Narrator Shelby Chappelle is a loner, a geek. Sure, she gets lots of dates, but she doesn't have a clique or a best friend other than her lifelike robot Euphoria, who is programmed to converse with its owner and respond to emotions. That is, until the offbeat, super-tall Becca moves into town and the two fast become Best Friends Forever. They quickly form a social club and begin queen geek campaigns to feed the super-thin models and show boys just how invisible they can be when girls put their minds to it.

Laura Preble's novel is cute fluff, pure and simple. Is it terrible? Eh, no. Is it a worthy coming-of-age story? Certainly not. Could one find some positive girl-affirming messages under a story that requires suspension of belief? Sure.

For both reluctant readers and teen lit fans, I'd recommend some of the other critically acclaimed young-adult books on the market these days.

by Jessica Lux-Baumann
Rambles.NET
18 November 2006