Customer Reviews

Gossip Girl: It Had to Be You: The Gossip Girl Prequel (Gossip Girl Novels)

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Over the years we have grown to known and love our favorite Upper East Side scandal-makers. We have followed their every move - thanks to the help of a little birdie named Gossip Girl - and accompanied them as they played the field, played hard to get, broke hearts, found love, shopped 'till they dropped, and partied until the sun came up. The one thing we were never privvy to, however, is how it all began. How they came to love - and hate - one another; and why their relationships were so tumultuous. But now, we get to go inside their private world, and see just how our favorite socialites became so...fabulous. IT HAD TO BE YOU takes readers back to a time before Nate Archibald hat taken his first hit. Before Serena van der Woodsen abandoned her cushy life in the city for boarding school living with her older brother. Before little Jenny Humphrey was burdened by an over-large chest. Before Blair Waldorf's father came out of the closet. It provides answers to our questions, and gives us a little piece of mind. At least for now.

At fifteen-years-old, Blair Waldorf, Serena van der Woodsen, and Nate Archibald were basically attached at the hip. The Three Musketeers-esque clique did simply everything together - from partying to sleepovers, and everything in-between. Nate was viewed by his older St. Jude's School for Boys classmates as being the man-about-town, considering he had managed to hook not one, but two smoking hot girls to hang on his every word. And, in turn, Blair and Serena were viewed as goddesses by their Constance Billard classmates for having the privilege to hang out with someone as dashing as Nate. But each girl was harboring a secret. Both Serena and Blair had been madly in love with Nate, and his hypnotizing green eyes, since they were in diapers. The only question that remained was who would be the lucky girl to snag him as their boyfriend; and who would end up the odd woman out.

Without a mother to care for them, Dan and Jenny Humphrey simply had each other to rely on. And, without any known friends, it was essential that the two stuck close to one another. Luckily, they both had one very important thing in common...their obsession with the ethereal Serena van der Woodsen. While neither had ever spoken to Serena, they both admired her from afar, and watched her every move - like sibling stalkers. But, for Jenny, her obsession went farther than just Serena. It reached her chest; or, rather, lack thereof. At twelve-years-old, Jenny was the only one in her class without noticeable development, and was determined to make it to at least a 34B. This, of course, left her perusing the Internet to locate some sort of wonder drug. But then the unthinkable happened, and it became evident that sometimes you have to be truly careful for what you wish for.

Vanessa Abrams was always an off-the-wall girl. However, with her flowing black hair that reached past her waist, she had the potential to be beautiful; if only she would take up a new hobby. When she shaves her head completely bald, she finally gets the recognition she wants - especially from Dan Humphrey. Unfortunately, he seems to be more after her friendship than her bod; and would rather spend his days mooning after Serena - much to Vanessa's chagrin. But she knows that, with a little effort, she may just be able to snag his heart - before it's too late.

As with the GOSSIP GIRL series, Cecily von Ziegesar manages to find a way to intertwine each character's stories, so that they combine into one racy, can't-resist teenage soap opera. IT HAD TO BE YOU paints each character in a different light. Serena displays such an uncanny amount of vulnerability, loneliness, and sadness throughout the story, that you can't help but love her, and want to see things work out in the end. Blair, on the other hand, comes off as being completely self-centered and self-absorbed. And, to put it bluntly, downright bossy. However, the underlying family problems she finds herself going through, and the fact that she is struggling with an eating disorder - even if she refuses to come to terms with it - show just how much she is crying out for attention; which actually makes you feel badly for her. Nate, as always, is so dashing and adorable. However, his penchant for being totally out of it in just about every situation makes him seem like a total waste of a life. I will admit, though, that his looks make up for whatever his personality happens to be lacking. No matter what, I can't help but feel that the Humphrey family is the most entertaining. Jenny is such a naive, sweet character, who only seems cuter in pre-pubescent-hood; and Dan's lovesick, mooning, dark poet-like personality makes him appealing in every way. What's so perfect about the Humphrey family is that, while they don't seem as well off as the Waldorf's, van der Woodsen's, or Archibald's, they have a wonderful family life that draws the reader in to sample Rufus' bizarre, edible creations; and stamp around the musty apartment. Of course, as with every GOSSIP GIRL book, the story would not be complete with GOSSIP GIRL's countless nosy updates, which are sprinkled throughout the book, and only add to its charm. The can't-miss book of the year!

