She's So Money [Hardcover]

Cherry Cheva (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 22, 2008

Question: What do you get when you take . . .

1 overachieving girl + 1 insanely cute guy + 1 massive fine + 1 scheme involving a little dishonesty and a whole lot of cash?

I've always been the good girl—working seriously long hours at my family's restaurant and getting straight As. And Camden King was always just that hot, popular guy I'd pass in the halls, whose ego was probably much bigger than his brain. I didn't think there'd ever be a reason for us to actually, like, interact.

Then again, I never thought I'd mess up so badly that my family might lose our entire restaurant if I didn't come up with a ton of money, and fast. So that's where Camden comes in—he and his evil/genius plan to do kids' homework for cash.

I know cheating's wrong, but it's better than being dead, right? Which is what I'd be if my parents knew about what happened. I never expected things to spin so far out of control. Or that I'd be such a sucker for Camden's lopsided grin. Or that falling apart could be the best thing that ever happened to me.

Answer: The time of my life.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up—Seventeen-year-old Maya's carefully constructed world consists of Advanced Placement classes, waitressing at her family's Thai restaurant, and tutoring at school. There's definitely no room for Camden King, the megahottie who's megatrouble. After her parents leave her in charge for five days, Maya's plans for the future are jeopardized when uncharacteristic carelessness leads to a hefty fine for the restaurant. Desperate to keep her predicament a secret, she trades her scruples for cash by agreeing to do Camden's homework for money. Thus, an unlikely alliance is forged. Things spiral out of control with Maya not only risking her admission to Stanford by turning the arrangement into a thriving business, but also falling victim to Camden's charms. It's a familiar slippery slope plot-teen lands in trouble, teen digs in deeper trying to get out of trouble, teen confesses and makes amends. But Cheva's writing, full of sarcastic wit and snappy comebacks, raises the bar, and the flirty banter between Maya and Camden makes this romantic comedy more than bearable. Maya is the perfect spokesperson for an underrepresented crowd-wisecracking overachievers who make being smart cool.—Erin Schirota, Bronxville Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"Cherry Cheva is hilarious. And She’s So Money is a kick-booty read!" -- Lauren Myracle, New York Times–bestselling author of ttyl, ttfn, and l8r g8r

"Laugh-out-loud funny." -- Kirkus Reviews

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (January 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061288551
• ISBN-13: 978-0061288555
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,868,489 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow, one of the funniest and best books in years!!!!, January 22, 2008

By 

Jason Pilington "Proud Father of Teenage Dau... (Omaha, Nebraska) - See all my reviews

This review is from: She's So Money (Hardcover)

Cherry is the new star author in the YA world. Her understanding of the young teens voice and her knack for great dialogue makes her one of the most refreshing voices to come around in sometime. My daughter has told all her friends at school that it's her new favorite book and I don't disagree with her. If SHE'S SO MONEY is any indication of Cherry"s talent, then she has a long successful and rewarding career ahead of her. Bravo Cherry and thank you for such a fantastic read..

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How one good girl makes a few bad choices that spiral out of control, July 31, 2008

By 

Teenreads.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: She's So Money (Hardcover)

High school senior Maya is a good girl. She works in her family's Thai restaurant after school every day and on weekends. She takes several AP courses, tutors and prays daily that she gets her acceptance to Stanford. She knows she's a straight arrow, and she likes it that way.

Things begin to change, however, when she is asked to tutor Camden King, a popular hottie and super-obnoxious wealthy senior. Their first meeting does not go well, as he leaves after a cell phone call and she throws away the backpack he forgot to take with him. He even offered her lots of cash to do his homework!

One weekend Maya's parents leave her and her brother in charge of the restaurant while they go to a wedding. Finally she is treated like the adult she knows she is. But she loses her cool when she encounters a set of miserable customers. They leave among threats, and she and her brother are too tired and crabby to clean up properly, vowing to do it the next day. The patrons follow through on their threats, and the Health Inspector leaves notice of violations and fines for Maya totaling $10,000! She is given only three weeks to pay the full amount.

Maya knows her family doesn't have that kind of money, so she takes Camden up on his potentially lucrative offer. He also has her do homework for a few friends, but not too well, so teachers won't be suspicious. She doesn't need sleep, right? Between spending time at the restaurant and doing her and others' homework, Maya is reaching the end of her rope.

Then Camden kisses Maya! It's her first, and now she's really confused. She won't make her deadline, so he proposes that she line up more tutors to join in and they will take a cut. Maya almost makes it, but of course someone figures out what's going on and threatens her. She needs more money, so they pull in students from another school. She thinks she's Camden's girlfriend now, but when she sees him with other girls, doubts creep in. In fact, Maya isn't sure of anything anymore.

Cherry Cheva, a writer for "Family Guy," brings readers a cast of realistic characters who make a few bad choices that spiral out of control. While the magnitude of this cheating operation seems crazy, it's easy to see how nice girl Maya gets sucked in. SHE'S SO MONEY will have readers turning pages quickly to find out what happens next and if Maya will be able to pull herself out of this mess.

--- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, Original and Inspirational, February 24, 2008

By 

Karen Paek (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: She's So Money (Hardcover)

Though I am an avid reader, I have never been one to read, post or rely on book reviews. However, I felt compelled to share my assessment on Cherry Cheva's teen novel, "She's So Money" and bottom line, it's one of the wittiest books I have ever read, whether it be for a teenager or adult of any age in search of a clever and entertaining read. I actually stumbled across the book while vacationing with my family in Florida this past weekend. I was in search of a light-hearted book that would be a quick read and my younger cousin was deeming it as her new favorite and begging me to read it so that we could converse about it. Being a person in her late 20's, I did not ever consider reading a book targeted to an age group 15 years my junior. However, my nostalgia took over, with memories of how much I enjoyed reading in my teenage years and I decided rather than go out and purchase a book that would be seemingly entertaining based on purely a synopsis on the back and the book cover, I would take my 13 year old cousin's advice (she actually happens to be a great writer and lover of books herself). Lo and behold, I found the book to be truly funny, entertaining, refreshing, what I would think to be relevant to teenagers and most of all, with a moral lesson laced in an inspiring rather than commandeering way. I loved it!