Well-written, but not really my style

by GoluxGirl on December 31, 2008

I was not familiar with the Insider series before I picked up this novel ... or, if I was, it was only in the vague way I know about all those clique-y teen series. Not a fan, generally. But I liked the look of the girl on the cover, and I liked the blurb on the back, so I sat down in the B&N to read a bit of it. The beginning has a great hook, with girl breaking ties with the old and getting ready for the new. I liked the characters and the characterizations; they were familiar, but not overly cliched, and fresh enough to be interesting.

The trouble for me started when I clued into the existence of the other series. Characters were announced, rather than introduced. When the third girl arrived at Flan's to crash, and was greeted with her full name followed by an exclamation mark ("Victor Victoria!"), and the author referred to Patch's friends as the Insiders with capital I, I realized this wasn't a book so much as promotional material.

By the end, the story reminded me of all the Junior-High-Summer-Camp-New-Girl-Makeover books I'd read as a pre- and young teen. And it fits very well into that category, if a bit light. Flan is a tad too mature for the average 14-yr-old, but her life isn't average, so it's fine. And she still makes mistakes like a kid. Plus, she's seeking to inhabit a more natural sphere than the kids in, say, The Luxe.

Bottom line: better if you loved the Insider series, but good enough if it's in your age-range or covers your interests (namely, celebutaunts ... anyone else realize that ends with a word that means "to tease"?)