Tall Cool One - Book Review

The more I go through these books, the more I feel like Anna should just give up on boys completely and focus on her relationships with her girl friends. I mean, when her and Sam are actually on the same side, the two can take on anything, that's so much fun to see. When she's constantly having to fight with Cammie and Dee, then it gets hard to deal with. Why can't they all just be friends and say "screw you" to Ben and the rest of the boys that cause them nothing but heartache and headaches? I say, girls rule and boys drool.

I'm probably not going to go too deep into this review since the book is really short and sweet. Honestly if I really wanted to, I could read it in a day while I'm waiting to fall asleep or while I'm enjoying dinner by myself. It's that quick, and I'm glad these books are. Honestly we don't need these books to be over 300 pages in order to be interesting. Zoey Dean keeps it straight and to the point, making sure that the drama contained in each segment of the series is enough to make us wanting more. That's how I like my teenage drama books, and this is no different.

I still need to finish the rest of the series eventually, and hopefully I will soon. I just say that I need Anna to actually be friends with these girls and I need Cammie to stop being such a biyotch to Anna so much. Ben doesn't like you anymore, so get over it. Besides, Adam is a much better option anyway. He actually treats you like the princess you think you are.

Rated: 4/5 Stars

Tall Cool One - Zoey Dean

Tall Cool One is the fourth novel in this witty and risqu series that takes readers behind the scenes of the intoxicating world of Hollywood glitterati. New York blueblood Anna Percy came to L.A. to learn how to have a good time. Now she's surfing Zuma Beach with the industry's hottest young television producer. But duty calls and Anna must jet down to Las Casitas, Mexico, on a secret mission for her uber-powerful businessman father. But it turns out Anna isn't the only one staying at the super-luxury resort with a secret. Soon to be a major motion picture from Universal Pictures, The A-List and its bestselling sequels, Girls on Film, Blonde Ambition, and Tall Cool One, are full of page-turning action about the fast times of Beverly Hills' most beautiful and glamorous people.

Blonde Ambition - Book Review

I don't think there will ever be An A-List book that I don't like. It's hard to find any book in this series that I have read that I have an actual problem with. I'm so glad that Anna broke up with Ben, especially since it seemed like she was head over heels with him. There's a difference between loving him and lusting over him, and she finally realized that before it was completely too late. Anna is so far my favorite character throughout the series, but Sam is a pretty close second. It's a tie between those two right now, and when Sam and Anna work together, they are a force to be reckoned with.

Cammie is still the girl we love to hate, even if we can't help but envy her body and hair. At least, I probably would if I had seen her in person. Just the way she has been described throughout the books screams sex icon, and I'm pretty sure she has been called that by quite a few characters in the book as well. We know that Cammie is hurting over the death of her mother, even if it happened when she was a little girl. She's also hurting because it seems like her dad doesn't take the time to actually get to know her, and would rather immerse himself in work and his other family members than her. Is that necessarily her fault? Or is it her father's fault? I feel like it could be a little bit of both.

Dee is still a mystery to me. She can seem like a complete airhead, and then in another breath it seems like she has all this hidden wisdom inside her. It's like she pretends to be stupid so that nobody will realize just how smart she really is. But sometimes her pretending to be dumb gets in the way of her friendships, and I think that Dee just needs to be herself with her friends if she wants these relationships to last. Sam and Cammie always look down on Dee because they think she's a few tools short of a full set, so of course they take her for granted. It's not right to Dee, and hopefully things will start to change.

This was mostly a brief overview of my thoughts so far of the series, but it stands to say that I thoroughly enjoy this series and I'm so glad that there are more books for me to read. I haven't had enough of Anna and the Unholy Trinity, so bring it on!

Rated: 4/5 Stars

Blonde Ambition - Zoey Dean

The third novel in this witty and risque series takes readers behind the scenes of the intoxicating world of Hollywood glitterati. Upper East Side blueblood Anna Percy came to L.A. to learn how to have a good time. Then Princeton prince Ben Birnbaum and his amazing disappearing act turned out to be anything but. Anna finally begins to understand that telling true love from true lust us is far more easily said than done. 

Girls on Film - Book Review

There is a difference between old money and new money. When someone thinks of old money, they think of New York City, the Upper East Side, and all those powerful businessmen and women with their hands in everything. Basically, think the world of Gossip Girl. Now, new money is different. New money is Hollywood actors and models and all those people who rose to fame recently. There’s no family history of owning property or starting businesses from the ground up. No building an empire or a legacy that lasted many generations. It’s completely different, and those with old money can feel that those with new money don’t appreciate the value of said money like they do. Think Beverly Hills, with all the agents and record companies. Two different atmospheres, two very different outlooks on life, all rolled together into one.

This is the second book of The A-List series, and the drama only gets more intense as the series goes on. We have already been introduced to Anna, our Upper East Side WASP from New York who made the big move to California to live with her father. There she meets the Unholy Trinity in the form of Sam, Dee and Cammie. Three very different girls but best friends that will do anything for each other, or so we thought. With Anna in the mix, we see that the three best friends may have a rift in their otherwise tight knit alliance, and soon those lines may change.

