Customer Reviews

Poseur #1 (Poseur Novel)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I disagree with the reader who compared this book negatively to the Gossip Girls books. This is waaaaaay better than those wastes of our natural resources. They're in the same genre, but not in the same league! No joke: Goss Girls #1 made me feel nauseated after I read it ... like I'd just eaten a greasy circus hot dog topped with all manner of rank carny garnishes. (No offense to carnies) This book, on the other hand, is yummtastic, a treat from start to finish. It's smart, sharp and funny and when you're done with it, you'll feel like you just ate a delicious (but low-cal) meal. Like a greek salad or a turkey burger, no bun. It's for people (like moi) who like fashion AND (moi again) have more than half a brain in their heads. Does that even remotely describe you? Then get this book and you'll love it bunches. And if -- God forbid! -- you put it down halfway through, it's probably because your arm's getting tired. In which case, you probs just need to eat some lean protein.

Poseur is about four girls at a private LA high school who have to unexpectedly work together to start a fashion label. All the main characters are really fun and cool in their own way. There's the perfectly prim Charlotte Beverwil, the ghetto-fabulous Melissa Moon, the hippie goddess Petra Greene and Janie Farrish, the scholarship kid. You can imagine the drama that ensues (hint: Janie has a hot twin brother that may or may not date her enemy Charlotte!) I loved Janie the most. She's not like the typical popular high school girl. Even though she's pretty and smart, she's still insecure and that made her feel real to me.

All in all, this book is really unique. Rachel Maude's writing is so funny and addictive and way smarter than I expected. I couldn't put the book down and I actually laughed out loud (that never happens). Poseur reminds me of Clueless and Ugly Betty mixed into one. Oh, the pictures were also amazing. I read online that the author did those too...I wish I could draw AND write that well :)

I can't wait for the next book in the Poseur series to come out. If you love books about how hard, fun, and crazy it is to be in high school - pick this one up and you'll be waiting for the next one too!

Sixteen-year-old Janie Farrish has never been a prime part of Winston Prep life. As scholarship students, she and her twin brother, Jake, have always been looked upon as unpopular minions with very little money, and zit-covered faces. But underneath her pores, Janie has always been a fashionista dying to reveal her true self to the world. And now, as she and Jake head back to Winston Prep for their sophomore year - sans pimples - Janie is armed with a Mary Quaint vintage green cotton miniskirt that could turn her from pimply to popular at just one look at her long legs.

But Janie isn't the only one returning to Winston Prep a changed person, Jake has been keeping a secret from her. The Adam Brody look-alike seems to have formed some sort of relationship with uber-popular Charlotte Beverwil, the girl who made Janie's freshman year almost impossible to survive. The two of them seem to have gotten very chummy over the summer, but Janie refuses to become chummy with Charlotte herself. In her opinion, Charlotte is nothing more than a nasty, self-centered popular rich girl who thinks that she's French, and living in the early 1900's. Wake up, you're just like you and me! But when Janie's best friend, Amelia, a budding musician, lands a gig that could change her life forever, Janie knows that it's up to her to create the perfect outfit for her debut to the world. But the supplies alone are a fortune. Janie knows that it's time to make the ultimate sacrifice. Kissing her pride goodbye, she signs up to create a fashion label with Charlotte Beverwil, Petra Greene, and Melissa Moon. Each girl has their own thoughts about fashion and designing, and together, the four LA fashionistas will have to learn to work alongside one another to create a label that will leave their classmates salivating. Before they do that, however, they'll have to figure out how to blend all of their ideas into one perfect company - without wringing each other's necks in the process.

