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finesilkflower's review
1.0
Stacey notices that Maureen (her mother) is becoming misty and nostalgic about her past with Ed (Stacey’s father), and becomes concerned. On a trip to New York, Ed announces that he and his girlfriend Samantha are getting married. Stacey breaks the news to her mother, who gives Ed a very classy congratulations phone call and then breaks down in tears. The BSC decides to hook Maureen up with someone from a video dating service, but thankfully that plotline stalls on the runway when they can’t find a video guy they deem worthy of Maureen. Then Maureen announces she has a date with Gabriel, a buyer from another store she met at a fall fashion preview. (Coughnerdcough.) She becomes overly nervous, leading Stacey to conclude that the date will be disaster. On another weekend in NY jam-packed with bonding activities with Samantha, Stacey frets about the date which is happening back home, wishing she could help her mother get ready. Finally Samantha, super-understanding, just drives her back to Stoneybrook. The date was a flop, but Maureen isn’t discouraged by her lack of success on the dating front. Changes are ahead--she’s going back to her original last name, Spencer, and she hopes to open her own small clothing store in Stoneybrook.
Meanwhile, Mallory has come home for the summer. Because she’s done for the year so much earlier than the public school kids, she has nothing to do but sit around and mope. Nobody seems to have any time for her; the world has gone on very nicely without her. Vanessa, still hurt at her abandonment, comes out and tells her nobody needs her anymore, and Claire has determined that Byron is the oldest now. This is particularly hard to deal with for Mallory coming from Riverbend where she was super-popular and had her own Internet Club. (Coughgaycough.) This isn’t really resolved.
There’s also a sequence--just one scene, really--in Stacey’s second trip to New York in which Laine resurfaces and tries to act all buddy-buddy with Stacey, which Stacey finds disconcerting. She no longer feels close to Laine, who seems to have changed, becoming more, I don’t know, club kid? She wears a lot of eyeliner, but she also seems more bubbly and friendly than we’ve seen her before. Stacey dislikes this because she opposes human joy. This sequence serves basically as an overt parable about Maureen and Ed: just because the loving feelings are dead, it doesn’t mean you’re not kind of sad to see the person has moved on.
This is pretty much a nothing of a book with no plot or character development. Mallory’s Riverbend plotline has potential, and could have provided a really interesting Mallory book had the series not committed to sticking with the four leads, none of whom have anything interesting going on in their lives. Stacey’s love life got blasted apart and sewn up again, and she really has nothing to do in this book, where she basically just observes her mother living her own life. She’s more emotionally invested in her mother’s love life than any kid has a right to be, but that’s just the incidental vehicle of the story, not, in and of itself, a lesson, which perhaps it should be.
Lingering Questions: What is Stacey’s problem? I’m serious. What is “Stacey’s Problem”??
Meanwhile, Mallory has come home for the summer. Because she’s done for the year so much earlier than the public school kids, she has nothing to do but sit around and mope. Nobody seems to have any time for her; the world has gone on very nicely without her. Vanessa, still hurt at her abandonment, comes out and tells her nobody needs her anymore, and Claire has determined that Byron is the oldest now. This is particularly hard to deal with for Mallory coming from Riverbend where she was super-popular and had her own Internet Club. (Coughgaycough.) This isn’t really resolved.
There’s also a sequence--just one scene, really--in Stacey’s second trip to New York in which Laine resurfaces and tries to act all buddy-buddy with Stacey, which Stacey finds disconcerting. She no longer feels close to Laine, who seems to have changed, becoming more, I don’t know, club kid? She wears a lot of eyeliner, but she also seems more bubbly and friendly than we’ve seen her before. Stacey dislikes this because she opposes human joy. This sequence serves basically as an overt parable about Maureen and Ed: just because the loving feelings are dead, it doesn’t mean you’re not kind of sad to see the person has moved on.
This is pretty much a nothing of a book with no plot or character development. Mallory’s Riverbend plotline has potential, and could have provided a really interesting Mallory book had the series not committed to sticking with the four leads, none of whom have anything interesting going on in their lives. Stacey’s love life got blasted apart and sewn up again, and she really has nothing to do in this book, where she basically just observes her mother living her own life. She’s more emotionally invested in her mother’s love life than any kid has a right to be, but that’s just the incidental vehicle of the story, not, in and of itself, a lesson, which perhaps it should be.
Lingering Questions: What is Stacey’s problem? I’m serious. What is “Stacey’s Problem”??
td1's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
sammah's review
3.0
And thus, like that, our last Stacey book. It wasn't bad, but a little bit boring. Stacey's Problem though wasn't ever really a problem? That part was a little confusing, but oh well!
Also Mallory is back and has discovered the internet haha. No stopping her now!
