From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up—When her mother moves to London to do research, Casey finds herself living with her grandmother in a rent-stabilized apartment in a posh building on the Upper East Side of New York City. The Bram is the home to an assortment of the rich and fabulous, including Madison, Phoebe, and Sophie, three of Casey's new classmates at the exclusive Meadowlark Academy. Casey quickly finds that her clothes and her pocketbook are not in the same league with those of the Bram Girls, but they form a wary friendship that will be tested by her budding interest in Madison's on-again, off-again boyfriend Drew. Switching points of view among Casey, the Bram Girls, and Drew, Banash tries to cram too much into the pages, and her characters suffer. Solutions to Casey's boy and money problems magically appear when needed. Sophie's struggle to accept the news that she is adopted takes place largely off-page, and her cutting habit is mentioned only in passing. Phoebe's adulterous mother is forgettable. Madison's sob story of disastrous first sex actually makes her more interesting than most. Furthermore, Banash's research is lacking. Her school scenes are unrealistic (AP Algebra?), her grannies play bridge like it's poker, and her name-dropping of clothing labels with every new outfit (from exclusive designers to Target brands) is quickly annoying. Fans of "Gossip Girl" who can't get enough of rich kids might enjoy this first in a series, but there are better offerings to be had.—
Cara von Wrangel Kinsey, New York Public Library Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
“Banash is destined for great things.”
—Scott Bradfield, author of The History of Luminous Motion
“If you love all the drama, scandal, and high-end fashion of Gossip Girl as much as we do, chances are you'll want to check out author and Manhattan native, Jennifer Banash's new fiction novel The Elite...The novel, set in Manhattan, will introduce girls into the super-exclusive world of New York City's high-society teen cliques. In The Elite, the first novel in the new series, girls will meet Casey McCloy, who moves to a luxury Manhattan apartment from the midwest to live with her grandmother and attend Meadowlark Academy, which is run by it girl Madison MacAllister. Madison, complete with popularity, a pretty face, and platinum blonde hair reigns as Casey's classmate and neighbor, and something tells us Casey's city transformation will only go as far as Madison lets it.”
--Seventeen.com
“The Elite is Pretty in Pink for the millennium generation, somewhat akin to the television show Gossip Girl. Casey is a small town girl, used to shopping at Target and department stores. Living with the elite of Manhattan, for whom money is no object, is a definite challenge. But she's met three potential new friends, Madison, Sophie, and Phoebe, and, even better, a potential new boyfriend, Drew! Unfortunately, Drew is still somewhat dating Madison, which immediately puts Casey in Madison's bad books. But before you think Mean Girls, Ms. Banash humanizes all of the characters, and readers get a glimpse into Madison's psyche just as much as they do Casey's. At the end of the day, money can do many things, but it can't help you escape from life or heartbreak.”
--Romance Reviews Today
“The Elite is a great start to a new series by Jennifer Banash! It was a bit heavy on the fashion brands and the language is a bit strong (but that’s how it is for many teens nowadays in the US) but the characters all had some very interesting stories to tell. I loved how the point of view switched between the characters so that we could get a bigger picture of their lives. Most of them deal with issues that plenty of teens have and it was nice to get to know more about the others, besides Casey—it definitely helped develop the characters more, and readers will find it easier to understand these dynamic teens! They all had realistic, believable feelings and actions that were wonderfully expressed throughout the novel! It was also great to see down-to-earth Casey shine and show that you don’t need to be rolling in gold to be happy with yourself. There’s more to even the rich and popular kids than all that glitz and glamour they live with! And it would seem that Casey has it easy with just her frizzy-hair problems, after seeing what some of those oh-so-perfect teens have to deal with, behind their sophisticated and happy façade…wealth may not necessarily guarantee happiness…”
--The Book Vault Blog
“This book was awesome. I couldn't put it down…The characters are extremely real and, in most cases, likeable. Yes, the girls were rich, but money wasn't the main focal point of the story…I found myself laughing out loud a lot and just smiling at what Sophie would say, or how Casey would act. This was a great first novel from Jennifer Banash and I desperately wish that the sequel, In Too Deep, was already on my bookshelf”
--www.teensreadtoo.com
