Epic Fail

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Overview

Will Elise's love life be an epic win or an epic fail?

At Coral Tree Prep in Los Angeles, who your parents are can make or break you. Case in point:

As the son of Hollywood royalty, Derek Edwards is pretty much prince of the school—not that he deigns to acknowledge many of his loyal subjects.

As the daughter of the new principal, Elise Benton isn't exactly on everyone's must-sit-next-to-at-lunch list.

When Elise's beautiful sister catches the eye of the prince's best friend, Elise gets to spend a lot of time with Derek, making her the envy of every girl on campus. Except she refuses to fall for any of his rare smiles and instead warms up to his enemy, the surprisingly charming social outcast Webster Grant. But in this hilarious tale of fitting in and flirting, not all snubs are undeserved, not all celebrity brats are bratty, and pride and prejudice can get in the way of true love for only so long.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
In this latest contemporary update of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, the four Benton sisters are uprooted from their life in Massachusetts to sunny Los Angeles, where everyone they meet at Coral Tree Prep has rich and famous parents. The oldest girls, high school junior and senior Elise and Juliana, are appropriately spunky and sweet-natured stand-ins for Elizabeth and Jane, appearing along with the rest of Austen's cast in adult author LaZebnik's (If You Lived Here, You'd Be Home by Now) YA debut. Darcy becomes Derek, the handsome but prickly son of Brangelina-level celebrities; Wickam is Webster, who charms his way into the middle of Elise and Derek's budding romance; and Bingley becomes Chase, who is immediately taken with Juliana and destined to end up with her, too. LaZebnik's story has the feel of a summery teen rom-com, and although the author's adherence to Austen's original narrative makes her contemporary twists (misunderstandings via text messages instead of letters, for example) less twisty, Elise's first-person narration has ample wit. For Austen devotees, this adaptation will be reassuringly familiar and charming enough. Ages 12–up. (Aug.)
Children's Literature
Elise Benton and her sisters are new students at Coral Tree, a Los Angeles prep school where her mom has taken a job as the new principal. Happily clad in a t-shirt and sneakers, Elise is not exactly a shoe-in for the well-heeled Coral Tree in-crowd, but when her sister Juliana hits it off with Chase, Elise is thrown into the company of Derek, Chase's best friend and Coral Tree's most famous celebrity offspring. Will Elise fall for the handsome but aloof high school hero? Or will she favor the friendship of Derek's sworn enemy, the witty charmer Webster Grant? Will Layla, Elise's impressionable, party-loving younger sister, be able to steer her way through the dangers of this complicated social scene? And will Elise's mom ever stop embarrassing her? In this modern re-telling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (not the first and certainly not the last homage), the author has successfully reimagined the story, moving it from "classic English lit" to twenty-first century "chick lit" for teens. Fans of the original will enjoy playing "who's who" (Elise/Elizabeth, Juliana/Jane, Chase/Bingley) and seeing how plot lines carry over to the unique setting (e.g. a movie premieres versus a fancy ball). Teens not acquainted with Austen's version will simply take pleasure in an appealing well-told story of a budding high school romance with a smart and feisty heroine who learns important lessons about jumping to conclusions and passing judgment based on first impressions. Who knows; captivated readers may even be inspired to pick up the original. Reviewer: Anne Hevener
School Library Journal
Gr 7 Up—Elise Benton is not starting her junior year off on the right foot. On her first day at elite Coral Tree Prep in Los Angeles, she walks right into one of the most popular girls at school. From there, things seem to spiral downward: she's told that she isn't wearing the right clothes; her mother is the much-disliked principal; and the son of town royalty, Derek Edwards, catches her staring at him, much to his chagrin. As if that weren't humiliating enough, she soon learns that her sister is dating Derek's best friend, which forces Elise and Derek to be together frequently—and unwillingly. Elise makes it her mission to resist his occasional charms and instead fall for Derek's enemy, Webster Grant. But first impressions can be deceiving, and people aren't always as they seem. LaZebnik takes her inspiration for this novel from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Teen girls will identify with Elise, who is likable enough, but with a sharp tongue to match her Regency counterpart, Elizabeth Bennet. The many near-miss romantic moments between Elise and Derek create excitement and help further the plot. The themes are universal and interesting enough to grab even reluctant readers. Epic Fail is a fun, romantic read.—Kimberly Castle-Alberts, Stark County District Library, Canton, OH

