M, who happens to be the most popular girl in school. The girls wind up pretending they are 19 and snagging older boyfriends. But how long can that last? Before long, Alex is in trouble with her mother and guidance counselor. M meanwhile comes from a rich family that doesn’t care what she does.

Soon enough, Alex’s new boyfriend finds out her true age, and things come crashing down. Alex realizes she must get over her resentment for her wayward father (who refuses to pay for her college tuition), and make an effort in school of she might not graduate with her class.

“Faking 19″ was a very engaging and fast-paced read. The author does a great job of getting the reader into Alex’s head and make them feel her emotions. The story is well-written, capturing the girls’ teen angst perfectly. Overall a great book, and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes the Gossip Girl series and other teen books.

Reviewed by Rian
5/5 Stars

The It Girl
by Cecily von Ziegesar
An “It Girl” Novel
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I have been eagerly awaiting The It Girl series, which many of you know is a spinoff from one of the characters in the “Gossip Girl” series. As soon as I got my copy I eagerly devoured it, hoping that the characters wouldn’t be too similar to the Gossip Girl set. Thankfully they weren’t- in fact, this was a great book, even better than I’d hoped!

You may recall from the last Gossip Girl book that Jenny Humphrey has left Constance Billard in NYC to go to a boarding school- Waverly Academy in Upstate New York. Waverly Academy is filled with rich kids with their secrets. Jenny herself is trying to move into her “New Jenny” role, meaning she isn’t going to let people get her down anymore. She wants to be more wild, more in control, more free. So far it seems to be working, as several of the popular guys in school seem to like her already. But can that be because of the rumors that keep following her around?

The other main characters in The It Girl are just as intriguing. There is Brett Messerschmidt, a gorgeous girl who is trying desperately to hide her home life while trying to snag the cute new Disiplinary Committee advisor. Then there is the stuck up and selfish Callie, whose boyfriend Easy seems to have plans that don’t include her. Callie meanwhile is trying to manipulate everyone in site, including Jenny so that she doesn’t get kicked out of school. Easy himself can’t decide if he likes Jenny or his old girlfriend Callie. And there are others…

As with the other series, this book is told from multiple viewpoints so that the reader gets to see what is going on in each person’s head. With glamourous parties, backstabbing and snobbiness galore, The It Girl kept me reading non-stop until the end. The characters were interesting and unique; and there were many little sideplots with plenty of romantic tension thrown in for good measure. The author does a fantastic job of both providing a juicy, intriguing plot and sparking major interest in the next book in the series.

Despite the plot being a bit unrealistic, and the strange way that so many of the girls had boy names, I loved this book and cannot wait for the next!

Overall I highly recommend this book to anyone that likes a gossipy good teen novel.

Reviewed by Rian
5/5 Stars

The Revenge of the Wannabes
by Lisi Harrison
A “The Clique” Novel
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There is nothing like reading a good novel filled with gossip, good fun, revenge and sneaky plots. If you are looking for such a read, this is your novel. This is the third book in the bestselling teen “Clique” series.

Alicia Rivera is rich, beautiful and tired of following the popular and feared Massie Block around. Although they are both part of the extremely popular and coveted “clique”, Massie Block clearly runs the group and expects all of the girls to do what she says. For instance, the girls have a mandatory Friday night sleepover every week. But one Friday Alicia decides to branch off and have a sleepover of her own. After all, Massie can’t get mad over that, can she? Especially if Alicia’s jazz dance classmates are invited.

But apparently Massie can, and does, get mad. Thus begins a rivalry between Massie and Alicia that starts off innocently enough but quickly spirals out of control. The girls stop at nothing. Alicia is determined to start her own Clique now and steal away the members of the original. Massie is determined to make Alicia regret ever going against her and will stop at nothing.

With a non-stop action-filled plot, plenty of beautiful and cool characters, I found this book to be a wonderful read. Once I started this novel I simply couldn’t put it down! Author Lisi Harrison does a wonderful job of getting into the minds of these girls and making the reader side with them. I found myself siding with both characters at different times throughout the book.

One thing about this book is that it’s hard to tell how old the girls are. They seem to be in middle school (I actually thought they were teens at first) but I think by the way it’s hard to discern the ages makes this book that much more enjoyable for even adults to read.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to all readers of all ages. It’s a wonderful teen chick lit novel filled with backstabbing, friendship, and good fun.

Reviewed by Rian
5/5 Stars