California Dreaming (An A-List Novel #10) (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: nail tech, Los Angeles, Bye Love, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up-Moving from Manhattan's elite world to "Hollyweird" presents Anna with quite a culture shock, but one that she's ready for. White gloves and tea give way to her drugged-out dad in the gazebo and a Hollywood celebrity's wedding where she is introduced to Ahi rolls. She discovers that all is not without controversy in LaLa land, and that beautiful girls are not always welcome in the inner circle, especially those who pick up the hunk whom all the insiders are lusting after. After surviving the evil competitors, bad yogurt, and a vengeful seatmate on the plane, Anna proves that gorgeous good girls can, and do, survive in L.A. All of those nasty, high-society types that populate the "Gossip Girl" series (Little, Brown) can be found here in bikinis and Oakleys instead of wool pashminas and Blahnik boots. Unfortunately, this book tries to be more than the others of its genre by making frequent use of words and phrases that don't fit the beach-baby scene, such as "-she wasn't one to snivel over the vagaries of her own existence." Fans of the series will flock to this book, but they may be a tad disappointed with the replay.
Lynn Evarts, Sauk Prairie High School, Prairie du Sac, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Description

The ninth novel, Beautiful Stranger, in the New York Times bestselling series takes readers behind the scenes of the intoxicating world of Hollywood glitterati. Anna decides to take an end-of-summer getaway-to get away from her drama-filled LA life. So she packs her Louis Vuitton, grabs her close friend Sam, and heads to the Big Apple. Between trips to the Met and shopping at Bendel's, the girls are living the A-List life on Anna's home turf. But their trip isn't exactly a vacation. Sam is here to spy on Eduardo and decode his recent strange ­behavior. Will what she discovers send her hopping on the next private jet back to Beverly Hills? And who is the ­beautiful stranger who appears on Anna's Upper East Side doorstep? Anna begins to wonder whether she wants to head back west again-especially since Ben seems to have moved on . . . with someone who isn't a stranger at all. When it comes to the A-List, there's drama coast to coast.

The A-List #10: Title to Come plot description to come.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 279 pages
• Publisher: Poppy; 1ST edition (April 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316113530
• ISBN-13: 978-0316113533
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (188 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #70,009 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 10 in The A-List Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At the top of my A-List!, October 20, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The A-List: A Novel (Paperback)

I have read all the Gossip Girl books so far, and also such books as Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging, and I think that The A-List is alot better than any of these. Anna is such a great character and it is east like her. It's like she's a rich girl but doesn't act like a rich girl. She has problems with her parents and with boys, and the guy that she likes the most just fell in love with her best friend. Then she moves from New York City to Beverly Hills, where the coolest girls in her new high school decide that they totally hate her. How they try to ruin her life is amazing to read. One bad thing after another happens to Anna, but she never gives in. What's also great about this book is that it is funny. I know that some other people here said how funny it is, but it really is. The book ends on a big question, so I just can't wait to buy the next one. Get yourself on the A-List by reading this book!

38 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gossip Girl, Move Over!, September 25, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The A-List: A Novel (Paperback)

I loved this book so much. This book is just as funny as Gossip Girl and just as snarky, but somehow even more fun to read. I think it is because you will love the heroine Anna so much. She is a rich girl, but she could also be your friend very easily. She also is a girl who reads a lot. She moves from New York City to Beverly Hills, and the whole book takes place in just one day, on the day she arrives. There are hot guys and hot parties and you just want to keep reading to see what happens next. So if you love Gossip Girl books, you will adore The A-List. I laughed out loud many times when I read this, and I couldn't put it down.

25 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than Gossip Girl, February 3, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The A-List: A Novel (Paperback)

I bought this book and read it in one day. Unlike Gossip Girl which I also bought, this book is a classier version. The main character in The A-List is a likable person. She goes to LA on an adventure expedition and falls in love with a guy she met on the airplane flight. Unfortunately for Anna, the three other main characters all love the same guy. This makes the book kinda corny because why would three very rich girls from California be in love with the same guy when there are other fishes in the sea. The difference between this book and Gossip Girls is that each of the girls although very bitchy come across likeable because the author provides you a little background information regarding the main characters. The book is also good because it doesn't focus solely sex and drugs which happens to be a big part of rich boys and girls in high society who have so much money and little parental guidance,,,,think Paris Hilton.