Customer Reviews

I Like It Like That (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Gossip Girl Novels (Pb))

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Hmmm...what to say, what to say! Well, I LIKE IT LIKE THAT, is just like all the other books in the series- entertaining, and makes a fabulous parody of the shallow indulgence of the human race. I laughed many times at the utter absurdity of quite a few of the scenarios, and the two-dimensionals of some of the characters. [Serena, especially, being so idealistically perfect, one could literally strangle her. That is the only flaw in her books- Serena, being so unrealistic, and irritable.] However, we get to know a little more about some of the more developed characters, like Blair, Nate, and Georgie. von Ziegsar creates a good read that you don't need a brain to understand, or like, it's not mind candy, and there is no depth, but that's a good thing...in their world. Read if you want something entertaining, and I suppose you could say interesting, if you didn't know how different the high-society world of New York City was, as it is portrayed in the series. It's certaining no Tolstoy- it's not supposed to be, and there are no layers to sift through, or intriguing plays on words, but it's simply what it is- a quick, cute thrill that will burn out as soon as the next fashion season starts.

The fifth Gossip Girl novel covers Spring Break for the Constance Billard School girls and their guys. Blair does not want to go to Hawaii with her newly blended stepfamily and very pregnant mother. Serena offers rescue in the form of a skiing trip to Sun Valley, along with her hot brother Erik. A sober Nate is also going to Sun Valley with his new girlfriend from rehab. Daniel lands an interesting internship at a hot new NY literary magazine. Vanessa tries to keep her films from her eccentric parents. And Jenny tries to find out why boyfriend Leo is so mysterious. In other words, it's business as usual for these characters.

I LIKE IT LIKE THAT seems to be preparing readers for major upcoming events: Blair still doesn't know what college she will be attending; she and Nate still dance around each other; Blair's mother still has not had the baby, but events help Blair come to terms with this in the book; and Daniel goes back and forth with Vanessa. Plenty of humor does keep things moving here, especially concerning Daniel's internship and Blair's efforts to impress Serena's brother Erik. A crazy caper where Serena is almost arrested naked is another little surprise that keeps the book fresh.

My only reservation is when the book falls into the stereotypical angst about virginity and guys. Hopefully, this series will not head into a typical Hollywood-esque Prom/Graduation story and will continue to surprise readers. Nevertheless, I LIKE IT LIKE THAT is a fun and light read, filled with the delicious designer details that are the signature of this series.

--- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

Of all the series I probably like "I like it like that" and "All I want is everything". Mostly because they have new characters and a lot of kinky stuff happens when Blair and Serena come up with crazy holiday fun. Such as St. Barts and this time in Sun Valley.

Nate had been caught buying pot and was sent to a rehabilitation centre. I was pretty happy about that because I wanted to see who Nate really was.. when he isn't high on pot. He cleans up but meets Georgina Sparks, a pretty 'snow white' look alike heiress, who surprisingly is a bigger druggie than Nate and his friends combined. Now, Nate is out of rehab but his stoned girlfriend still lives there after a freak accident with some pills a couple of weeks earlier. Georgie invites Nate over to her mum's ski condo in Sun Valley over Spring Break and he agrees to come.

Dan, who I'm not that fond of, is in a slump after his hit poem 'Sluts'. Unable to write anything up to par, especially since his dirty, poem buddy Mystery leaves suddenly on a 6 month world book tour. So there goes his inspiration.. and his kinky private life. His agent, Rusty Klein, gets him a rubbish job at Red Letter and he gets into a confusing upset with his little sister's best friend, Elise Wells.

Jenny is at first extremely happy with her new boyfriend, Leo, but soon drops him when she finds out about his life, his parents and how incredibly boring he is. Since Leo isn't good enough for Jenny's very high standards, he's gone and he's probably not coming back.

Vanessa is done with Dan, and thoroughly pissed off that he thinks he's unbreakable just from one poem. Oh and for cheating on her with yellow-toothed Mystery Craze. Good on her, I say.

And now to the interesting people. Serena and Blair. Blair is going insane at home and imediately agrees when Serena suggests that Blair live with her. A nice break from her crazy mother and hippie step - brother. I won't even begin on Cyrus, we all know Blair hates him. A spark starts when Blair gets some comforting advice from Serena's older brother, Erik, and since he and Serena invited her to Sun Valley for Spring Break, why not have a little well deserved fun?

