The Insiders (Insiders (Bloomsbury)) [Paperback]

J. Minter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 10, 2004 | Series: Insiders (Bloomsbury)

A captivating, scandalous look into the privileged and turbulent world of five fabulous guys living in Manhattan's trendiest neighborhoods. Jonathan is the leader of the pack-but what will happen if the pack falls apart? Arno's way with the girls makes you wonder, can boys be sluts? David is known as the nice guy, but will he stay that way? Mickey is always in trouble, and Patch is just MIA. They've got rich parents, go to top schools, and have hip friends. With so many parties to go to, colleges to impress, girls to win over, and so much money to spend, who can keep track of it all? And can true friendship really shine through in the end? J. Minter's keen eye for urban teens, their dialogue, and the details of New York City's high life make this a guilty pleasure for readers of the Gossip Girl series and other glitterati novels.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Designed to resemble a Gossip Girl entry, this enticingly trashy entrant into the yearly teen beach read sweepstakes attempts to do for lower Manhattan what the Cecily von Ziegesar books have done for the Upper East Side. Fashion-obsessed private high-schooler Jonathan is less than thrilled when his mother strong-arms him into taking his "country" cousin Kelli (she's visiting from St. Louis) to his friend's party. To Jonathan's surprise and eventual horror, high-energy, Bubblicious-chomping Kelli uses her "Mickey-Mouse-Club-gone-bad" good looks to work her way through his crew of four male buddies and nearly destroys all their relationships in the process. As if that weren't enough, in the single week of her stay, 17-year-old Kelli becomes downtown's newest "It" girl (and makes a triumphal detour to South Beach, too), palling around with models and artists, and even chatting with Calvin Klein. Although the series hangs on the boys—the author is the guys-point-of-view columnist for Seventeen— Kelli's on- and offscreen actions are responsible for nearly all the wit and fun here. A somewhat tacked-on subplot has the boys searching for their coolest friend, who seems to have gone missing. Up-to-the-minute music and fashion references (price tags included) and a thorough knowledge of downtown locales flavor the boys' picaresque meanderings from party to art opening to restaurant to after-hours club and back again, not to mention the obligatory pilgrimage to Barneys. Ages 14-up.
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From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up–Jonathan and his friends navigate their way through the wealthy, artsy side of Manhattan, and readers get to experience what it's like to be young and foolish and think you're in love. Parties, ridiculously expensive men's shoes (for a change), and spontaneous trips to South Beach define this group of boys and the girls who hang with them. Cecily von Ziegesar's wildly popular "Gossip Girl" series (Little, Brown) has spawned another knockoff, but, unfortunately, this one doesn't have the style and excitement to hold readers. Perhaps it's the teens' lack of cattiness or the fact that readers can't connect with these young men who spend their time wandering from party to party. The rampant drinking and sex may appeal to some teens, but most will be disappointed in the end, and won't care about or really have any interest in these characters and their wasted lifestyle.–Lynn Evarts, Sauk Prairie High School, Prairie du Sac, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens (May 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582348952
• ISBN-13: 978-1582348957
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,171,862 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining enough, December 15, 2004

By 

Pop-N-Fresh (va) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Insiders (Insiders (Bloomsbury)) (Paperback)

At first, I was a little disapointed because I thought the Insiders would be more funny and Gossip Girl-like, but it was still very good.

The Insiders tells the story of a group of 5 guys who are supposed to be best friends, but find themselves drifting apart and fighting over girls. The main character, Jonathan, seems to be the only one trying to keep them together. They call him the "glue" that holds the group together. Mickey Pardo, the son of a rich art-seller, is the weird and romantic type. His girlfriend's dad doesn't want them to be together-- very Romeo and Juiliet. Arno is the man-slut of the group; he steals David's girl away, and then falls for Jonathan's cousin. David is the sensitive, emo guy. And Patch is the cute, dreamy one who often disapears for days at a time. Over the course of the book, the guys have to bind together to look for Patch, who seems to be away on one of his wanderings longer than usual.

My only complaint about this book is that the characters are pretty flat and somewhat stereotypical. The author only gives the characters the specific traits that make them "the Jock" or "the player". I think the Insiders would be significantly better if the writer tried to round out the characters a little more.

All in all, an entertaining, fun book. I recommend checking it out at the library.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for GG novels, June 19, 2004

By 

Allegra "allegra100" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Insiders (Insiders (Bloomsbury)) (Paperback)

This is a must read book if you loved Gossip Girl and/or The
A-list. I love Gossip Girl so much, I have all the books. I picked this book up because I saw it in a magazine, and I don't regret it. It is more the boy's point of view, but girls will love it to. I recommend it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't wait for the sequel, May 25, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Insiders (Insiders (Bloomsbury)) (Paperback)

The Insiders is definitely one of my highly recommended novels. I love reading the Gossip Girl series and The A-List novels, but those are mainly about the girls in NYC and L.A.. The Insiders gives you a different glimpse of a guy's life in NYC.