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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastique!, August 17, 2008
Claire Voyante has been unfortunately named. Sure, she's been having strange dreams and visions since she can remember, but they've never led her anywhere. Besides, the name is French. But on Claire's fifteenth birthday, her fashionable grandmother Kiki gives her a strange cameo made of onyx and ivory and tells Claire to wear it at all times. Suddenly, Claire's visions become clearer, although black-and-white. And though she's become very sleep-deprived due to these dreams, she starts to follow her hunches as her grandmother Kiki told her to, and to her surprise, she finds herself in the middle of a dangerous and old feud between two families. So, if Claire can just survive the horrors of her new high school, she just might be able to use her talent to save some lives.
Dream Girl has a little bit of action, romance, and mysticism, all of which fit together perfectly. Claire's dreams, though random, were very interesting to read, and I was always wondering where they would lead her next. I also really liked Claire's character; though she was a little insecure at times, she learned to trust her instincts, which led to new friends, adventures, and, unfortunately, enemies. I really enjoyed how Claire had to use her wits to follow each new clue, and it was pretty exciting to read along as Claire snuck around. It was also pretty interesting to see Claire's grandmother Kiki's lavish lifestyle as well as Claire's international exploits. Another plus was the other wacky characters in the story who kept the plot amusing. Together, the unique plot and characters really made Dream Girl an amazing story.
Dream Girl was definitely a satisfying and thrilling read that I recommend to all readers. Fans of stories with high style, high school, and high mystery will enjoy this novel. I hope there will be a sequel to this fantastic story, or at least another great novel from Lauren Mechling.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Don't be fooled by the pink cover!, August 6, 2008
Don't be fooled by the soft, dreamy pink cover. Dream Girl has got a lot more
going on than your typical teen book. It's a very funny fast paced
read, an adventure with lots of action and
there's a cute guy too. It's also about finding yourself . Claire
starts a big new school and has to
figure out who she is and how she fits in. And there's a mystery she
has to solve. I highly recommend this book.
It's not like anything I've ever read.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not really paranormal..., July 4, 2010
This review is from: Dream Girl (Paperback)
I started Dream Girl expecting a paranormal romance but got something entirely different. Dream Girl is basically a contemporary realistic fiction with a hint of detective sleuthing and psychic visions. It's about 15 year old Claire Voyante (she does realize the irony of her name) who is growing up in New York City, adjusting to a new school, making new friends, dealing with her crazy lovable parents, brother, and grandmother Kiki. Claire has extremely vivid dreams which turn out to be something more; they predict the future.
Claire is a pretty typical teenage girl. Smart, quiet, kind, sarcastic, a bit unsure of herself. Her one unique quality are her dreams. They've always been strange and vivid, but on her 15th birthday her grandmother Kiki gives her an old cameo necklace that enhances her innate ability to see the future in her dreams.
Claire begins a new school when her parents can no longer afford her private school. Unfortunately for her, Sheila, her former best friend, is part of the ruling clan and strives to make Claire's adjustment to Hudson as unpleasant as possible. Claire isn't the type to immediately fight back but neither does she just stick her head in the sand. Her closest friend is the eccentric Becca Shuffleworth, who is a ketchup heiress and unbelievably wealthy. Becca and Claire become very close very quickly. That's where the mystery comes in... Becca's been getting strange text messages and someone from the rival Soyle clan is desperately seeking the secret ketchup recipe. They'll stop at nothing to get it - even death. Can Claire piece together her dreams to stop the Soyles from hurting her new friend and her family?
The mystery and paranormal elements of the book really don't become significant until the end of the story. And that was just fine. I typically get frustrated and annoyed when books fail to get to the point until halfway through. But I was having such a good time reading Claire's story that the mystery was just the icing on the cake. Claire's wry humor kept me smiling throughout the pages. I loved her interactions with Kiki, her parents and brother, Becca, and Becca's family. I especially enjoyed the detailed descriptions of New York City. The city is one of the biggest characters in the story. It makes me want to visit even more than I did before.
Dream Girl is a fun, fast-paced read. I'd recommend it to anyone. As long as you're not expecting a strong paranormal or mystery plot, you'll have a great time living in Claire's world.
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