Erika Sorocco

Freelance Reviewer

Hey people, Cecily here.

I just want all my readers to know that the GG prequel, It Had to Be You, WAS really great and I WAS really proud of it, until the copyeditors and proofreaders changed words that shouldn't have been changed and created mistakes in the book that shouldn't be there. I worked really hard and spent a year writing the book and I was so excited when it finally came out, but now I just want everyone to read the book I wrote, not the tampered-with version. For instance, there's this whole chapter where the word "ululate" which is actually a really funny word, was changed to "undulate" like six times. Now the chapter isn't funny anymore and makes no sense. You guys are all really smart and I'm pretty sure you'll know something is up when you come across these mistakes. I just wish my copyeditors and proofreaders were as smart as you are. Needless to say, this isn't the last you're all going to hear about this.

You know I love you,

Cecily

It's been several years since Serena van der Woodsen, Blair Waldorf, and all of their a-list (or wannabe a-list) pals burst onto the scene. Since then, Gossip Girl has basically been credited for spawning the entire young socialite/it girl/prep school explosion that's come out of the last few years including many-a-copycat book series and several TV shows to boot, including our very own Gossip Girl.

As the series comes to a close (to be replaced by Gossip Girl 2.0 that follows a group of triplets), Cecily Von Zeigesar picks up the pen one last time to write about how it all began for our favourite Upper East Siders. There isn't much by way of plot other than explaining a lot of the future plotlines we love and loathe, but the crux of the story probably comes from Serena, Nate, and Blair being BFFs until the two girls realize they're both jonesin' for the same boy. Of course the usual minor characters are in play - Chuck, Isabel, Kati, Jenny, Dan, and Vanessa - but their storylines are even thinner than what the main trio are going through.

I enjoyed this book because I haven't been into the GG series for several years now, but going back to the beginning like this was a delightful surprise as key traits and quirks for each character popped up as part of their character histories. Additionally, because the purpose of the book was to explain the characters future motivations and personalities, they were written as much more logical, reasonable, grounded, and most importantly relatable. The uber-flightiness we see in the later books isn't quite as prominent here, and it works.

That being said, having mostly only been exposed to the TV series over the last year, it was weird to go back and see the less glamorous (if you can believe it) portrayals of many of the characters - in particular the Humphrey family - as well as the juxtaposition between how the characters' relationships on the show compare to those in future books (i.e. Dan & Serena, Chuck & Blair).

Ultimately I'd say this is a great must-read for any Gossip Girl fan, whether lapsed or obsessed. Don't be expecting the book series - as the kids are quite a bit younger here and fairly less insane - but don't be expecting the TV series either. A great ending/beginning for the original young socialite series.

This book was amazing! I read the first gossip girl book about a year ago and fell in love with it. About a month ago a friend of mine got me back into them and I can't put them down. I have read the first book several times and had always wondered what some of the drama was about. This prequel really explains everyone's history very well. I just have to say that Nate and Serena's history is very complicated but very enthralling. Blair is so unrealistic with her expectations for her and Nate. Who thinks about that stuff at the age of 16! I absolutely love Jenny's storyline in this book. I have never seen someone so obsessed with their boobs! Dan and Vanessa's relationship is so awkward, it totally reminds me of my life! The author did a wonderful thing in writing a prequel for the series, it really explains things. It is totally going to really help me understand somethings when I read the rest of the series. I love this book and I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

This is a truly horrible book. It's badly written. The plot and characters are sexist, materialistic, and completely vapid. I honestly can't believe any decent parent would buy this for their child.

The book creates this completely fictitious fantasy world where drugs and sex flow freely and parents are disinterested or non-existent. In the plot, Nate is the object to two best friends' affections. Nate is basically a jerk who is high all the time. However, the girls are eager for whatever affection he can muster for either one of them between smoking joints. He is too gutless to be able to pick between them, and Serena seems too low in her self worth to make him do so. Besides, why would he pick between the two when Serena is more than happy to rip her panties off for him after he picked Blair over her just a few weeks before?

