Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this novel centers around a murder -- and finding out who did it. Along the way, there's another murder and a face-off with a gun. Both murders are barely described. The triplet sisters who try to solve the crimes smoke cigars, wear designer clothes, and launch a designer fashion label. One sister makes out with a movie star she just met, and another has had a sexual relationship with the heir to a rival family.
Families can talk about the continuing popularity of the girl clique series. Now there are series involving murder mysteries and even rich kid vampires -- what are the limits of the genre? How far can authors push it before readers lose interest? Also, what are some of the genre's trappings (think wealthy kids, designer clothes, bad behavior)? Why is this formula appealing?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Kate Pavao
There's plenty to keep readers going -- three beautiful rich triplets, a male movie star, a cute family rival, murders, the launch of the Hamilton sisters' fashion line -- and a missing mysterious diamond fabled to "forever protect and preserve the eminent expanse of Fifth -- from Central Park right down to Washington Square. Shoppers would always feel at home, and the world's greatest retailers would flourish and expand."
The author certainly had fun writing this book, and readers will have fun, too, if they are willing to overlook the formulaic writing (such as the scripted protagonists, who boil down to the good girl, the sensible one, and the wild child).
The most fun scene may be when wild Lex, the designer of the Hamilton sisters' fashion line, uses her unique fashion knowledge to help the detective find the killer ("Frowning, Lex ran her finger over the tear, then bit down on her lip... 'The filler of this jacket is polyester,' she said.")
If your kid is looking for literature, skip this one -- even Gossip Girl is written better. But if she's looking for something to read by the pool, she may enjoy spending the afternoon with the Celebutantes.
From The Book
Madison felt a sudden surge of energy shoot through her blood. If she, Park, and Lex played the game correctly -- if the navigated the media storm exactly as they had been raised to -- the Hamilton name would be more powerful than ever in just a few days.
Together, they were a force not even a killer could stop.
Plot Summary:
Three New York socialite triplets -- the cleverly named Park, Lexington, and Madison Hamilton -- find themselves suspects when a fashion magazine editor with dirt on their family is killed. Together, they try to solve the murder, hoping to clear their names. They also try to find a mystical diamond connected to their family that was also stolen that night. Oh, and they launch a fashion label, too.
Related Books:
More Clique Lit Series:
Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar
The It Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar
The Invasion of the Boy Snatchers: A Clique Novel by Lisi Harrison
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Anne Brashares
TTFN by Lauren Myracle
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Sexual ContentOne sister kisses a movie star she just met. Another had sex with the heir to family's rival. |
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ViolenceThe novel begins with the murder of a famous magazine editor. Along the way, there is another murder, and a final face-off involving a gun. |
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LanguageSome words like "boobs" and "bulls--t." |
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Social Behavior |
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CommercialismThe girls wear designer clothes -- and one sister designs for the Triple Threat fashion label they launch together. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoSome drinking, and even the girls smoke cigars. |
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