So what a coincidence they all end up spending the week in Sun Valley and heck, why not throw Chuck in. I need not say this turns out to be a Spring Break to remember.

Its vacation time and we're hitting the road with Blair, Serena, Nate, Chuck, Erik and a suprising visit by Nate's rehab friend Georgina Sparks! But of course nothing is ever perfect in the world of Gossip Girl with all their money and fabolous life.
Nate and Blair are rekindling their girlfriend/boyfriend relationship, Georgina Sparks is interested in Nate but he doesn't seem as interested as she is, a little more on the wild side for him. At first Blair has a thing for Serena's older brother Erik whos in college, but it doesn't work out for them.
This book in the series is a very short span of time, I'm guessing two weeks at the most.

But of course the drama is good, and its enjoyable, even though it doesn't really add to the plot I still recommend it!

Von Ziegesar's series about overprivileged Mahattanites moves location, all the way to the ski slopes. And Georgina Sparks is coming along for the ride, as well as the rest of the GG girl crew: Blair, Serena, Nate, Chuck Bass, etc.

Georgina does not need to be in the books. She first appeared in BECAUSE I'M WORTH IT, since Nate's whole weed smoking incident. He met her at the clinic and she pulled him into her world of self-destruction. Blair grimly calls her the "Miu Miu shorts slut" prior to this book and now, although Georgie has always seemed a bit slutty, she's gone wild, disrobing whenever and flaunting every private part of her body more times than a typical Girls Gone Wild babe. She also unabashedly informs Nate that she lost her virginity to Chuck Bass when she was in the sixth grade. Funny, Nate is the only one she won't sleep with. It is obvious her relationship with Nate won't last long - not because she won't have sex with him but because she's just too wild for his liking.

Jenny has a new beau. They are suited for each other, as he is not Nate and does not lack the common sense of Nate and is sweet, kind, considerate, and romantic.

The story focuses on a short period of time and I prefer the books that focus on longer stretches. The next book is called, YOU'RE THE ONE THAT I WANT. You know what that means (and no, you do not find out who Gossip Girl is)! Nate and Blair are so rekindling their lost love/lust. Hopefully, it'll have the spark found in most GG books - this one didn't totally have it but still beats the copycats. And when GG is good, it's the ideal teenage fluff, a light read that will either keep you guessing or be extremely predictable.

It seems as if Valentine's Day just passed, and already Spring Break is here, sending everyone into a tizzy - once again. Of course, when you're a part of the privileged set, Spring Break doesn't mean sitting around the house, watching daytime TV and pigging out on popcorn and chocolate. Quite the opposite, in fact. It's a time when you jet halfway around the world for a chance to ski or sunbathe, and, if you're lucky, create a little scandal.

Blair Waldorf wishes that she was one of the people talking about the scandal surrounding her; but, alas, as the daughter of a middle-aged woman who has just remarried, and is pregnant, she has been cast into the scandalous spotlight - much to her chagrin. No matter, with Spring Break looming, she may be able to break free from the current mess that is her life. When her mother announces that they'll be spending the vacation in sunny Hawaii, however, Blair couldn't be angrier. Luckily, her frienemy, Serena van der Woodsen, is there to bail her out.

Serena would do anything for Blair, so inviting her to spend Spring Break in Sun Valley with her parents and older brother, Erik? So not the drama. Besides, it'll be fun to have her BFF by her side on the slopes. But when Blair starts batting her big eyes at Erik, and flirting with him to the maximum extreme, it takes everything inside of Serena to make it through the week without strangling her supposed gal pal.

Nate Archibald has always had his head in the clouds thanks to his constant dependency on marijuana. But he's finally clean, and looking to have a little fun - sober, that is. Unfortunately, his new girlfriend, Georgie, has something different planned. She'd rather party it up with a little help from her friends - alcohol, prescription drugs, and anything else she can get her hands on. Too bad Natie's getting a little fed up with her non-stop inebriated state.

