The Fruit of My Lipstick (All About Us Series, Book 2) (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

'A brave and talented author who looks at the darkness as well as the light.' -- Mary Jo Putney, New York Times bestselling author

Product Description

New Yorker Gillian Chang starts her second term at posh SpencerAcademy boarding school in San Francisco prepared to focus on her studies, her faith, and her friends. She plays a dozen musical instruments and can recite the periodic table of the elements backward. She's totally prepared for everything--except love!
She's falling hard for Lucas Hayes, who isn't even a senior yet and is already aiming at a Ph.D. in physics from Stanford. The problem is, she never seems to be able to measure up and be the girlfriend he wants. He's under a lot of pressure from his parents to achieve--maybe that's why he's short-tempered sometimes. But even a thick-skinned girl like Gillian can only take so much.
With her heart on the line, Gillian conceals more and more from her friends. So when she's accused of selling exam answer sheets, even her girlfriends, Lissa Mansfield and Carly Aragon, wonder if it can be true. Gillian will need the power of honesty--with herself and with Lucas--to show what she's really made of.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: FaithWords (August 11, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446177970
• ISBN-13: 978-0446177979
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #580,361 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Story with a Message, September 13, 2008

By	The Book Muncher - See all my reviews

Normally, all that Gillian Chang has to worry about is making sure her grades are absolutely perfect. This generally isn't a problem because Gillian is extremely intelligent, but pressure from her strict parents can get a little tough at times. The last thing Gillian wants to worry about is a guy, particularly after the fiasco Gillian's best friend Lissa got involved with last term. But then again, love, or at least like, is not something Gillian can prepare for--especially when she finds herself falling for the only other person who's possibly smarter than she is, Lucas Hayes. But is Lucas really the golden boy Gillian thinks he is? Only time will tell, and Gillian is going to have to believe in herself, her friends, and her faith is she's going to survive this term at Spencer Academy.

The Fruit of My Lipstick was a well-written story about friendship and dealing with boys, with a little bit of religion mixed in. Some readers may be wary of reading this series because of the inclusion of religion, but in reality, the Christian faith is more of a healthy influence on Gillian and her friends' morals. I definitely would not consider this book or its prequel It's All About Us preachy in any way. The storyline and the characters in this novel are very believable, which makes it easy to relate to Gillian and her friends' various situations or at least sympathize with them. The plot was a little slow towards the beginning, but it picked up towards the middle with the addition of a school scandal. The Fruit of My Lipstick is a fun yet sincere novel with a positive message that all teen girls can relate to and enjoy.

The Fruit of My Lipstick is the second novel in Adina's It's All About Us series, but the story can stand alone. I look forward to the third installment in this series, Be Strong and Curvaceous, and I recommend both It's All About Us and The Fruit of My Lipstick to anyone looking for a much more mild form of Gossip Girl with actual depth and meaning.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun!, August 28, 2008

By	Camy Tang "Asian romance author (www.camytang... (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This was such a fun book! I admit I'm a bit partial because it's set in San Francisco, but the story and characters really drew me in.

The story premise is really neat--a girl's first boyfriend and the things she learns about being true to herself and to God. It also touches on the sticky relationship between a girl's friends and her new boyfriend with sensitivity and humor.

I have to admit I was a bit annoyed in the middle when Gillian kept making bad decisions and doing stupid things--you know how you want to scream at a character to stop being a dodo-brain?

But I was completely caught up in things at the climax, which is a terrific climax, by the way. Very emotional, very satisfying, and absolutely hilarious.

Gillian's personal conflicts about "measuring up" are things I saw a lot in my friends when I was single, and it took a long time and a lot of prayer to understand who I am in Christ versus who I want to be for others. It's nice to see this issue being communicated here in a teen novel--hopefully teen girls won't go through the angst I did.

The characters might be a bit young for a 16 or 17 year old girl, but I think 15 or younger girls will really enjoy this story. It's so wonderful to see a hip, fresh, fluffy novel like this that still communicates the truth of God's love for us.

4.0 out of 5 stars There is never a reason to change who you are to please a guy, October 15, 2009

By	Novel Teen Book Reviews (USA) - See all my reviews

Gillian Chang is an awesome person. She is brilliant in schoolwork, gifted in music, and totally in love with God. People love her for her outgoing and tell-it-like-it-is personality. When Lucas Hayes, the smartest guy in the school, takes an interest in her, Gillian is love struck. But the more time she spends with Lucas, the more she realizes that she doesn't measure up. Determined to be everything Lucas needs in a girlfriend, Gillian starts to make changes. When her friends call her on it, she is livid. Why can't they see that Lucas is right? He only wants what's best for her, and there is a lot to improve.

This is the second book in the All About Us series about girls who are attending an expensive boarding school. So far, these girls have everything money can buy and wear clothing that I could never afford for myself, like, ever. The books are still a lot of fun. I like how Shelley Adina wrote the character of Lucas Hayes. I was enamored with him myself at first. But when he started putting Gillian down in these slight ways--ways that she wasn't quite certain he meant derogatorily, but hurt her feelings--I got really worried. It was so hard for Gillian to see Lucas without bias. She wanted him to be the guy of her dreams. She wanted the relationship to be a fairy tale. But when three of her friends took her aside and told her they thought something was wrong, Gillian freaked, even to the point of accusing her friends of being wrong. Shelley Adina shows us that there is never a reason to change who you are to please a guy. The right guy will love you for who you are. But will Gillian realize that or end up in a world of hurt?