Size 12 and Ready to Rock: A Heather Wells Mystery (Heather Wells Mysteries) [Paperback]

Meg Cabot (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 10, 2012 | Series: Heather Wells Mysteries

After dallying with sexy vampires and ingeniously reinterpreting the Dracula legend (Insatiable, Overbite), #1 New York Times bestseller Meg Cabot is ready to rock ’n’ roll once more with Heather Wells. The un-petite assistant New York City college dorm director and sometime sleuth is back in Size 12 and Ready to Rock—a delectable comedy mystery that proves once more that the much beloved author of The Princess Diaries rules in the realm of grown-up women’s fiction as well. Heather’s got her hands full when a pop star and her reality TV camera crew invade the dorm—bringing with them a summer camp-full of adoring teen admirers—only to have an inconvenient homicide spoil the fun.  There’s romance, treachery, merry mayhem and music—just the ticket for readers who like to rock out on the hip contemporary singleton fiction of Sophie Kinsella, Jennifer Weiner, and Jane Green.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Summer break . . . and the livin' ain't easy!

Just because the students at New York College have flown the coop doesn't mean assistant residence hall director Heather Wells can relax. Fischer Hall is busier than ever, filled with squealing thirteen- and fourteen-year-old girls attending the first ever Tania Trace Teen Rock Camp, hosted by pop sensation Tania Trace herself—who just happens to be newly married to Heather's ex-boyfriend, heartthrob Jordan Cartwright. But the real headache begins when the producer of a reality TV show starring Tania winds up dead . . . and it's clear that the star was the intended victim.

Grant Cartwright, head of Cartwright Records, wants to keep his daughter-in-law (and his highest-earning performer) alive. So he hires his oldest son, black sheep of the family and private investigator Cooper Cartwright—who just happens to be Heather's new fiancé. Heather should leave the detecting to Cooper. But with a dorm full of hysterical mini-divas-in-training, she can't help but get involved. And after Tania shares a really shocking secret with her, this reality suddenly becomes more dangerously real than anyone ever anticipated.

About the Author

Meg Cabot was born in Bloomington, Indiana. In addition to her adult contemporary fiction, she is the author of the bestselling young adult fiction series The Princess Diaries. She lives in Key West, Florida, with her husband.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Original edition (July 10, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061734780
• ISBN-13: 978-0061734786
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #139,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I write! Books for you, your sister, your best friend, your mother . . . . even for men with good taste!

Most of my time is spent over at my website, http://megcabot.com, so be sure to stop by!

UK, New Zealand, and Australia fans, visit http://www.megcabot.co.uk.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#51 in Books > Teens

#51 in Books > Teens

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun poolside read. August 13, 2012

By AMB

Format:Paperback

It has been almost five years since we last saw Heather Wells. Not much has changed since then. She is happily and secretly engaged to sexy private eye Cooper, she's still the Assistant Director of the "Death" Dorm, err I mean Residence Hall at fictional New York College, and she's still funny.

I really enjoy this series. Heather's shenanigans are what keep me coming back. In this adventure, Jordan (International Pop star, Coopers's brother, and Heather's ex-boyfriend) is back with his now wife Tania Trance (the very one who stole Jordan from Heather). Tania is pregnant and someone is out to get her. For reasons Heather can't explain, Tania feels safe with her and knows she'll help her. Let the drama ensue.

Meg Cabot doesn't waste any time throwing us into Heather's newest adventure. Although this is the fourth book in the Heather Wells Mysteries series, Ms. Cabot gives her readers enough background to follow along without feeling lost or confused. Keeping with the theme of the other books, each chapter starts with song lyrics written by the characters. Some of the songs are heartfelt and warm, others are laced with humor. I like to figure out how they are linked to the chapters.