Jenny Humphrey has finally snagged a hot boyfriend in the form of Leo. His pale blonde hair is mesmerizing, and his passion for art is just what the doctor ordered. The only problem is his evasiveness. Jenny can't seem to get Leo to talk about himself, or his family; which is making her a little curious - and a lot more interested. Her older brother, Dan, however, is like a different person completely. With a published poem under his belt, and an internship at RED LETTER, he's acting like he's all that - his used-to-be girlfriend, filmmaker Vanessa Abrams simply thinks he's a rotten jerk. But maybe the two of them will be able to patch up their...relationship with one another before they both end up completely friendless. Maybe not.

Cecily von Ziegesar has done it again, creating another fabulous installment to the ever-scandalous GOSSIP GIRL series. Oddly enough, this time around, I found myself more interested in what was happening in the lives of Jenny, Dan, and Vanessa in NYC, as opposed to the conniving taking place in Sun Valley along with Nate, Blair, Serena, and Georgie. As the series continues, Jenny is becoming more and more of a prevalent character, whose innocence is catching, and works to make her a unique character. Blair's constant whining, however, is still humorous, but can become grating after some time; and Serena's jealousy towards Blair, and selfishness about her older brother is downright immature. Nate seems to have lost some of his personality due to the fact that he's no longer lighting up joints, which makes me wonder whether or not he's actually more appealing when he's high; and Dan has taken on a completely new personality which makes you dislike him - which is quite a surprise, since he was always such an appealing character. The introduction of Vanessa's hippie parents is slightly annoying; and Erik is a fairly blase character. But everyone comes together in such an amazing way, that you can't help but read the book cover to cover in one sitting. Still the perfect guilty pleasure!

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

I have been hooked on the Gossip Girl series since the first book and I have currently read up to the fifth, I Like it Like That, but honestly, I wouldn't have mind skipping it. I thought this book was a little bit predictable and boring. Jenny is my least favorite character because, is it just me or does she seems like she goes after guys that are rich and handsome? After she finds out Leo is "normal" she dumps him. It seemed to me that he had a nice personailty and that should have been enough. The last book I was so hooked on the Vanessa & Dan relastionship, but this one I was actually skipping the chapters about them. Blair & Serena have always been my favorites, and that is what saved this book. Their adventures in Sun Valley was the best part and never really was boring in my opinon. Also GG [Gossip Girl] saved this book as well. Her entries are always funny and interesting to look at. Some people say that Cecily von Ziegsar writes using profound words such as the "f" word. Well I have to say that im a teenager to and to be honest, that is how most teens talk. Cecily really captured the life of a teenager well with the stress on schools [im 13 and picking a HIGH school is tough for me, think about college], also sex and drugs. I know people that are much younger than Blair and Serena and have more experience with these things than all of the characters put together. And also family troubles, because every family has them right? Her choice of words are accurate and theres nothing wrong with that, and besides in the fifth book she hardly swears if ever, I wasn't paying much attention to that. Overall though, this book wasn't the best, but the series is!

Gossip Girl series is about a girl basically spying on these teenagers in high school, either freshmen or seniors, living in New York City's Upper East Side. If you read the first gossip girl, you'll read the fifth, even the sixth... even if it's only because you are wondering if Blair got into Yale or ever has sex with Nate. Or if you are dying to know about how Serena got kicked out of private school... well in the fifth one, I Like it Like that, you find out neither of those things. But you do find out more about Jenny's boyfriend and Dan being a poet. I Like It Like That is as good as the other four, and it makes you wait until the sixth comes out. It shows no signs of Gossip Girl series ending, and it kind of makes you wonder when you will ever find out the stuff you really want to know. But it's Gossip Girl... you know you love her.

I find the gossip girl books to be very entertaining. They fit around the same area as The Clique (which are entertaining, but let's face it, the girls have stupid 'non-problems') only for an older set. All of the books live up to expectations of the rest. I think that all of the characters are interesting and the story line keeps you guessing and entertained.

This book is great it might not be as long as the others long meaning the length of time the book is set over for instince all of the other gossip girl books cover 2 or more months in a book but this one only covers a few weeks but never the less its still exciting. And as more novels get published we get ever closer to finding out who gossip girl is. i don't know about the rest of you GG fans out there but i can't wait for the GG movie there basing on the first novel and it's starring Linsay Lohan i wonder who sees going to be. I've got a theory that shes going to be blair, as Serenas gone blondy white hair wot do u think? See you soon you know you love her. JG