The words THE LIPSTICK LAWS are scrolled over the front of the binder in fancy red cusive. Lipstick? I wonder if this is what Haley was warning me about...
In this Mean Girls-esque novel, bra-stuffing April starts off her sophomore year wishing that her best friend hadn’t moved to Kansas, but quickly recovers when she is partnered for gym class with Queen Bee, Britney. After April loans Britney some lip gloss, Britney quickly welcomes her in as a “friend-in-training” to her clique. Immediately she starts working on April’s fashion sense until she is worthy of becoming a full-fledged friend, and willing to sign the Lipstick Laws.
But breaking the Lipstick Laws comes with harsh consequences and Britney didn’t gain her popularity status by being nice. April doesn’t want to be an outcast like the rest of the Lipstick Lawbreakers before her, but some words of encouragement from a friend help her to get the wheels turning and she decides to take on the Lipstick Laws, no matter what the consequences.
As I turned the pages, I found myself laughing at the outrageous things that would come out of the character’s mouths or pop into their heads. I felt like I was sitting back in the middle school cafeteria and listening in. Holder has a way of capturing the true cattiness of girls and then pushing it to the extreme. So If you are a tween/teen who is looking for a clean, silly read then put down the red lipstick and turn the pages.
Release date: April 4, 2011
Page Count: 240
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Similar to: A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker
Recommended for: Girls 10-14
Stars: 3/5
The good:
*This book is a very light and breezy read. If you are looking for something contemporary that will take you back to those days in the high school cafeteria, then this is a nice, fast read without paranormal creatures and some laughs along the way.
*I liked the fact that this book wasn’t overloaded with sexual innuendoes or a lot of cursing. Not that it’s a bad thing to have that in YA literature, but this was definitely a book that I would pass along to one of my middle school cousins and not have a problem with them reading.
The not-as-good:
*Some of the language was a little off for me. Yes, it was a clean novel with maybe a whole two uses of a swear word, but the way that April fantasized about her boy crush and the names that she used to insult people seemed a little more middle school than young adult. With that being said, I think that the demographic for this book would probably be better for a tween who likes a book with less offensive language.
*The story was a little cliché for me. I knew by the description that it was a lot like Mean Girls, but I would have liked to see a little bit more separation from the movie. Yes, it was different than the movie and the characters were more well-rounded, but I couldn’t get the similarities out of my head as I read. The ending also left me a bit dissapointed. I'm not going to give away spoilers, but even though she "learned" her lesson, I felt like some points were still missing.
All in all, this was a cute story, but I wasn’t in love with it. I think this is a great book for girls that are 10-13 and looking for something clean and without paranormal aspects. If you are of the age, have a relative that you need to buy for that is that age, or are just looking for something different then I would recommend this book.
*ARC and cover courtesy of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
With a cover like that...I'd want something more edgy! And no, I'm not going to Chi-town, visiting my sis in NYC...
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a fun read, but I agree, seems more tweeny.
ReplyDeleteSam- That was kind of what I was thinking, ha. But Poo that you won't be in Chicago. I guess NYC is better than Chicago.
ReplyDeleteLydia- It was definitely a cute read, but definitely more suited for the tween crowd.