Reviewed by: Rosella
Genre: Chick Lit, Drama
Rating: 4/5
Welcome to New York City's Upper East Side, where my friends and I live in luxe Fifth Avenue apartments and attend Manhattan's most exclusive private schools. We're smart, we've inherited classic good looks, we wear fantastic clothes, and we know how to party. We can't help it-we were born this way.
Our story begins with three inseparable, completely gorgeous fifteen-year-olds, Seren van der Woodsen, Blair Waldorf, and Nate Archibald. Blair has loved Nate and his glittering green eyes since she was in Bonpoint onesies. Too bad Nate wishes Blair's beautiful best friend, Serena was the one with the crush. And Serena has a secret she's keeping from them both. Hmmm, something tells me these best friends might not be as close as we thought...
How do I know all this? Because I know everything-and lucky for you, I can't keep a secret. So sit back while I untangle this messy little tale and tell you how it all began.
Admit it, you're already falling for me.
I absolutely love this book! I've watched season one of the show before I even read the books--actually I haven't exactly read the series. Well not seriously. I read Only In Your Dreams which is the ninth book. I decided that I wouldn't read any of the other books because I thought they paled in comparison to the t.v. show (which is a first for me).
I'll start with the main character of this novel: Serena van der Woodsen. In the show I always had a certain amount of distaste for her, because of her betrayal to her BFF Blair Waldorf, but I didn't exactly hate or dislike her. Let's just say I was always Team Blair. But after I read the book, (which did have Dan, Jenny, Vanessa, Nate and Blair's story told but was mostly around Serena) I heard her story and felt really bad for her. I no longer judged her. I admired her for deciding that Blair's feelings were more important than her own towards Nate. It was a huge struggle for her and she slipped up and slept with him (the night before Blair's arrival from her vacation). Yet Serena kissed Nate before Blair, so that makes him belong to Serena, right?
The prequel helped me understand the relationship between Nate and Serena, and how it was equally special but quite different from the one between Blair and Nate. I always loved Blair in the t.v. show but in this book I found her somewhat annoying. I mean they act the same in the show and the books but Leighton Meester can make Blair seem so much more 3-Dimensional.
Nate in the books is much dirtier from the one in the show who's absolutely adorable and practically Prince Charming, himself. In the books Nate smokes pot and he's always so...horny. -shudders-
For the show there's Team Serenate and Team Nair. But for the books I agree with Cecily and say that Nate deserves neither of them.
Dan and Vanessa from the books are so different from the show versions. In the books they're poor. (Dan only has 2 pairs of pants and like 3 shirts-not kidding), while in the show they're middle class. They're so much more dirty...and not only in that sense. They both drink a lot and Dan smokes like 3 packs a day. I have no respect for Dan from the books, the way I do for Dan from the show.
And even though this sounds like I'm trashing the book or whatever, it was SO addicting! I absolutely love the prequel! However, I will not be continuing with the series because I find the show much more entertaining (at some point it takes a whole new path from the books).
I definitely recommend this book. Ha, how contradicting am, I?
Likes: Um...Serena? The addicting plot, which makes me firmly grip the book and turn the pages until the very end?
Dislikes: Blair, Nate, Vanessa, and...a little bit of Dan.
*Note: Contains mature content, must be ages 14+ to read
Genre: Chick Lit, Drama
Rating: 4/5
Welcome to New York City's Upper East Side, where my friends and I live in luxe Fifth Avenue apartments and attend Manhattan's most exclusive private schools. We're smart, we've inherited classic good looks, we wear fantastic clothes, and we know how to party. We can't help it-we were born this way.
Our story begins with three inseparable, completely gorgeous fifteen-year-olds, Seren van der Woodsen, Blair Waldorf, and Nate Archibald. Blair has loved Nate and his glittering green eyes since she was in Bonpoint onesies. Too bad Nate wishes Blair's beautiful best friend, Serena was the one with the crush. And Serena has a secret she's keeping from them both. Hmmm, something tells me these best friends might not be as close as we thought...
How do I know all this? Because I know everything-and lucky for you, I can't keep a secret. So sit back while I untangle this messy little tale and tell you how it all began.
Admit it, you're already falling for me.
I absolutely love this book! I've watched season one of the show before I even read the books--actually I haven't exactly read the series. Well not seriously. I read Only In Your Dreams which is the ninth book. I decided that I wouldn't read any of the other books because I thought they paled in comparison to the t.v. show (which is a first for me).
I'll start with the main character of this novel: Serena van der Woodsen. In the show I always had a certain amount of distaste for her, because of her betrayal to her BFF Blair Waldorf, but I didn't exactly hate or dislike her. Let's just say I was always Team Blair. But after I read the book, (which did have Dan, Jenny, Vanessa, Nate and Blair's story told but was mostly around Serena) I heard her story and felt really bad for her. I no longer judged her. I admired her for deciding that Blair's feelings were more important than her own towards Nate. It was a huge struggle for her and she slipped up and slept with him (the night before Blair's arrival from her vacation). Yet Serena kissed Nate before Blair, so that makes him belong to Serena, right?
The prequel helped me understand the relationship between Nate and Serena, and how it was equally special but quite different from the one between Blair and Nate. I always loved Blair in the t.v. show but in this book I found her somewhat annoying. I mean they act the same in the show and the books but Leighton Meester can make Blair seem so much more 3-Dimensional.
Nate in the books is much dirtier from the one in the show who's absolutely adorable and practically Prince Charming, himself. In the books Nate smokes pot and he's always so...horny. -shudders-
For the show there's Team Serenate and Team Nair. But for the books I agree with Cecily and say that Nate deserves neither of them.
Dan and Vanessa from the books are so different from the show versions. In the books they're poor. (Dan only has 2 pairs of pants and like 3 shirts-not kidding), while in the show they're middle class. They're so much more dirty...and not only in that sense. They both drink a lot and Dan smokes like 3 packs a day. I have no respect for Dan from the books, the way I do for Dan from the show.
And even though this sounds like I'm trashing the book or whatever, it was SO addicting! I absolutely love the prequel! However, I will not be continuing with the series because I find the show much more entertaining (at some point it takes a whole new path from the books).
I definitely recommend this book. Ha, how contradicting am, I?
Likes: Um...Serena? The addicting plot, which makes me firmly grip the book and turn the pages until the very end?
Dislikes: Blair, Nate, Vanessa, and...a little bit of Dan.
*Note: Contains mature content, must be ages 14+ to read