2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Meet Me at Bethesda Fountain, January 21, 2010
This review is from: Dream Life (Hardcover)
Usually I side with Groucho Marx: I wouldn't want to belong to any club that would have me as a member. But I'd make an exception if I could join the do-gooder Blue Moons, hang out at their secret clubhouse and bike ride all over Manhattan solving mysteries with Claire Voyante. Oh wait -- I can! If you (or your daughter or niece or other favorite cool girl) are in love with New York and a bit more of a fashionista than Nancy Drew, you won't be able to resist the latest addition to the Dream Girl series. Claire is one part beatnik, one part social klutz and altogether lovely to spend time with -- even if you don't believe in supernatural powers.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredibly hilarious, page-turning, on-the-edge-of-your-seat read, January 26, 2010
This review is from: Dream Life (Hardcover)
Although Dream Life is a sequel to Lauren Mechling's first book, Dream Girl, Dream Life is the first book I have read in the supernatural journey that is Claire Voyante's world. That being said, Mechling first and foremost succeeded in creating a book that you can pick up and jump right into, without needing any back story from the first publication in the series.
Claire is a typical high school girl with a not-so-typical gift; ever since her grandmother, Kiki, gave her an onyx and ivory cameo necklace, Claire has been having black and white dreams that are major tips in solving some pretty influential mysteries. To make Dream Life even more intriguing, Claire isn't just solving mysteries around New York, she (albeit, mistakenly) aligns herself with a secret society of do-gooders called the Blue Moons, who give her quite the mystery to solve-find a missing pink iPod that holds the secrets of a new and absolutely huge project to save the Brooklyn Bridge from real estate developer slimeball, Sink Landon.
Admittedly, Dream Life was a little slow to start for me, which I attribute to not reading the first book and really not knowing the characters the characters who knew each other so well. However, the book surprised me with its ability to catch-and keep-my attention to the end. Claire is a remarkable and rememberable heroine that you find yourself rooting for in her entire series of problems, not just with solving mysteries, but also rifts with her friends, her complicated boy troubles and dealing with her eccentric parents. Through reading so many young adult books and seeing the amount of quirkiness young adult authors portray in their parental characters, it is my belief that YA authors write parents with the exaggerated qualities they had in parents growing up, with a myriad of additional attributes they wished their parents had and Dream Life had that ten-fold with a Paris-crazed mother with a love of the Zodiac and her parents' insane Paris-themed house parties. But most of all, I fell in absolute love with Claire's grandmother, Kiki, who reminds me of every genuinely close friend I have ever had that I could divulge anything to without feeling a hint of judgment.
Lauren Mechling not only presents a fabulous mystery novel that captures the attention of young adults and older adults alike, but also is the first author since the creators of Sex and the City to turn New York City into a character in itself. Being the wannabe-fashionista that I am (read: If I had money, oh the clothes, shoes and accessories I would buy), I really enjoyed the fashion appearances in this book as well. Kiki's hand-me-down vintage dresses Claire wears and the footwear described in her best friend Becca's wardrobe are enough to make even the savviest of fashionistas swoon.
I loved being given the opportunity to be a fly on the wall in Claire's life; from her stance as a Half Moon in the Blue Moon society, solving a mystery that proved me wrong when I thought I had everything figured out, to finally figuring out who she is as a person and knowing her own level of morality, which makes Claire completely and utterly real.
I would recommend this book to anyone craving a serving of hilarious, page-turning, on-the-edge-of-your-seat read that lets you breathe a sigh of relief when you think things can't get much worse.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tasty read, January 25, 2010
This review is from: Dream Life (Hardcover)
Pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed Dream Life.
I bought the original book for my neice & enjoyed it very much myself.
I decided to purchase this follow up for her as well (not being a huge fan of sequels) my expectations were not high.
But the mix of humor and humanity made me stay up until nearly 3 AM reading this little gem.
It was clever and even touching at times.
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