Happy New Year to everyone! Wishing you all the luck in the world with all the resolutions and reminding you to party safe!
Author: Cecily Von Ziegesar
Pages: 192
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Summary (from the publisher):
Welcome to New York City's Upper East Side where my friends and I live, and go to school, and play, and sleep - sometimes with each other.We all live in huge apartments with our own bedrooms and bathrooms and phone lines.We're smart, we've inherited classic good looks, we have fantastic clothes, and we know how to party... Continuing the #1 New York Times bestselling series about the provocative lives of New York City's most prestigious private school young adults. Sharp wit, intriguing characters, and high stakes melodrama drive the action of this addictive series that have made Gossip Girl the lit world's coveted "it" girl.
Thoughts:
Everyone has graduated (except for Nate who is working at his Coach's Hampton house). Blair and Serena have these weird European twins flown in by Bailey Winter who end up trying to take over their spotlight from the fashion campaign B & S were muses for. Vanessa had started babysitting in the last book, but in this book she leaves after coming to the Hamptons. She comes back to the city to find Dan exploring his sexuality with a guy named Greg (coworker at The Strand). This happens in a drunken same-sex orgy that was originally supposed to be a literary salon. The story and even some of the editing seemed very lazy. On page 126, they misspelled the word "brother" and put "bother". The one thing I will say was that this was the first time I've seen the series use a Craigslist ad and letters. I also liked some of the quotes being quoted during the literary stuff that was going on (ex. "Weren't ideas, when all is said and done, so superior to reality?" page 64). That was a pleasant surprise, but it wasn't something I could enjoy for long. I was more annoyed than shocked when Serena had her "realization" that she loves Nate this whole time. Not only was it in the tenth book, it was also in the last third half of the book. I'll read the other books after this only because I bought them (so I don't want to waste money). However, I don't know if wasting my time reading them will make up for the money. Since the TV show is over, I don't feel as obligated anymore to finish the series if it's not that well-written. We'll see. My next review will show my decision.
Merry Christmas to all! :)
I was going to try to fill in the blanks and rush in reading all the books I've missed. However, it's not fun if it's a job so I'm just picking up where I left off today.
Author: Cecily Von Ziegesar
Pages: 231
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Summary (from publisher):
Welcome to New York City's Upper East Side, where the girls are dazzling, the guys are gorgeous, and the summer heat is the perfect excuse to throw a fabulous roof-deck pool party. As if we need a reason!It's our last summer together before heading off to college, and things are sizzling -- no, it's not just the weather. Despite that steamy kiss on graduation night, Blair, Serena, and Nate have gone their separate ways...though not for long. Blair is off to London with her English Lord boyfriend, Serena's about to become a movie star -- as if she wasn't a star already! -- and Nate's rolling up his well-worn khakis and heading to the Hamptons. Back in New York, Dan and Vanessa are rekindling their love. Fiery! Watch out, this summer is going to be hotter than ever
Thoughts (relevant material bolded, opinion is normal font):
As I've said before, the other books have things going on that don't really add to the story (like Blair and Serena kissing) but this one seems to progress the story more than recent books. This is the first one I finish in a two-three day span since the first three books so I don't know if that says something. Also, I read in several outlets that this far along in the series, it isn't even Cecily Von Ziegesar writing anymore (more of a ghostwriter). I don't know how true that is but if it is true, I picked up on it like two books ago. ANYWAYS, out of the main characters, Jenny seems to be the only one absent. I think she got her own spin off series but her absence was noticed since I wasn't reading about her rebellious adventures that I subconsciously got accustomed to. Serena gets a lead in a movie that Blair ends up getting a job as a costume designer. Blair seemed in denial that Lord Marcus was more into his "cousin" (who is made to feel like his arranged fiance) and comes back to New York from England. Blair is excelling and Serena is having trouble for the first time in her life. Serena thinks that she's going to end up with Thaddeus, the Hollywood hotshot, but he ends up being gay. That part of the story was being foreshadowed since the last book and I thought it was well done although I could predict it. Dan cheats on Vanessa with this yoga-obsessed, Zen girl named Bree. Vanessa is heartbroken since she actually moved in with Dan after her sister kicked her out and expected things to go "back to normal". However, Rufus lets her stay and offers her the chance to pay cheap rent in exchange for some company once Dan and Jenny are off in their respective schools. Awkward?! Nate is working in the Hamptons for his lacrosse coach to get his high school diploma (after stealing his stash of Viagra) and meets this local "slut" type named Tawny. Nate hears Blair is back early and thinks she's either pregnant or married and he starts to ditch Tawny as a result, who later hooks up with Chuck. Tawny and Bree were a little lame but I wasn't so annoyed by everything..only one thing. The whole Nate and Blair things needs to finally end or they need to get together. It's starting to feel more juvenile for high school graduates. So, as I've said, this was one of the better books lately and I'm about halfway into the next book because I'm curious to see how everything plays out and where the series will end. Will the story touch on their freshmen year of college? We'll see.
