For as long as they can remember, Avalon Greene and Halley Brandon have been best friends, bonding over their mutual love for fashion. Then Halley returns from art camp with a totally new sense of style, one Avalon’s not sure she likes. More than that, both girls have changed during their summer apart. Now the former BFFs are carrying on a sneaky, snarky war. But can they get along to throw one final party or is Halvalon officially over?
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Casey McCloy is a normal girl from Normal (no, seriously, she’s from Normal, Illinois), and then she moves into the most exclusive apartment building in New York’s Upper East Side. Now she’s surrounded by wealth and elegance she’s only dreamed about. This world is ruled by Madison Macallister. But making friends with the hottest girl and her friends is never easy, as Casey discovers, especially when she might be falling for Madison’s sort-of boyfriend.
I have not read much of this genre, with the exception of the Private series by Kate Brian. Personally, I prefer the writing style of Private, but for everything else, The Elite is definitely better.
The Elite switches narrators. Normally, I’m not fond of this, but in The Elite, it was essential to create the likable, three dimensional characters at the center of the novel, and even more impressive, the characters had distinct voices so that you could tell which chapter was from whose point of view. I was entirely impressed with Banash’s success in this. Each of the narrating characters has a story and each has problems, but these problems are normal problems, problems that normal teens can relate to. And unlike Private, The Elite’s drama is believable. Again, maybe you don’t know anyone this rich, but you could know girls who are dealing with what these characters are dealing with.
What cost The Elite half a star was the writing. Don’t get me wrong. It’s mostly good writing, and many of the descriptions really stand out as being brilliant. Overall, I liked the writing. But…all the designer names…became exhausting after a while. This is being nitpicky, though, and I’m positive that The Elite will find its fanbase. I certainly recommend it and am eagerly awaiting the release of In Too Deep.
3.5 stars
by Robin Benway
Audrey’s tired of dealing with her boyfriend’s egocentric attitude. So she breaks up with him. Should be the end of it, but it’s not. Because Evan writes a song about the break-up and records it with his band, and “Audrey, Wait!” skyrockets up the charts. As the song grows more popular, so does Audrey. All Audrey wants is to be normal, but it’s hard when the paparazzi are stalking her and people she’s never met are following her every move on the internet, being normal isn’t easy.
I loved this book. The characters were fun and three dimensional. Audrey’s voice (the novel is written in the first person) is totally real and entirely enteraining. For all that the premise is very unlikely, Benway handles her story in a very believable way. It’s not over-the-top at all. Unless you dislike a lot of strong language, Audrey, Wait! is a completely enjoyable read and highly recommended.
Four stars
*Audrey, Wait! will be released on April 10
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