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A review by madisbookshelf
Gossip Girl by Cecily Von Ziegesar
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
As someone who grew up with a teen sister in the early 2000s, I heard about gossip girl often. Now that I'm nearing the end of my teenage years, I figured it would be a better time than ever to see what the hype was about. After completing the first book in a few hours, I can definitely say that the hype is well deserved.
In "Gossip Girl" by Cecily von Ziegesar, we follow wealthy New York teens Blair, Serena, Chuck, Nate, and their friends through their senior year of high school. Through the story, we are given a peak into the lives and rebellious escapades of these high-society teens while their actions are being critiqued and publicized on a gossip blog by an anonymous peer.
First off, I absolutely LOVE Serena. Reading the mass about of Serena slander in this book was quite hard for me and I really hated it lol. Her character development throughout the story was great and in my opinion, she was the only main character in the story (besides Jenny and Dan) that actually had any character development at all. At the beginning of the book when we are introduced to Serena, a certain picture of her is very obviously being put into our mind by Blair, her minions, and the narrator. However as the story goes on, Serena proves those misconceptions false time and time again while still remaining true to herself and her morals. In the next books, I truly hope she continues to get closer with Jenny, Vanessa, and Dan because frankly, they are all SO much better than Blair, Nate, and the rest of the preppy douches.
I'm only giving this book 4/4.5 stars because of gross ass Chuck Bass and the prevalent pick-me energy in basically every female character. There isn't one female character in this story that doesn't hate Serena for simply existing except for Jenny and that's really dishearting because I would have appreciated seeing Serena be supported by at least one strong female character in this story.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and will be picking up the second book in the series right after posting this review!
In "Gossip Girl" by Cecily von Ziegesar, we follow wealthy New York teens Blair, Serena, Chuck, Nate, and their friends through their senior year of high school. Through the story, we are given a peak into the lives and rebellious escapades of these high-society teens while their actions are being critiqued and publicized on a gossip blog by an anonymous peer.
First off, I absolutely LOVE Serena. Reading the mass about of Serena slander in this book was quite hard for me and I really hated it lol. Her character development throughout the story was great and in my opinion, she was the only main character in the story (besides Jenny and Dan) that actually had any character development at all. At the beginning of the book when we are introduced to Serena, a certain picture of her is very obviously being put into our mind by Blair, her minions, and the narrator. However as the story goes on, Serena proves those misconceptions false time and time again while still remaining true to herself and her morals. In the next books, I truly hope she continues to get closer with Jenny, Vanessa, and Dan because frankly, they are all SO much better than Blair, Nate, and the rest of the preppy douches.
I'm only giving this book 4/4.5 stars because of gross ass Chuck Bass and the prevalent pick-me energy in basically every female character. There isn't one female character in this story that doesn't hate Serena for simply existing except for Jenny and that's really dishearting because I would have appreciated seeing Serena be supported by at least one strong female character in this story.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and will be picking up the second book in the series right after posting this review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Eating disorder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Drug use, and Sexual assault