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780061921261
  • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
  • Publication date: 8/2/2011
  • Pages: 304
  • Sales rank: 48,854
  • Age range: 13 years
  • Lexile: 710L (what's this?)
  • Product dimensions: 5.35 (w) x 8.05 (h) x 0.74 (d)

Meet the Author

Claire LaZebnik lives in Los Angeles with her TV-writer husband and four children. She is the author of the novels If You Lived Here, You'd Be Home Now; The Smart One and the Pretty One; Knitting Under the Influence; and Same As It Never Was. She is also the co-author of Overcoming Autism and Growing Up on the Spectrum.

Read an Excerpt

Epic Fail


By Claire LaZebnik

HarperTeen

Copyright © 2011 Claire LaZebnik
All right reserved.

ISBN: 9780061921261


Chapter One

The front office wasn't as crazy as you'd expect on
the first day of school, which seemed to confirm
Coral Tree Prep's reputation as "a well oiled machine."
That was a direct quote from the Private School
Confidential website I had stumbled across when I first
Googled Coral Tree—right after my parents told me
and my three sisters we'd be transferring there in the
fall. Since it was on the other side of the country from
where we'd been living—from where I'd lived my entire
life—I couldn't exactly check it myself, and I was
desperate for more information.
A well-oiled machine didn't sound too bad. But I
was less thrilled to read that Coral Tree was "basically
a country club masquerading as a school." The same
anonymous writer added, "I've yet to see a student
drive a car onto campus that's not a Porsche or a BMW.
And even an AP math student would lose count of the
Louboutins on the girls here." Yuck.
But while I was clicking around that site, I learned
about another private school in L.A. that had a
"condom tree"—kids allegedly tossed their used condoms
up into its branches—so I guess my parents could have
done worse than, you know, Coral Tree.
True to the school's reputation, the administrator
in the office was brisk and efficient and had quickly
printed up and handed me and Juliana each a class list
and a map of the school.
"You okay?" I asked Juliana, as she stared at the map
like it was written in some foreign language. She started
and looked up at me, slightly panicked. Juliana's a year
older than me, but she sometimes seems younger,
mostly because she's the opposite of cynical and I'm the
opposite of the opposite of cynical.
Because we're so close in age, people frequently ask
if the two of us are twins. It's lucky for me we're not,
because if we were, Juliana would be The Pretty One.
She and I do look a lot alike, but there are infinitesimal
differences—her eyes are just a touch wider apart,
her hair a bit silkier, her lips fuller—and all these little
changes add up to her being truly beautiful and my
being reasonably cute. On a good day. When the light
hits me right.
I put my head closer to hers and lowered my voice.
"Did you see the girls in the hallway? How much
makeup they're all wearing? And their hair is perfect,
like they spent hours on it. How is that possible?" Mine
was in a ponytail. It wasn't even all that clean because
our fourteen-year-old sister, Layla, had hogged the bathroom
that morning and I'd barely had time to brush my
teeth, let alone take a shower.
"It'll all be fine," Juliana said faintly.
"Yeah," I said, with no more conviction. "Anyway,
I'd better run. My first class is on the other side of the
building." I squinted at the map. "I think."
She squeezed my arm. "Good luck."
"Find me at lunch, okay? I'll be the one sitting by
herself."
"You'll make friends, Elise," she said. "I know you
will."
"Just find me." I took a deep breath and plunged
out of the office and into the hallway—and instantly hit
someone with the door. "Sorry!" I said, cringing.
The girl I'd hit turned, rubbing her hip. She wore an
incredibly short miniskirt, tight black boots that came
up almost to her knees, and a spaghetti-strap tank top.
It was an outfit more suited for a nightclub than a day
of classes, but I had to admit she had the right body
for it. Her blond hair was beautifully cut, highlighted,
and styled, and the makeup she wore really played up
her pretty blue eyes and perfect little nose. Which was
scrunched up now in disdain as she surveyed me and
bleated out a loud and annoyed "FAIL!"
