Pretenders

ByLisi Harrison (Website, Facebook, Twitter)
Series: Pretenders #1
Published by Little Brown Books for Young Readers, Poppy on October 1st 2013
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher  Amazon • Goodreads

 It takes place at a high school in New Jersey. Summer is over. Sophomore year begins tomorrow. Outfits are being planned. Lunch buddies are being secured. Texts are flying. All seems normal when…ping! Everyone in the sophomore class gets an email.

SUBJECT: The Phoenix Five: License To Spill.

Attached is a mega document.

A letter from a mysterious student starts the book. It explains that at the end of each year the school yearbook- The Phoenix- names the five most outstanding freshman. She (or he) always suspected that last years’ five (3 girls, 2 boys) were phonies. She (or he) always thought they tried too hard to be popular. But she (or he) never had the proof. Until now. She (or he) stole the secret diaries they were asked to keep by their English teacher. She (or he) has compiled them into a book.

This is that book.


~My Impressions~
When I first read the synopsis on this book I knew I had to have it. What’s not to love about a book that exposes all the secrets of high school teens that are just trying to fit in and best yet-no one knows who told all their secrets!

The story is told in journal style by five very different teenagers with different styles who are writing about the nitty gritty of their lives: struggles, temptations, worries, fears, joys-everything. What I liked about this book were the different characters-the jock, the princess, the skater, homeschoolers etc. It kept the book interesting, especially as you read their thoughts and feelings and then see how they are perceived by the masses based on their outward front and how they all interact with one another. We loved all the unexpected twists and turns the book took. I was a little afraid this book would be predictable and boring, but it is neither. This book is full of humor, intrigue and high school drama.


OK now for what I did not like. A couple of the characters were a little hard to get to know and to place inside the story. They seemed a little over the top for my taste. Also, the very weird and abrupt ending bothered me greatly. It’s like she passed her deadline and had to end the book right then and there. It left me going "Hu? What is that it?" Other than that one hiccup though, I thoroughly enjoyed the book as did my 14 year old daughter. We cannot wait for the follow-up!

  
~Links~
Follow Lisa on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LisiHarrison
 
~About the Author~ 
 Lisi Harrison is the author of the #1 New York Times best-selling series "The Clique". Lisi was born in Canada, and lived in NYC for a while at MTV. She now lives in Laguna Beach, CA.
Three girls, two guys, five secret journals.

The five most popular students at Noble High have secrets to hide; secrets they wrote down in their journals. Now one of their own exposes the private entries...

I am leaking these because I'm tired and I know you are too. The success bar is too high and pretending has become the only way to reach it. Instagrams are filtered, Facebook profiles are embellished, photos are shopped, reality TV is scripted, body parts get upgraded like software, and even professional athletes are cheating. The things we believe in aren't real.

We are pretenders.
- See more at: http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/lisi-harrison/pretenders/9780316222440/#sthash.Jx3S6fNW.dpuf
Three girls, two guys, five secret journals.

The five most popular students at Noble High have secrets to hide; secrets they wrote down in their journals. Now one of their own exposes the private entries...

I am leaking these because I'm tired and I know you are too. The success bar is too high and pretending has become the only way to reach it. Instagrams are filtered, Facebook profiles are embellished, photos are shopped, reality TV is scripted, body parts get upgraded like software, and even professional athletes are cheating. The things we believe in aren't real.

We are pretenders.
- See more at: http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/lisi-harrison/pretenders/9780316222440/#sthash.Jx3S6fNW.dpuf

Comments