As a budding fashionista myself, and a fan of Cecily von Ziegesar's GOSSIP GIRL series, I was absolutely thrilled to find Rachel Maude's POSEUR in my hands. Maude's characters are fun and relatable, and her combination of fashion and music leave the reader town between wanting to get up and dance, and host their very own runway show. Janie is a girl you'll fall in love with instantly. Her low-key ways, and thrift store shopping sprees are adventurous and fun; while her best friend Amelia is an aspiring rock star whom you can't help but root for. Charlotte's passion for all things French, and desire to have a romance that makes her knees buckle make her seem more human than she appears while at school when she's tormenting others, and her constant insecurities prove that she's truly a nice girl on the inside. Petra is fun in a lazy, offbeat way. Her bizarre choice of clothing, and constant fights with her mother are humorous, but lend a sense of difficulty into her privileged life. And Melissa Moon is a crazy character whose boisterous personality bursts right off the page. Maude's knowledge of the fashion and music scenes are spectacular, and her inclusion of sketch illustrations by Compai, and DIY projects for the reader cause the characters to live on in your mind long after the last page is turned. This season's must have accessory!

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

Since the 7th grade I have only and always thought I would read the clique series. I thought no other book can come across the clique, but boy was i wrong!!! I read a lot of other books, but nothing seemed quite right.. but poseur is perfect. The characters are REAL which is just what I was looking for in a book. You get entertained by the random pages of drawings that janie draws. I read this book in a total of 6 hours straight. Literally. It's so good! And another reason i adore this book is that the author explains the locations of l.a. impeccably.. I happen to be living in l.a. so I know where everything is... a lot of other authors just imagine and assume that l.a. would be like what they think, so they write that down. It's all fake. This author was born and raised, so she knows her l.a. and i love that.

I ended up reading Poseur because my 13 year old cousin had it and I was intrigued by the cover, thinking 'ok, I need to see what is up with these kids and these glam-trash teen novels, but I was really surprised! It's actually a smart, well written book, and I'm 28. If you like a fun read and want something that will cross over REALLY well into the 'adult world' then read Poseur. I think anyone, (other than just teens, that is) will find it surprisingly witty, charming, and very very satirical, which I love. So great!!

This was a pretty good book. That's about it. These 4 girls all want to create a fashion class, so the teacher puts them together. It's good. Read it. Toodles!!!

Poseur is a cute, quick read. It tells the story of four very different girls - Janie, Charlotte, Melissa and Petra - who all have one thing in common, a desire to create a brand/label that's all about fashion... and volunteer that idea for a class at their posh school.

One of the things that I did enjoy about Poseur is the fact that each girl is a very unique individual. They have their own quirks, and you sort of come to appreciate how distinctly different they are. My favorite of the girls is Charlotte, if only because her style (in terms of fashion) seems to suit me the most; personality-wise though, I think I'd be more like Janie.

Poseur also has cute illustrations to boot, a fact which made me smile. It's nice to get a visual image of what you're reading, especially when it comes to something as visual a field as fashion. I got a chance to see the girls' outfits through the sketches interspersed throughout the story, which was really neat.

This book was quite well-written, employing great imagery and the use of many points of view. I feel like I could distinguish between each character, which is not an easy feat for any author to accomplish, so I think that Maude did a great job.

Though I did enjoy reading the book, it was just one of those books that I would read in passing - not necessarily something I'd search for or put on my own list of books to buy. I would recommend this, however, for middle grade readers and those who like series like The Clique, Gossip Girl and The Interns.

This book caught my attention in the beginning, but about halfway through I felt rather bored with the plot of this book. If you like fashion novels, you might enjoy Poseur. I am now reading the rest just to see the mystery of who is the Poseur.

I have read this whole series and loved each and every one. The storyline never mets a dull point, and changes view points reuglarly so you can see what everyone is thinking.

This series is about four vastly different girls who are (at first) forced to work on their "special studies" fashion class..the trend set. Overcoming the lame name, the fact theyre hs girls, and the issue that their huge ad party was sabotaged. Although Janie, Charlotte, Melissa, and Petra are hugely different from eachother, they soon become a group of beautiful girls whose fashion ideas and inspiration work magnificently together.

The Poseur books are so much fun to read!!! All four girls (Janie Farrish, Melissa Moon, Charlotte Beverwil, and Petra Green) have interesting personalties. I love the humor, drama, and romance that go on in these books. Plus, Rachel Maude's illustrations are absolutely amazing!!!!! Poseur is a perfect summer read. Actually, it's perfect to read any time of the year!!! :)