On top of the fact that this book will make your teenager idolize the use of drugs and the having of casual sex, it also treats women like they are sex objects with no other purpose. This is particularly disturbing when you consider that the book is marketed to teenage girls. For example, the main characters are all described as beautiful over and over again. In fact, I'm kind of amazed the author was able to find so many ways to say these girls are pretty. You never learn what other interests these young women have, or if they even have any other interests - other than throwing themselves at Nate. All the men that are attracted to Serena and Blair - Nate, Chuck, and Dan - are attracted to how beautiful they are. In fact, they barely seem to know anything else about the girls other than that they are hot. And Jenny spends the whole book contemplating her huge growing breasts, discovering in the process that now that she has big boobs no boy will like her for anything other than her huge rack.

If all of this didn't already make the book horrific, the topper is that the book is one giant product placement ad. As is common in movies and TV shows, this book has "placed" designer items throughout the book. Unfortunately, unlike in a movie where you might just casually notice the main character is drinking a Pepsi, in a book it's a lot less subtle and in fact is extremely annoying, interrupting the flow of whole paragraphs with infinitesimal detail on the characters supposed clothes and accessories. Literally every time this author describes a character, she had to tell you exactly what the character is wearing - down to the designer label. Nate, we are told, wears Thomas Pink shirts and likes Brooks Brothers khakis. If Blair looks in her purse for her keys the author will be sure to tell you it's a Fendi hobo in brown snakeskin, and if Serena goes to get her coat, she'll be sure to let you know it's an aqua blue TSE cashmere pea coat. It's less like a book and more like a shopping list for overindulged bratty teenagers.

Honestly, if you are a parent and you spend money on a book like this for your kid, there is something really wrong with you.

First the triangle - Blair, Nate and Serena had been friends their entire lives - from their first days in their exclusive preschool through their years at their even more exclusive prep schools, the trio had spent their privileged childhoods in the rarefied world of the super rich of New York (and assorted holiday retreats). Now at fifteen the three were poised to become two plus one, but which two and which one? Blair had had a crush on Nate ever since she could remember, and now that her family was falling to pieces she needed her friends more than ever. Nate had recently discovered that Serena haunted his dreams, dreams that were of a distinctly adult nature and definitely tied to his quest to lose his virginity. Serena had also noticed that Nate was no longer just her best guy pal but had become an extremely good looking young man. Their all too perfect privileged young lives were changing, the question was whether the changes were for the better or worse.

Then the overlapping circles on the periphery of their world (and the world did belong to them, everyone else just got to play in it) Dan and his little sister Jenny worshiped the perfect Serena from afar, or at least from the shabby bohemian apartment they shared with their eccentric father, where twelve year old Jenny was waiting for the 'girls' to grow and Dan was himself worshiped by Vanessa, the free spirit from Vermont who had recently arrived on the scene. And on the extreme edges of all the teens' lives were the random points - their parents, drugged, divorced, disinterested and distant all more interested in their own lives than their children.

This prequel to the popular Gossip Girl series tells the backstories of the privileged New York teens, of what set up the dynamics of these teenage Sex and the City books. Like the rest of the books this comes under the heading of guilty pleasure - like the chocolates hidden in drawer to be indulged in during a boring diet.

If you've read the series Gossip Girl, then the prequel isn't really useful. It doesn't give you any information you don't already know and it's pretty long. I wouldn't read it again.

All I can say is that I loved the book! At first I thought the books could never amount to the greatness of the show but when I started to read I got hooked! The first book I read was "Don't Forget About Me," which was bought by a friend for me since she knew I was obsessed with the show. After reading it I was motivated to buy "It Had to Be You" and now after reading it I want to read ALL OF THE BOOKS. "It Had to Be You" was extremely interesting. There were no boring parts and the ending, just like the endings of the episode's on the television show, left me wanting more! Although the books are slightly different from the show, they are just as great! LONG LIVE GOSSIP GIRL!! LOL

Gossip Girl tells the tale of the Upper East Siders sophomore year. It was really fun to read but the one thing I don't like in this series is the excessive use of inappropriate words. But the great thing about this book is that it doesn't focus on the female characters it also gave much importance to the male point of view. I like this one.

one of the best based on a series written book that has ever been published