11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Teen Chick Lit Read, August 26, 2005
This review is from: Faking 19 (Paperback)
Alex, a 17 year-old AP student, has lately gone from a promising young student into failing her classes and hanging out in LA with her friend M, who happens to be the most popular girl in school. The girls wind up pretending they are 19 and snagging older boyfriends. But how long can that last? Before long, Alex is in trouble with her mother and guidance counselor. M meanwhile comes from a rich family that doesn't care what she does.
Soon enough, Alex's new boyfriend finds out her true age, and things come crashing down. Alex realizes she must get over her resentment for her wayward father (who refuses to pay for her college tuition), and make an effort in school of she might not graduate with her class.
"Faking 19" was a very engaging and fast-paced read. The author does a great job of getting the reader into Alex's head and make them feel her emotions. The story is well-written, capturing the girls' teen angst perfectly. Overall a great book, and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes the Gossip Girl series and other teen books.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fresh and clever, April 18, 2005
This review is from: Faking 19 (Paperback)
Despite the differences in their financial backgrounds, Alex and M. are still just two teen girls trying to figure things out. Alex is bored with school and is beginning to fail several classes as she tries to fit into a faster grove of life. She would like to go to college, but with her grades failing and living with her single mom, what are the chances? M. has doors opened thanks to her beauty and because her parents belong to the right country clubs. She doesn't have to worry about college because Daddy can pay her way. Both girls decide it's more fun to party than hang out with their boring classmates. It's their senior year so why the heck not?
Alex is witty, bright and funny in her observations of the world around her and looks at friends and herself with candor:
"I'm big into grooming. In an average shower I use shampoo, conditioner (deep conditioner in the summer), lavender-scented shaving gel, facial cleanser, facial scrub, and body cleansing gel, followed by body scrub. While my skin is still damp I spray on body oil, which I let soak in for about sixty seconds, then I lightly pat my skin dry and apply body lotion, deodorant, astringent, lip balm, leave-in conditioner, and a tiny bit of some perfume sample. This month it's Gucci Rush because I like the name. I'm a total product whore."
Somewhere along the line Alex is beginning to worry about this "burden" of being a virgin and decides that if the right fella comes along she just might get the whole business over with:
"My mom talks about the giant steps that women have taken since she was my age, but I just don't see it. I mean, maybe we can vote and stuff but there's still these really burdensome social rules that just won't change, like sex. It may seem like everybody in your school is doing it, and most of them probably are, but let's face it, girls that experiment get labeled as sluts, while the guys get the stud trophy. And that's why there will be no sweaty high school stuff for me. No getting biblical in the backseat with some icky senior."
It's with this philosophy in mind that she and M. are able to lie about their ages and begin hanging out with two older rich guys, Connor and Trevor. But when she confesses her lie to Connor (after the deed is done), there is an immediate falling out. While Alex agonizes over the consequences of this situation, she begins to notice that M. is acting more erratic than usual. Finally, and most unexpectedly, Alex discovers that M. is a regular user of heavy drugs in this high-party lifestyle she loves.
As Alex pulls away from M. and the "almost" relationship with Connor, she discovers some great things about herself. Her English teacher encourages her short story writing and her counselor advises her about college possibilities. She also must deal with a detached father and her mother who, though she does come around, does not at first want to recognize her daughter's troubled life.
Both the cover of this clever little book and its story have a "Gossip Girl" kind of feel to it. Parents and educators should be aware that the sexual situations in this story are handled very casually. FAKING 19 does allow that there are some serious consequences when we let ourselves become sidetracked from what is really important. Alex and M., despite their foolish mistakes, are fresh and endearing characters.
--- Reviewed by Sally M. Tibbetts
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Faking 19, May 10, 2005
A Kid's Review
This review is from: Faking 19 (Paperback)
I read an excellent book called Faking 19 by Alyson Noel. The main characters are Alex and Madison, but everyone calls her "M". "M" is one of the most popular girls in the school, she is pretty, she is on the cheerleading squad, she is rich and she gets good grades. Alex on the other hand, she is not rich, she doesn't get good grades, she isn't involved in any school activities, but she is pretty. Alex and "M" are very adventurous. Almost every weekend they go to LA and go into clubs. One night they went into a club, Alex met a guy named Connor. Alex "M" and Connor go to an art gallery where "M" meets one of Connors friends, Trevor. All four of them start talking and Trevor asks everyone if they want to go to his house and have a party since his parents weren't home. Alex and "M" didn't know what to do so they just went. When they got there Alex and Connor thought that the party was boring so they went outside to take a walk. They started talking and Connor asked Alex how old she was. Alex was speechless so she asked Connor how old he was and he said 23. She was in shock because she was only 17 and she liked him. So she lied and said that she was 19. So now Alex and "M" are starting relationships based on lies. Later Alex finds out that pretty soon she will be alone because Connor is moving to London, "M' is going to Princeton ,and her work associates is moving to NYC. Alex decides that since everyone has something going for them, that she should try to get her grades up and maybe get into a college. After studying, paying attention, and getting to all of her classes early, she finds out from her guidance counselor bthat she can enter herself in a writting contest since she loves to write creative stories. If she wins this contest she will win a 2,000 dollar scholarship. I liked this book a lot. It was very dramatic and life like. Everything about this book seemed real, the characters, their actions, and the school. I think Faking 19 was a very interesting book.
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