Also Mallory is back and has discovered the internet haha. No stopping her now!
ssshira's review
2.0
this is my first time reading this book.
in this book by ghostwriter [a:Suzanne Weyn|99836|Suzanne Weyn|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png], stacey’s dad announces that he is marrying his longtime girlfriend samantha (they’ve been dating since at least [b:Stacey's Lie|1383151|Stacey's Lie (The Baby-Sitters Club, #76)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1183143583l/1383151._SX50_.jpg|1373153]). stacey is happy to spend more time with samantha, who she discovers is a fashion photographer and former model. but she’s worried her mom, maureen, is being left in the lurch. stacey tries to get maureen into the video dating game, vetting men from a video dating service (fun detail: claudia got the videos without signing up for the service by pretending to be a college student researching video dating for a class). maureen also goes on a failed country club date with a buyer from work, and stacey feels guilty for having such a good time with samantha when she suspects her mom is struggling. she runs into laine cummings (her former bff - see [b:Stacey's Ex-Best Friend|596642|Stacey's Ex-Best Friend (The Baby-Sitters Club, #51)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1504985230l/596642._SX50_.jpg|1194763] for our most recent experience with her, not including flashbacks in [b:Stacey's Book|290515|Stacey's Book|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387716586l/290515._SX50_.jpg|281856] and [b:The Baby-Sitters Remember|2004357|The Baby-Sitters Remember (The Baby-Sitters Club Super Special, #11)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1216362102l/2004357._SX50_.jpg|2008257]) on the street and while she feels nostalgic for their former relationship, she realizes she doesn’t have anything in common with her anymore. she makes the obvious connection that this is how her mom feels about her dad. at the end, maureen tells stacey she plans to change her name back to her pre-married name, and she will quit her job to start a clothing store of her very own. she’ll sell some of claudia’s handmade jewelry and clothes, and mallory will help her make a website. cute! meanwhile, mal is back from riverbend (see [b:The All-New Mallory Pike|371089|The All-New Mallory Pike (The Baby-Sitters Club, #126)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388450781l/371089._SX50_.jpg|361056]) for the summer and is dismayed to see how much the pike home has changed without her. byron is the new oldest sibling, taking care of all of the younger sibs, so nobody relies on mal anymore. this is particularly upsetting because of how much she thrives at riverbend.
highlights:
-stacey goes to the world trade center. this book came out in 2000 so this is probably her last ever pre-911 visit there
-stacey’s outfits (see below) in this book are super late 90s delias catalog:
-claud asks stacey's mom for advice about alan, and she tells claudia it can work because anne bancroft married mel brooks. YES! it’s like jessica rabbit.
-the bsc get together to judge the video date men, and the scene is HILARIOUS. kristy is anti-bald guys even though her stepdad is bald. mal's pick out of the bunch is an out of work stamp collector. I shit you not.
-laine, on claudia: "I never liked her -- too much with the art and not too bright." I love how jew york "too much with the art" is. she’s such a future jewish mother.
-stacey tries to cheer her mom up by talking about a chimp who wears tuxedos and I'm thinking of robin who wants to see a chimp wearing two tuxedos
lowlights/nitpicks:
-stacey comments that she finds the fact that clams, when eaten, are still alive "nearly as disgusting as anchovies." really? eating a live animal is less gross than eating a dead animal?
-stacey gets a muffin somewhere and it's not described as being sugar-free or sweetened with fruit juice or anything. did they forget she has diabetes? regular muffins have sugar.
-okay later stacey says something about loving oyster bars and it's like...you know that oysters and clams are almost the same, right? oysters are also still alive when eaten.
-why are so many of the stacey narrated books called "Stacey's ____"? it's confusing and makes very little sense, because the names are mostly interchangeable. Stacey's Problem could be the title of [b:Stacey's Lie|1383151|Stacey's Lie (The Baby-Sitters Club, #76)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1183143583l/1383151._SX50_.jpg|1373153] or [b:Stacey's Emergency|794933|Stacey's Emergency (The Baby-Sitters Club, #43)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387735085l/794933._SX50_.jpg|251850] or [b:Stacey's Choice|794943|Stacey's Choice (The Baby-Sitters Club, #58)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1178423639l/794943._SX50_.jpg|780922] or [b:Stacey's Mistake|625280|Stacey's Mistake (The Baby-Sitters Club, #18)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1176427186l/625280._SX50_.jpg|545675] because it's so damn generic. stacey has a lot of problems, and I don't think this book is more about one of stacey's problems than any of her other books.
stacey outfits:
-"I slipped into the khakis, pulled on a short-sleeved ribbed tee with a wide stripe running across the top, and slid on my platform slides. I brushed my hair back off my face and held it in place with small butterfly clips."
