Customer Reviews

All About Us #6: The Chic Shall Inherit the Earth: An All About Us Novel

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The Chic Shall Inherit the Earth is the final book in the An All About Us series by Shelley Adina. I was first introduced to these realistic and enjoyable characters in book three of the series, Be Strong & Curvaceous. Ms. Adina must be a kid at heart because each one embodies the emotion and attitude of a typical teenager. It happens to be their last year at Spencer Academy, and while academia may be ending there are still some problems that need solving.

Lissa Mansfield has connected with some great girls since starting Spencer. Gillian, Carly, and Shani have been through some things, but the best thing is their weekly prayer circle, where they have all connected with God on another level. But for Lissa the biggest test of her faith comes when an unexpected situation places her in a position she really did not think about. Lissa will need to reach out to Vanessa, the one person who never had anything pleasant to say to her. Will Vanessa be able to see Lissa in another light?

With high school coming to an end, the teenagers need to plan for their future. Not all of Lissa's friends have their minds made up when it comes to their choice of colleges. Carly and Gillian are feeling it the most, because they have more to consider than what the schools have to offer. What will they do?

I truly enjoyed Ms. Adina's writing, so much so I want to pick up the other books in the series that I have not yet had a chance to read. Even though this is a series each book can stand on its own because Adina does a great job of including pieces from the prior stories. I recommend The Chic Shall Inherit the Earth to teens and their parents.

I received this book from the publisher for review purposes.

Jennifer Coissiere

APOOO BookClub

*Sigh* All good things must come to an end and we all have to grow up and move on right? That's what the girls at Spencer Academy have to face in this last book the All About Us series. Senior year has come and everyone is preparing to go their separate ways. The five friends will be soon split up and must get ready for a life without each other. The narrator for the final book is Lissa, which is fitting as she was the focus of the first book, therefore bringing the storyline full circle. I have never felt this series to be preachy. While the characters are Christians and do talk about their faith openly, they never portray the typical stereotype of a Christian. Instead the girls act like normal teenage girls, enjoying clothes, celebrities, boys and just hanging out with each other.

I think my favorite part of the story was seeing Vanessa's transformation. Without giving away any spoilers, I'll just say that it's totally amazing. I have not being able to stand her since the first book in the series, and while she still isn't my favorite character, I have a lot more respect for her now. Also I really admire Lissa for hanging in there and toughing it out with her. I don't think I would have been able to have the patience. I was also glad to see that this situation was treated realistically. Things aren't done happily or with a joyful heart. There's a lot of pain and reluctance here which I would totally expect from teen characters. It's another credit to Adina's fabulous style of writing. I was also secretly glad as to the romance bit at the end. It was a long time coming, but I'm happy to see all parties excited over it.

I'm so sad that this series is now over. I have grown to adore these girls and have loved reading their stories over the course of the series. This is have been one of my favorite YA series to read and definitely one I have been recommending to any YA reader I have come in contact with. As always, I applaud the series for it's multi-cultural cast and the approach to broadening the reader's cultural outlook. I have no idea what Shelley's next books are going to be about but if they are anything like this series, I know I will definitely be picking it up. If you are have been following this series, this is a fond farewell that is done extremely well. If you are new to this series, pick up the first book and I guarantee you will be hooked.

The last term of high school has arrived at Spencer Academy. The girls struggle to decide where to go to college, what major to take, and how their relationships may be affected by these choices. For Lissa, two relationships in particular are changing drastically. Vanessa, who has always been her nemesis, is struggling so much that Lissa feels she must reach out and try to build a friendship. Kaz, Lissa's best friend from high school, is sending her mixed signals that make Lissa fear he might be interested in Gillian.

If you enjoy this series, The Chic Shall Inherit the Earth is the perfect ending. Lissa truly comes about in the way she treats others. She has found what truly matters and is willing to give up everything else to do the right thing. I love Shelley's characters, their dialogue, and drama. It's a lot of fun. So if you haven't read any of these books, check out It's All About Us, the first book in the series.

As the girls prepare for graduation they face new and unexpected challenges. They have to make difficult decisions; both in relationships and the scary what-college-to-go-to-and-what-to-major-in choice. These girls know the importance of following God's direction in your life, and are such a good example of teens that learn (usually through trail and error) to seek His will and use the talents He gave them.

Lissa is such a great example of Christ's love in this book! When a certain arch-nemesis of hers is in trouble, Lissa really reaches out to her... despite discouragement from her friends. We all need to be more like Lissa in that we are willing to reach out to people in need no matter the cost to ourselves.

The latest in the all about us series, the chic shall inherit the earth is a thoroughly wholesome and Christian YA novel spiced up by high school romance, mean girls, and a love of fashion and chocolate.

Set in Spencer Academy in San Fransisco, the chic shall inherit the earth takes us to senior year for Lissa, Gillian, Shani, Carly and Mac. This novel revolves around Lissa. College is just a few months away and while most of her friends have clear plans for the future, Lisa's less certain of what she wants. Secure in her abilities after having almost won the Hearst Medal, Lisa does know that she wants to be in California, remain in close contact with her best friend Kaz, and that she's not ready to fall in love anytime soon.