Although I enjoyed this novel, there was one thing that disappointed me. I thought the novel was very short. I realize it's supposed to be a quick, fun read but it was too short. It's the kind of book you take with you for a long weekend to read while you are lounging at the beach or pool. The substance however, is funny and well written. On one hand, I'm glad it wasn't a drawn out mystery but on the other, it would have been nice to spend a little more time with Heather, Cooper and the NYC gang.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun and light read July 30, 2012

By Zeenakwon

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Synopsis: Heather Wells is getting ready to get married to her love, Cooper Cartwright, but she has no time to spend on wedding plans. Jordan, Cooper's brother and Heather's ex, and his wife Tania are doing a reality show in Fischer Hall, where Heather works. When Tania's bodyguard get's shot and Cooper is hired to be Tania's bodyguard, what can Heather do but not get involved in another shooting in her dorm. . .errr, residence hall.

Review: Heather is back, better than ever. These books are quick easy reads, and they don't disappoint. In this book, Heather is a lot more self-confident then she has been, and it helps her shine. We get glimpses into Heather and Cooper's new relationship, and it's quite sweet.

The mystery in this book touched on some heavy topics as compared to the other books: domestic abuse, underage girls, and fertility issues. However, the author does a good job in balancing the light and comical nature of the Heather Wells Mysteries with the serious nature of those topics. There is not much "chasing after the clues" in this book as there were in the past, but I don't think that took away from the book.

I like the character developments in this book, Specifically Jordan's. I always felt he wasn't a bad guy, just needed some growing up to do. We got to meet Tania and the rest of the Cartwright clan. The favorites also returned: Sarah, Tom, Magda, Gavin.

Pop Culture references are a positive and a negative in the Heather Wells Mystery books. The positive is that it enhances the understanding of the culture and lifestyle Heather has. But the negative is that there are time issues. Such as, not even a year has past since the first book in the story timeline. But they talk about TRL in the First book. TRL has been shut down for YEARSSSSS . . . Continuity, people. Continuity.

I love Heather and the world she lives in. I relate with her plus-sizedness and her love to help people. If you need a light chick-lit read, then I would suggest picking up these novels.

Sex: Kissing and references to sex, but no sex scenes
Violence: Blood, domestic violence references. Not gory.

Rating: 4 out of 5
Series Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Quote: "I've come to the conclusion that, aside from Nazis, the Taliban, and possibly the honey badger, there is no one on the planet more merciless than a teenage girl once she's decided she dislikes you."

Next Book: "Size 12 is the New Black" will be out in 2013!

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Think Heather's Ride May Be Over. . . July 25, 2012

By K. Caldwell

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

What to say? I am really struggling with that, I'll be honest.

I'm no stranger to Meg Cabot as this book was the ninth of hers that I've read over the last decade. Some (like The Boy Next Door and Boy Meets Girl) I've read more than once, while others, like Queen of Babble, I didn't like at all, and made that known.

The Heather Wells mysteries took two different paths. I liked the first two, and thought Big Boned was the best of the lot. In fact, I went so far as to say that Big Boned made up for Queen of Babble and how silly I had felt Cabot's writing had become.

Maybe she should have stopped there.

I don't want to sound pessimistic or judgemental in any way - but Heather is getting old. The charm I enjoyed in the first novels has faded, and fast. The Cooper - the for-so-long unrequited love of her life - has gone from being adorable and mysterious to boring and unbelievable. I'm sorry, I really am. But I'm finding it harder and harder to believe that he loves her. Not because she's a Size 12, mind you, - but because she's so, so, so annoying at times. What I felt was cute in book one, charming in book two, is now grating on my nerves by book four. She's not that special!

The whole concept doesn't seem plausible to me. The mysteries were never strong, but they've seem to have gotten weaker. This whole novel felt forced to me. Perhaps it's me and I'm just "over" the series. Which is sad for me, because I did enjoy them so much once upon a time. But I've reached the point where I strongly doubt I will read the next installment. I am just not sure if I care enough to see how they end up. I once respected Heather and Cooper as characters; now I'm not so sure.

I find it interesting that most of the reviewers here have not read the previous books. I'd be curious to know if others that have read all of them have experienced a simliar exhaustion after four of these books, or if I am alone.

**Amazon note. I pre-ordered this book for my kindle because I thought it was cheaper than ordering a hard copy. Wrong! When it got sent, I got charged a delivery fee which actually made it more expensive than the actual book. That doesn't seem right to me, as I believe the e-book should be the cheaper of the two options. Nothing drastic either way - but I was surprised to say the least.