-"I dressed quickly in khakis, sandals, and a short-sleeved sweater with bands of color that faded from dark to light green."
samantha outfit:
-"She stood on the wide front steps dressed in black pants, a bright white T-shirt, and dark sunglasses. Her hair was pulled back from her face with a red scarf."
no snacks in claudia’s room.
in this book by ghostwriter [a:Suzanne Weyn|99836|Suzanne Weyn|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png], stacey’s dad announces that he is marrying his longtime girlfriend samantha (they’ve been dating since at least [b:Stacey's Lie|1383151|Stacey's Lie (The Baby-Sitters Club, #76)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1183143583l/1383151._SX50_.jpg|1373153]). stacey is happy to spend more time with samantha, who she discovers is a fashion photographer and former model. but she’s worried her mom, maureen, is being left in the lurch. stacey tries to get maureen into the video dating game, vetting men from a video dating service (fun detail: claudia got the videos without signing up for the service by pretending to be a college student researching video dating for a class). maureen also goes on a failed country club date with a buyer from work, and stacey feels guilty for having such a good time with samantha when she suspects her mom is struggling. she runs into laine cummings (her former bff - see [b:Stacey's Ex-Best Friend|596642|Stacey's Ex-Best Friend (The Baby-Sitters Club, #51)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1504985230l/596642._SX50_.jpg|1194763] for our most recent experience with her, not including flashbacks in [b:Stacey's Book|290515|Stacey's Book|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387716586l/290515._SX50_.jpg|281856] and [b:The Baby-Sitters Remember|2004357|The Baby-Sitters Remember (The Baby-Sitters Club Super Special, #11)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1216362102l/2004357._SX50_.jpg|2008257]) on the street and while she feels nostalgic for their former relationship, she realizes she doesn’t have anything in common with her anymore. she makes the obvious connection that this is how her mom feels about her dad. at the end, maureen tells stacey she plans to change her name back to her pre-married name, and she will quit her job to start a clothing store of her very own. she’ll sell some of claudia’s handmade jewelry and clothes, and mallory will help her make a website. cute! meanwhile, mal is back from riverbend (see [b:The All-New Mallory Pike|371089|The All-New Mallory Pike (The Baby-Sitters Club, #126)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388450781l/371089._SX50_.jpg|361056]) for the summer and is dismayed to see how much the pike home has changed without her. byron is the new oldest sibling, taking care of all of the younger sibs, so nobody relies on mal anymore. this is particularly upsetting because of how much she thrives at riverbend.
highlights:
-stacey goes to the world trade center. this book came out in 2000 so this is probably her last ever pre-911 visit there
-stacey’s outfits (see below) in this book are super late 90s delias catalog:
-claud asks stacey's mom for advice about alan, and she tells claudia it can work because anne bancroft married mel brooks. YES! it’s like jessica rabbit.
-the bsc get together to judge the video date men, and the scene is HILARIOUS. kristy is anti-bald guys even though her stepdad is bald. mal's pick out of the bunch is an out of work stamp collector. I shit you not.
-laine, on claudia: "I never liked her -- too much with the art and not too bright." I love how jew york "too much with the art" is. she’s such a future jewish mother.
-stacey tries to cheer her mom up by talking about a chimp who wears tuxedos and I'm thinking of robin who wants to see a chimp wearing two tuxedos
lowlights/nitpicks:
-stacey comments that she finds the fact that clams, when eaten, are still alive "nearly as disgusting as anchovies." really? eating a live animal is less gross than eating a dead animal?
-stacey gets a muffin somewhere and it's not described as being sugar-free or sweetened with fruit juice or anything. did they forget she has diabetes? regular muffins have sugar.
-okay later stacey says something about loving oyster bars and it's like...you know that oysters and clams are almost the same, right? oysters are also still alive when eaten.
-why are so many of the stacey narrated books called "Stacey's ____"? it's confusing and makes very little sense, because the names are mostly interchangeable. Stacey's Problem could be the title of [b:Stacey's Lie|1383151|Stacey's Lie (The Baby-Sitters Club, #76)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1183143583l/1383151._SX50_.jpg|1373153] or [b:Stacey's Emergency|794933|Stacey's Emergency (The Baby-Sitters Club, #43)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387735085l/794933._SX50_.jpg|251850] or [b:Stacey's Choice|794943|Stacey's Choice (The Baby-Sitters Club, #58)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1178423639l/794943._SX50_.jpg|780922] or [b:Stacey's Mistake|625280|Stacey's Mistake (The Baby-Sitters Club, #18)|Ann M. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1176427186l/625280._SX50_.jpg|545675] because it's so damn generic. stacey has a lot of problems, and I don't think this book is more about one of stacey's problems than any of her other books.
stacey outfits:
-"I slipped into the khakis, pulled on a short-sleeved ribbed tee with a wide stripe running across the top, and slid on my platform slides. I brushed my hair back off my face and held it in place with small butterfly clips."
-"I dressed quickly in khakis, sandals, and a short-sleeved sweater with bands of color that faded from dark to light green."
samantha outfit:
-"She stood on the wide front steps dressed in black pants, a bright white T-shirt, and dark sunglasses. Her hair was pulled back from her face with a red scarf."
no snacks in claudia’s room.
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