The girl standing with her said, "Oh my God, are
you okay?" in pretty much the tone you'd use if
someone you cared about had just been hit by a speeding
pickup truck right in front of you.
It hadn't been that hard a bump, but I held my hands
up apologetically. "Epic fail. I know. Sorry."
The girl I'd hit raised an eyebrow. "At least you're
honest."
"At least," I agreed. "Hey, do you happen to know
where room twenty-three is? I have English there in,
like, two minutes and I don't know my way around. I'm
new here."
The other girl said, "I'm in that class, too." Her hair
was brown instead of blond and her eyes hazel instead of
blue, but the two girls' long, choppy manes and skinny
bodies had been cast from the same basic mold. She was
wearing a narrow, silky turquoise tank top over snug
boot-cut jeans and a bunch of multicolored bangles on
her slender wrist. "You can follow me. See you later,
Chels."
"Yeah,wait, hold on a sec." Chels, or whatever her name was—pulled her friend toward her and whispered something in her ear. Her friend's eyes darted
toward me briefly, but long enough to make me glance
down at my old straight leg jeans and my THIS IS
WHAT A FEMINIST LOOKS LIKE T-shirt and feel like I
shouldn't have worn either.
The two girls giggled and broke apart.
"I know, right?" the friend said. "See you," she said
to Chels and immediately headed down the hallway,
calling brusquely over her shoulder, "Hurry up. It's on
the other side of the building and you don't want to be
late for Ms. Phillips's class."
"She scary?" I asked, scuttling to keep up.
"She just gets off on handing out EMDs."
"EMDs?" I repeated.
"Early morning detentions. You have to come in at,
like, seven in the morning and help clean up and stuff
like that. Sucks. Most of the teachers here are pretty
mellow if you're a couple of minutes late, but not Phillips.
She's got major control issues."
"What's your name?" I asked, dodging a group of
girls in cheerleader outfits.
"Gifford." Really? Gifford? "And that was Chelsea
you hit with the door. You really should be more
careful."
Too late for that advice—in my efforts to avoid bumping
into a cheerleader, I had just whammed my shoulder
on the edge of a locker. I yelped in pain. Gifford rolled
her eyes and kept moving.
I caught up again. "I'm Elise," I said, even though
she hadn't asked. "You guys in eleventh grade, too?"
"Yeah. So you're new, huh? Where're you from?"
"Amherst, Mass."
She actually showed some interest. "That near
Harvard?"
"No. But Amherst College is there. And UMass."
She dismissed that with an uninterested wave. "You
get snow there?"
"It's Massachusetts," I said. "Of course we do. Did."
"So do you ski?"
"Not much." My parents didn't, and the one time
they tried to take us it was so expensive that they never
repeated the experiment.
"We go to Park City every Christmas break,"
Gifford said. "But this year my mother thought maybe
we should try Vail. Or maybe Austria. Just for a change,
you know?"
I didn't know. But I nodded like I did.
"You see the same people at Park City every year,"
she said. "I get sick of it. It's like Maui at Christmas,
you know?"
I wished she'd stop saying "You know?"
Fortunately, we had reached room 23. "In here,"
said Gifford. She opened the door and went in,
successfully communicating that her mentoring ended
at the room's threshold.

Over the course of the next four hours, I discovered
that:
1. Classes at Coral Tree Prep were really small.
When we got to English, I was worried that half
the class would get EMDs or whatever they were
called because there were fewer than a dozen kids
in the room. But when Ms. Phillips came in, she
said, "Good—everyone's here, let's get started,"
and I realized that was the class.
2. The campus grounds were unbelievably green and
seemed to stretch on for acres. I kept gazing out
the window, wishing I could escape and go rolling
down the grassy hills that lined the fields.
3. Teachers at Coral Tree Prep didn't like you to
stare out the window and would tell you so in
front of the entire class who would then all turn
and stare at The New Girl Who Wasn't Paying
Attention.
4. Everyone at Coral Tree Prep was good looking.
Really. Everyone. I didn't see a single fat or ugly
kid all morning. Maybe they just locked them up
at registration and didn't let them out again until
graduation.