We see that Sam may actually like hanging out with Anna, even if they had a bad first impression. Throughout this book, you see the two of them starting to get along much better when Sam isn’t with her two best friends. The infamous Sam Sharpe actually has a heart, and somehow Anna has been able to bring that good side to the forefront. Sam may have known that Cammie was a major bitch to begin with, but now she can see that sometimes her behavior is unwarranted and downright cruel. Anna is learning quickly that sometimes she needs to play dirty in order to survive in her new zip code, but as long as she remembers who she is and where she came from, she won’t turn into one of them.

Technically this is a re-read for me, even though the last time I read this book I was either in middle school or high school. It’s been years, trust me. I don’t know what it is about this series, but I just can’t stay away from it for long. I also don’t want it to end so that’s probably why I’ve been stalling in reading the rest of the books that I haven’t read yet. In this book, Sam really impressed me with her change of character, even if it wasn’t permanent. I like that we see a softer side to her, and that she and Anna can put aside their differences to come together and work together to do what needs to be done. I would much rather see these girls become friends to be an unstoppable force, but then where would all the drama be? To me, Ben is completely out of the picture and is so irrelevant to me. I don’t care if Anna really likes him, maybe even loves him, and he still winds up to make appearances in this series. To me, the story of each of the four girls is so much more interesting to me and I would rather delve deeper into their thoughts and their psyche than Ben’s.

Rated: 5/5 Stars

Girls on Film - Zoey Dean

Girls on Film is the wickedly funny and risqué sequel to the bestselling A-List that takes readers behind the scenes of the intoxicating world of Hollywood glitterati. Seventeen year-old Anna ("pronounced Aaaanah") Percy has moved from posh Manhattan to the evcen more posh Beverly Hills, California, where she's living with her estranged dad for the rest of the school year while her mother travels to Europe with a friend.

The fast times of Beverly Hills most beautiful and glamorous people drive the page-turning action of this irresistible, stylishly written novel.

Discussion on The A-List

1. Do you think that relocating from one city to another is enough to change your life? Why or why not?
2. Would you be cruel to someone who is dating your ex?
3. How far would you go to publicly humiliate someone?
4. Would you be able to change your personality in a day?

The A-List by Zoey Dean - Book Review

The ridiculously tacky song was actually delivering an important message - that even though Anna had just had her heart shattered, and even though she had to fight the urge to hop on the next plan for New York, it was all happening on her terms. In essence, it was her time to party. Because for one, Anna Cabot Percy was free.

 If you had the chance to change your life, leave everything behind and make a new name for yourself, would you take it? In a sense, this is exactly what Anna Percy does, trading the lavish life of the Upper East Side for a chance to take on an internship in the oh-so wonderful Beverly Hills. The reason why Anna decides to leave – besides the fact that her internship in the UES fell through – is that she wants to change her life. No longer does she want to be prim and proper, just like her mother. She wants to have an exciting life, like her best friend Cyn, who has done some pretty crazy and exciting things in her 18 years of life. Anna wants to reinvent herself, and moving temporarily to live with her father in Beverly Hills seems like the perfect starting point.

Her adventure begins on the plane, where her first test comes to fruition. The way she handles the situation is the start of the new Anna, and it only goes on from there. She still retains some of her breeding, as that is something that she will not let go of very easily, but from the moment she gets on that plane, she makes decisions in her life that will change the way she takes on new situations. The more the book goes on (and the rest of the books, as this is a series), we see a change to Anna and we can’t help but applaud her.

For every protagonist, there are formidable antagonists, and they come in the form of Samantha Sharpe, Delia Young, and Cammila Sheppard – better known as the Unholy Trinity. Each girl has their own personality, but they are all extremely threatened when they see Anna for the first time. Every book needs their own set of Mean Girls right? Well these three will give you a run for your money, although there may be times where you actually feel sorry for them. Does this change the fact that they can be extremely cruel to Anna for no logical reason whatsoever? Not at all. These three are the type of girls that you love to hate, or are at least grateful that they stir up some drama. After all, Anna’s change of lifestyle can’t be completely conflict-free, right?

All in all, this is a great first book for the series.  Zoey Dean does an excellent job at portraying the colloquialisms of teenage girls that care more about high class, high priced items. She names famous brands of clothes, shoes, purses, and other items that those of the rich and famous would care about. It is also nice to see Anna slowly come out of her shell, despite her inner thoughts telling her otherwise. I look forward to reading the rest of the series in the future.

Rated: 5/5 Stars

The A-List by Zoey Dean

Welcome to The A-List, a wickedly funny and risqué paperback original novel that takes readers behind the scenes of the intoxicating world of Hollywood glitterati. Seventeen-year-old Upper East Side blueblood Anna ("pronounced Aaaanah") Percy is on her way to Beverly Hills, California, where she'll live with her estranged dad for the rest of the school year while her mother travels to Europe with a friend. On the plane, Anna drinks too much champagne and gets hit on by record producer Rick Resnick. Luckily Princeton student Ben Birnbaum is there to save her and he invites Anna to famous actor Jackson Sharpe's wedding, where Anna meets the cast of rich and famous characters who are soon to be her classmates at Beverly Hills High. The fast times of Beverly Hill's most beautiful and glamorous people drive the page-turning action of this juicy new novel.

Synopsis provided by GoodReads.