When her friends face crises of their own, Lissa works hard to patch things up for them. the chic shall inherit the earth is clearly a Christian novel: the appreciation of God and His presence in the young girls' lives is apparent. I'm not religious myself, so the references to the prayer circle and waiting to discover God's plan did not resonate with me. On the other hand, the emphasis on the importance of doing what is right over what is easy and the message of forgiveness were seamlessly woven into the story.

Overall, the chic shall inherit the earth is a wholesome and fun read. I'd highly recommend it for young Christian girls

ISBN-10: 0446179647 - trade paperback $9.99

Publisher: FaithWords; 1 edition (January 7, 2010), 256 pages.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

I can't even begin to say how much I loved this book. It's a fun Young Adult novel that's positive and realistic at the same time. I have not read any other books in the All About Us series, but I did not feel lost at all while reading it. I think it works best when read with the rest of the series, but it can be read as a stand-alone just as easily. I will go back and read the rest of the series after reading this installment.

The book centers around 5 girls who are the best of friends at a private school in San Francisco. They are different in many ways but share a lot together. One of those things is their faith in God. They also seem to share all of their experiences and are really close. I enjoyed learning about each of them, especially Lissa, which this book seems to focus on. In this book Lissa is still exploring her faith and also learning about her friends along with having to figure out what to do with her life and also seeing a romance that has been right in front of her the whole time.

The book takes on typical teenage issues is a positive and Christian way, without being too preachy. The book flows well and conversations seem real, never forced. Ms. Adina does a beautiful job with the characters and the plot and make this novel a true joy to read.

This series ties up loose ends with finishing up with the school's graduations. The rumors are flying about the high and mighty in the school, when it all comes to a crashing halt as they realize they are not just rumors. Lissa has a chance to show what Christ's love is a new way, and a way that many do not understand. This book is filled with the drama of modern teenage girl life in a preppy school....along with boyfriend troubles and discussion of teen pregnancy. This book would be a great book to give to a friend whom you likes to read, yet is not into most Christian books. A well written teen book for modern teens-

The Chic Shall Inherit the Earth by Shelley Adina is the sixth and final book in the It's All About Us series about the girls of Spencer Academy. Narration duties have returned to Lissa who introduced us to the friends in the first book in the series. The girls are in the last few weeks of their senior year and getting ready for graduation and the Senior Cotillion. Gillian can't figure out what college to attend and there's trouble in her romance with Jeremy. Carly wants to attend a school in Los Angeles which isn't in the plans that her boyfriend, Brett, has made for them. Shani knows just what she wants, including a relationship with Danyel. Lissa knows what school she wants to attend, but she can't quite figure out the changes in her relationship with best friend Kaz, plus her faith is calling her to try and befriend Vanessa, the most popular girl in school who wields her power ruthlessly and has hurt every one of Lissa's friends including Lissa herself. Vanessa is harboring a secret that will ostracize her, making her vulnerable and leaving her alone. Lissa's decisions will endanger her friendships with the other girls, but she needs to follow the Lord's leading. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this YA series about girls who dress in designer clothing and are regularly featured in fashion magazines, yet remain true to each other and God. Adina does a terrific job of writing these girls and making them come to life. Girls and their moms will enjoy reading about this group of best friends. Adina left a few loose ends in the series, so I am hopeful that the story won't end here. Lissa, Gillian, Shani, Carly, and Mac are too good to say goodbye so soon, and I'd love to know more about Vanessa's story!

"The Chic Shall Inherit the Earth" was a well-written Christian romance novel for young adults. This fast-paced novel had realistic characters facing realistic problems: what college they should choose, what role their significant others will play in this decision and their future, and so on. I especially liked how the author handled Lissa's reaching out to Vanessa and how Vanessa, Lissa's friends, and the other kids at the high school reacted.

At the beginning, I didn't really like Lissa. She was generally good-hearted, but rather oblivious to what was really going on with people and preoccupied with clothing and listening to the latest gossip about her nemesis. However, her focus slowly changed, and I ended up really caring about what happened to her.

This novel was definitely written for Christians. The characters attended a weekly prayer gathering and discussed things like how to tell God's will for their lives. However, it wasn't preachy--there was no all-wise character handing out advice, and no one was entirely sure what the answers were. They did find some answers, but the author didn't make a big point of it.

While, overall, I liked the Christian message woven into the story, I did have one concern. I understand that many people believe this, but Lissa and her friends felt that God was too busy to pay much attention to them and that they shouldn't "bother" God with anything but the most critical, life-changing problems. But the Bible teaches that God hears our prayers, cares deeply about us, knows what we're going through, and wants us to come to Him (and trust Him with) the smallest details of our lives.

There was no bad language. There was no sex. The story was written in past tense except when Lissa spoke directly to the reader, but this style read naturally. Overall, I'd recommend this book to teens as long as they understood the truth about the concern I brought up.

This review is based on an ARC I received from the publisher.

Reviewed by Debbie from Genre Reviews

(genrereviews. blogspot. com)