(Continues...)



Excerpted from Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik Copyright © 2011 by Claire LaZebnik. Excerpted by permission of HarperTeen. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 80 )

Rating Distribution

5 Star

(41)

4 Star

(22)

3 Star

(11)

2 Star

(2)

1 Star

(4)

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 82 Customer Reviews
  • Anonymous

    Posted January 7, 2012

    Hilarious, lol

    I read this book in two days, it would of been less if I wasn't so busy. It was hilarious. I actually laughed in class out loud and publicly embarrassed my self, but it was totally worth it. It was cute and really quick and light. Perfect for anytime of the day, and admittedly night. Teen girls, unless you're a guy who wants to know how girls think? I'm going to read all her books, and keep loling in class.

    8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Anonymous

    Posted January 15, 2012

    Must read!

    This book was a very well done modern retake on Pride & Prejudice. I knew exactly how it would end but I could not for the life of me put this book down. It was so cute and absolutely hilarious. Elise, the main character, is very witty and embodies all that is Elizabeth Bennet in the original tale by Jane Austen. Derek is an amazing Mr. Darcy, which is not easy to say because I absolutely adore the actual Mr. Darcy. You know a book is good when you can feel exactly what the characters are feeling and you can make connections with them through that, and this book kept me on my toes the whole time. I literally felt nervous, sad, and angry during different situations in the book. This book is a very good and easy read. I highly recommend it. And if your looking for another good modern remake of Pride & Prejudice I would recommend you read Prom & Prejudice. Do not be deterred by the pink cover or by the title. I myself held off on reading it because it looked so girly and cheesy, but when I had nothing else to read I ended up checking it out and loving it.

    3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Anonymous

    Posted March 24, 2012

    Soooooooo good!

    This book was so funny! I was laughing aloud in every chapter! The characters were so life-like and unique and the plot had some VERY interesting twists! I recommend it to anyone who likes comedy romance!!!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 17, 2012

    Hahaha!

    This is a good bookk! I read it in less than 5 hrs. I laughed out loud A LOT and humiluated myself. Its just one of those quick, cute, aww books. It actually made me think of better ways to treat my brothers....HA! JK. But seriously it was a good book:)

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted March 3, 2012

    My Summary: Elise is starting a new school for her junior year

    My Summary:

    Elise is starting a new school for her junior year in a new city with her older sister Julianna, a senior. Too bad her mom is the new principal. The exclusive prep school isn't really what she's used to and making friends is proving to be a challenge. Not for Julianna though. She's caught the eye of the adorable Chase, the best friend of Derek, prince of the school. Thrown together with Derek, Elise isn't sure she wants to be his friend. What is his story? Then she finds Webster Grant, a funny attractive guy that is hated by Derek. Maybe Elise is better suited for Webster. But first impressions are sometimes wrong and there is almost always more to the story than anyone wants to admit. The pride and the prejudice that fills the cliques of a high school always get in the way of true love.

    My Thoughts:

    3 1/2 stars - a great read

    So I've been on another paranormal reading binge and I really needed a break. I love just standing at my bookshelf looking at the books I haven't read and choosing whatever I want to read. Last Sunday, I did just that. I picked up several books, mostly stand alone contemporary romance. I consulted friends on twitter but I finally settled on this one. I sat down to read and five hours later, I finished the book.

    It was so nice to be so enthralled with a book that I just kept turning the pages. There were no supernatural creatures to keep track of or paranormal worlds to figure out. No, it was a high school love story. I devoured it.

