Casey McCloy recently moved from the Midwest to Manhattan. She is having difficulty adjusting to the changes including going to a wealthy private school and “hooking up” with the hottest guy in school. Casey is trying to figure out where she fits in with the new world that she is now part of.
Drew Van Allen just broke up with one of the hottest girls at their school. He is now “hooking up” with Casey. Drew loves that Casey is so different from the girls he is used to, but when his ex starts dating someone new, Drew questions his sudden jealous feelings.
Madison Macallister is Drew’s ex. Madison is used to getting whatever she wants and is not happy that Casey has swept up her guy. Madison will do anything and everything to win Drew back.
Phoebe Reynaud is struggling with her own issues. She is attracted to her best friend’s brother and the tension at home between her parents is overwhelming. When Phoebe learns that her mother is having an affair, she doesn’t know how to handle it or who to talk to.
Sophie St. John is coping with learning that she is adopted and then finding out that her birthmother is a famous actress. In between planning her sweet sixteen party and dealing with her friends, Sophie also has to decide if she wants to meet her mother and how that will go.
This book is definitely written for young adults. The story lines are reminiscent of “Gossip Girl” and “Mean Girls”. The book showcases bored, wealthy teenagers who are dissatisfied with their wealth, but aren’t sure what to do about it. We see the drama of their lives and the imperfections that they hide from the rest of the world. The book is fairly tame with the kisses remaining chaste and innocent. We do see what privilege does to them as they drink and party and think nothing of acting like adults. Madison goes so far as to proposition a modeling agent despite being only 17.
The nice thing about this book is that it demonstrates that money does not isolate you from problems. Despite having millions of dollars at their disposal, these teenagers still struggle with the need to fit in, how to maintain friendships with each other, where are they going with their lives and how to find love and romance. Their lives are not perfect. Their parents are divorcing or absent and most of them do not get along with their parents like most typical teenagers.
The story is well written, but it is obviously part of a series. Some of the things are not explained. We enter the story being expected to know something about these characters and to just pick up where the last book left off. The ending of the book also sets up the next in the series.