'til next time, stay classy! ♥
-M
Author: Cecily Von Ziegesar
Pages: 231
Summary (from publisher):
The uptown girls are headed downtown as Serena and Jenny take on their new fabulous roles as rock-star model girlfriends of New York's hottest band, The Raves. Meanwhile, Dan is to busy drowning his sorrows in empty bottles to notice a mysterious French beauty who has a penchant for dirty, Jim Morrison-wannabe lead singers. Blair takes residence at the Plaza to think about her future. Will she become a gun-toting international spy or Manhattan's snobbiest society hostess? Decisions are so difficult! Sounds like everyone needs a day off at the spa. And Senior Spa Day promises to serve up further doses of scandal for New York's busiest private-school vixens.
Thoughts:
It's getting harder and harder to get excited to breeze through the series. The books start off well and then are stagnant for a majority of the time then have one buzz-worthy event that keeps you there. If anything, I'm still around this far because 1) I said I would in honor of GG's last TV season and 2) I compare TV and print. I think the comparing is the only fun I have right now. I'm not saying they aren't well written because in this book, Von Ziegesar was writing descriptions as well as the first book; it's just getting a little too predictable for my taste. This one wasn't as cheesy as the sixth because it didn't have any of that annoying try-hard singing but it did have some unexpected things going on. I didn't ever imagine that Vanessa and Blair would end up being roommates. Jenny is getting a little too adventurous for my taste because it reminds me of try-hard girls when I was growing up but it was entertaining, I suppose. I guess what's really gnawing at me is the whole unrealistic band thing with the Raves. Quick read only if you're bored I guess.
'til next time, stay classy!♥
-M
Finally a topher(two-for-one) this week! Thanksgiving break felt extra long, lol.
Here we go:
Author: Cecily Von Ziegesar
Pages: 224
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Summary (from publisher):
Welcome to New York City's Upper East Side, where my friends and I live in gorgeous apartments, go to exclusive private schools, and make Manhattan our own personal playground. It might look hard to be this fabulous, but for us it's as easy as sleeping with your best friend's boyfriend. (A little generic, right? Even the publisher's are getting lazy)
Thoughts:
It was a quick read and did have some good stuff happening. I was dying to see who got into what college already! The way Von Ziegesar chose to reveal it was also pretty well executed. Some of the Gossip Girl narration is starting to get really cheesy but this point in the series. I understand she's supposed to be sassy or whatever but I think there's a line between being topically witty and try-hard cheesy. Just my opinion, by the way. I also wish there was more cohesion between the story lines of each characters. I'm surprised at how fast Georgina was in and out of the series; it's really hard to not compare it with the tightly knit cast on the show. They might hate each other in the show but they're always together or calling each other or running into each other every where. In the book, it happens a lot less often. It feels like a compilation of several stories in one book than a group of teenagers growing up together.