    I liked the characters. Derek was this brooding gorgeous guy whose parents were famous movie stars. He didn't like people wanting to be around him because of his parents. But after you cut through his protective walls, he is this great guy with a fun sense of humor. His strong dislike of Webster is intriguing. I figured it out pretty quickly but that doesn't take away from the story. Elise is a strong responsible junior whose is trying to balance family and friends. She falls for some of the prejudice traps but when she discoverers her mistakes, she's quick to forgive and forget. Both characters are great fun people that I enjoyed reading about.

    The story is strong and has some parallel to the original Jane Auston novel. I will never get tired of reading stories based on that classic. I did find a few inconsistencies and a couple of plot points that I felt should have been resolved but I just needed to read a fun book like this so I didn't care.

    If you're looking for a quick romantic read that doesn't take any real thought on your part, then check this one out. It's a great read.

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted May 15, 2012

    In the beginning I was a little weary. As a huge fan of Jane Aus

    In the beginning I was a little weary. As a huge fan of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice I figured that this book could either be totally suckish or totally awesome. I’m glad to say it was the latter of the two. Epic Fail was a cute book. The first couple pages sucked me in with their charismatic characters and charming dialogue. Claire LaZebnik has a fantastic writing style. All of the characters are described and portrayed perfectly. The style isn’t as heavily detailed as the original Pride and Prejudice, but nonetheless it’s enjoyable. I’d call Epic Fail the perfect beach book, or even a sitting-in-the-gazebo read, with a glass of ice tea by your side, you’re all set for an enjoyable couple hours.

    Now here’s the part where I talk about why this book got 3 vs. 5 stars from me. Everything I’ve said so far makes it sounds like the perfect read, you’ve got great characters, witty dialogue, and a fast-paced plot that keeps you interested. However, what this story lacked was “surprise”. I get that it’s a modern-take on Pride and Prejudice with familiar plots and elements, but from the beginning I basically knew which character to suspect and how the finale would play out. Some say there are few similarities between Pride and Prejudice and Epic Fail, however I’d say there is big honky and blatant ones. Basically Epic Fail IS Pride and Prejudice except the story and characters have jumped from the 19th to the 21st century. Elizabeth Bennet Elise Benton comes from a family containing a wacky mom, a no-nonsense dad, and three sisters. One sister, the oldest is reserved and two others are younger than Elise, one of them being easily influenced and slightly out of control. Out of all her family members, Elise is not easily swayed, with her witty-comebacks and stubborn nature she’s basically Elizabeth Bennet reincarnated. Then you have Mr. Darcy Derek Edwards, the standoffish, angst-y, and doubly-stubborn son of a famous actress-mother. Basically all the original characters from Pride and Prejudice are here playing their usual and recognizable roles.

    Don’t get me wrong, I loved Epic Fail. I really did. All through the book I was hooked, the characters were appealing and likable and the plot was fun and interesting. However, about 3/4 through the book I realized what I had originally feared was coming to fruition. The good guys in P&P triumphed in the same way and the bad guy likewise, lost. I realize that retellings are big these days, old stories, fairy-tales, etc. however I think they should be achieved in a certain way. I feel like if you’re going to put a new-spin on a well-known and well-loved tale you should really add some new aspects to it. I know there’s the saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” but who wants to spend time and money reading something that you basically already read and possibly own. Overall, I do recommend Epic Fail. Even though it left me slightly disappointed it was a fun read nonetheless.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 6, 2012

    Fun read-perfect for summer!

    I really enjoyed the various personalities in the book. I would liked to have seen the parents, especially the dad, have a stronger role. I liked the relationship between the sisters and the boys.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 5, 2012

    A descent re-telling of a Jane Austen classic. Elise's characte

    A descent re-telling of a Jane Austen classic. Elise's character was laugh out loud funny. So quirky, I loved her personality. I love Pride & Predjudice so I was willing to give this book a try. I found I couldn't fall in love with Derek. His character wasn't written well enough for me to see why Elise would truly like him. Overall, pretty fast read and maybe worth a try for you.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 29, 2012

    ITS GOING TO BE A EPIC FAIL

    EPIC FAIL

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  • Posted April 16, 2012

    O.K..... so I thought that this book was going to be a total pei

    O.K..... so I thought that this book was going to be a total peice of trash with it's really cliche love triangle plot, but it's not like that... It's not really even a love triangle, give this book a try, the characters are endearing and it has some surprising twists in store

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 12, 2012

    Ugh.

