Hot Mess: Summer in the City (Paperback)

by Julie Kraut (Author), Shallon Lester (Author)
Key Phrases: New York, The Dorf, Emma Freeman (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
EMMA FREEMAN IS waving buh-bye to her standard summer of stationwagoning around the suburbs. This summer she’s heading to the big city. Emma’s totally prepped for days at a fabulous internship and nights of socialite-ing around town. But when you’re 17 and not an heiress, reality is far from pink fizzy drinks and red velvet ropes. As the summer heats up, Emma learns that glamour is hard to come by when your only friend is too boy-crazy to hang, your budget is more H&M than D&G, and you spend 8 hours a day working for a man who proves that the devil wears Dockers too. Add one little white lie told to one very hot coworker and a roommate who makes Paris Hilton look junior varsity, and this summer in the city is starting to turn into one hot mess.

About the Author
Julie Kraut lives in New York City, where she shimmies her sensible pumps up the corporate ladder, eats pizza, and writes. This is her first book for young readers.

Shallon Lester moved across the country to write and add to her shoe collection. This is her first book for young readers. She lives in Manhattan.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (May 13, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385735065
• ISBN-13: 978-0385735063
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #295,241 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, June 13, 2008

By	TeensReadToo.com "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

Emma Freeman is about to break free from her quiet suburban life and usual summer job as a lifeguard. She is also making the break from Brian, her boyfriend of nine months who, as it turns out, is a rotten, no-good cheat.

So, where is a girl to go when she wants to get away from it all? How about New York City?

Emma lands a summer internship in the city and even talks her BFF, Rachel, into coming along. The girls head to New York with a moderate budget and big plans for a glamorous summer in the city. The reality of living in the city soon hits them. What seemed like a sizeable budget in the suburbs doesn't measure up to the cost of living in NYC. And the kind of housing you can rent for the price Emma and Rachel have to pay usually has some very creepy terms in the deal.

Just when they are about to give up, Emma and Rachel answer an ad and find themselves rooming with a real life socialite. Jayla is beautiful, rich, and lives an exciting life full of nightclubs and late-night make-out sessions with the hottest guys in town.

Although the housing situation is looking brighter, the internship turns out to be almost unbearable. Emma's boss is a nightmarish mix of 90's rap revival, bad jokes, and an overblown self-image. Then there is that one cute guy that works for the company, and the one lie that Emma told him. Will she be able to keep the lie going all summer long?

HOT MESS: SUMMER IN THE CITY is a really fun read that is full of current references to popular culture and believable dialogue. This is a must-have for your summer reading list!

Reviewed by: JodiG.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, witty summer read! , June 16, 2008

By	Paige Haber (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book- a fun read that's great for a day at the beach, plane ride, or break from academic reading (in my case). It's definitely up with the pop-culture trends of today which makes it even more hilarious and fitting for the striving-to-be sex-and-the-city characters. A good summer read for young adults and adults alike!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AWESOME-NESS in book form, May 28, 2008

By	O. Hitzig "BabyGrl025" (Warrenville, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I don't know what "Just Ducky" is talking about, I couldn't read this one fast enough. I found it on Seventeen's summer beach reads. Just because we write well doesn't mean we're employed yet, but thanks for the career advice, gramma. Read the book and you'll love it just like I did! :P