Note: The Lipstick Laws is released on April 4th 2011. Big thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
Summary: At Penford High School, Britney Taylor is the queen bee. She dates whomever she likes, rules over her inner circle of friends like Genghis Khan, and can ruin anyone's life with a snap of perfectly manicured fingers. Just ask the unfortunate few who have crossed her. For April Bowers, Britney is also the answer to her prayers. April is so unpopular, kids don't even know she exists. But one lunch spent at Britney's table, and April is basking in the glow of popularity. But Britney's friendship comes with a high price tag. How much is April willing to pay?
Review: While reading The Lipstick Laws I couldn’t help thinking it would have been the perfect book for me at age 14. However, being almost 18 now, there was a little bit of a lack of a connection between the characters and I that prevented me from loving this book as much as I thought I would.
The characters in The Lipstick Laws were a big part of what saved the novel for me. The plot itself is quite cliched, but add in these wonderful characters and the result is quite surprising. April was a great protagonist, frequently coming out with witty observations - I laughed out loud numerous times, something I don’t normally do. The supporting characters were great too, all realistic and flawed - although sometimes the flaws were a little too obviously told, instead of subtly shown to the reader. Even Britney had some redeeming qualities and even though she was horrible, it was easy to understand why and feel empathy for her.
One thing that I noticed was that the story line seemed to be very derivative of Mean Girls but just toned down for a younger audience. Maybe it was because I had just watched the film before I read the book, but I found more than one similarity - the revenge aspect being a biggie. It wasn’t a huge deal, because there were enough differences to make it its own story, but for me it was just that wee bit too similar.
Overall though, The Lipstick Laws was a quick, enjoyable book. Although it wasn’t quite the right fit for me, I know there will be countless other readers who will enjoy it. I would recommend it most for 13-15 year olds.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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I felt the same way, this book is definitely for younger young adult and has a mean girl feel. Great review :)
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