    Gag me with a Topekan spoon this was horrible. Totally stereotypical and VERY predictable. >:P

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 19, 2012

    Cute!!!

    If Pride and Prejudice and 90210 had a baby this woukd be it haha.very cute and fast read i finished it in four hours. I would reccomend this book to anyone looking for an easy fun book that will pretty much have no effect on your life what so ever its one of those books that you really dont have to think about. So give it a xhance im sure you wont regret it

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 5, 2012

    My Kryptonite, I Must Say.

    Well for the most part I found my weekend read short and funny. It was easy going; easy to read compared to my attempt of Moby Dick. It reminded me of Jane Austin's "Pride and Predjudice". Elise as the lovely and witty yet challenging and self depricating Elizabeth and Derek as the handsome yet moody Mr. Darcy. Even though the end was a bit predictable, I found this novel a good read. Teenage girl reality fiction love stories about high school romance is my kryptonite (gah!!!).

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  • Posted February 20, 2012

    Fans of Austen Spin-off's - This One's for You!

    I'm certainly nothing of a literary genious, but I do appreciate a well written story. I really enjoyed reading this. It's a fun, contemporary take on Pride & Prejudice, and is different enough to have earned me as a fan. It was nice to read a story with plenty of tense butter-flies-in-your-tummy romantic moments without a supernatural element or almost certain peril over hanging the heroine. I liked it so much that I stayed up late into the night so I could finish it.

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  • Posted February 6, 2012

    more from this reviewer

    Epic Retelling!!!

    I love a good retelling! Jane Austen and her wonderful works have been near and dear to me since forever. But Pride and Prejudice has always held a special place in my heart. There is no part that I don't love. And I can prove it too. I chose to write my senior college thesis around Pride and Prejudice and if I could spend that much time analyzing, researching, and basically driving myself crazy over every small detail of the work and still come out on the other end with affection...well I think that proves my utter never ending devotion.

    Some devoted fans of Austen think the original Pride and Prejudice is a classic and should be left alone, but personally I just like the chance to revisit with my favorite characters, no matter how they've been spun and tweaked. LaZebnik has produced the latest retelling in this adorable package. Say hello to Hollywood, celebrities, fame and fortune and our favorite characters intertwined into the mix.

    It was fresh and fun to see "Darcy" a.k.a. Derek as the son of a power celebrity couple and "Elizabeth" a.k.a. Elise as the latest transfer student at the elite and ubber rich kid high school where he and his friends attend. Her family is still exhausting and Derek is of course the guy every girl would like to date. It's cute and funny and I couldn't put it down. This was my first experience with LaZebnik and now I'm adding her other titles to my TBR pile. If all her books are as fast paced and equally entertaining as Epic Fail, I'll be on cloud nine and a lifetime fan for sure.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 28, 2012

    Epic win!!!!!!!!!!

    One of the best books ever

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  • Posted January 26, 2012

    Very Good!

    I liked this book very much. It was an interesting romantic story with likeable and humorous characters.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 13, 2012

    The bet book ever!!

    I thought the book was always very interesting so it didnt want u to stop reading. I would like it if she wrote another book/sequial

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 7, 2012

    Fun Jane Austen remake

    Liked the modern version of Pride and Prejudice. was not sure liked the way characters were written. Some a little flat in well rounded personalities. Some very amusing times. Good read overall.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 4, 2012

    Absolutely AMAZING!!!!!

    This book is full of the ups and downs of being a new girl in a private school......full...of celeb kids. The author does an amazing job of captivating you and pulling you into the budding romance of the new principal's second oldest of 4 daughters, it's a truly amazing book, if you love books full of romance, drama, and exciting new twists to the plot, you will love this book as much as i do! ENJOY!8

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