Friday, May 28, 2010

Review: The Julian Game

Title: The Julian Game
Author: Adele Griffin


     From GoodReads, "New girl Raye Archer is desperate for a way into the In crowd, so when ice-queen Ella Parker chooses her to get back at her ex, the gorgeous Julian Kilgarry, Raye is more than game. Even if it means creating a fake Facebook identity as “Elizabeth” so that she can learn enough about Julian to sabotage him. While a fun and dangerous thrill at first, what Raye hadn’t counted on was falling for Julian herself—and igniting Ella’s rage. 

As Raye works to reconcile the temptress Elizabeth with her real-life self, Ella serves up her own revenge. Now it’s Raye who falls victim, as Ella creates an online smear campaign of nasty rumors and trashy photographs. Suddenly notorious, Raye has to find a way out of the web of deceit that she’s helped to build, and back to the relationships that matter. "

     First off, I have to thank Adele Griffin for sending us an ARC of The Julian Game.  This book is a lot of fun to read.  The main character, Raye Archer, is a mix of nerdy, smart, naive, and funny... and I really liked her.  I also thought that her best friend, Natalya, was the epitome of a true friend.  It was especially interesting to see the dynamics between these two characters.  I think that Natalya was a better friend to Raye than vice-versa.  
     Another thing that stood out to me in the story is the fact that the bad girl, Ella Parker, has OCD, which makes her seem more human.  However, it doesn't take away the fact that she is an easy character to dislike.  The worst thing about her is how she treats people and not just the people she dislikes, but also the people that she considers friends.
     Another thing that I really liked about the book is the relationships between Raye, her father, and her future step-mother. It was nice to see an instance where family got along and wasn't dysfunctional. 
     There were a few times in the story that I got a little lost in the writing and I worry that the book might only have appeal for a limited time due in part to so many pop-culture references, but overall I really liked the book and I think most teen girls will like it as well.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Books We Love!