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reggid13's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I truly enjoy GG. It's one of my favorite dramas to watch hence why I'm finally taking advantage to read the books. But this one (and I read it right after finishing the first book) wasn't very exciting. Everything discussed in 400 pages was pretty well summed up in the first book already. I thought there might be more secrets brought up or background to the characters, sadly there was not. Even so, my journey in the GG series will continue on.
elenasmaragd's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
meredithmc's review
4.0
the gossip girl books are my guilty pleasure. i thought this prequel was a nice finish to the series but i actually went "really? that's why she left?" when i found out why serena left manhattan to go to boarding school.
chrissymcbooknerd's review
3.0
So, I must start by admitting that I actually did *not* read the Gossip Girl series before reading the prequel -- but, I did watch Season 1 of the show. And, while I'm admitting things here, I actually *did* really, really enjoy the TV show -- embarassingly so -- and I can't deny that my obsession with streaming GOSSIP GIRL on Netflix was part of the reason I pretty much stopped reading at the end of this past year. Oops.
Given that I've only seen the television show, and haven't read a single GG book before the prequel, my mental images were specifically of Blake Lively and Leighton Meester -- not necessarily of Serena and Blair as they're written. As such, I'm not sure if book 1 of this series differs tremendously from the first few episodes of the TV show -- because most of the "secrets" and "surprises" seemed to be things that were either blatantly stated in the television show, or they were at least heavily alluded to in such a way that nothing was really unpredictable or exciting here. And, it's not all necessarily the same as the show either, of course. Like, the Blake/Leighton drama over Nate was much more exciting on television than this lovey-dovey Serena/Blair dispute in the book. I somehow assumed Dan and Vanessa had known each other *much* longer than this prequel suggested. And, I knew Jenny was a bimbo -- but not THIS much of one, I guess. Oh, and Blair definitely pulls off the bitch factor better on television, for sure.
I kept forgetting these kids were, like, fifteen years old in the prequel. I found myself just pretending they were older. The writing style was a bit clumsy and awkward because, well, sentences just don't flow as well if they're specifically constructed more around the quantity of name-dropping than the quality of the storyline, I think.
I'm reading the first official GOSSIP GIRL novel next, and I'm hoping that things get a bit more interesting from here. Honestly, I don't think I would have continued to trudge through these 400+ pages if I hadn't loved the show so much -- and, I do still think the show is better. But, I'm all for a nice, frivolous, air-headed read, so I'm not ready to give up quite yet...
Given that I've only seen the television show, and haven't read a single GG book before the prequel, my mental images were specifically of Blake Lively and Leighton Meester -- not necessarily of Serena and Blair as they're written. As such, I'm not sure if book 1 of this series differs tremendously from the first few episodes of the TV show -- because most of the "secrets" and "surprises" seemed to be things that were either blatantly stated in the television show, or they were at least heavily alluded to in such a way that nothing was really unpredictable or exciting here. And, it's not all necessarily the same as the show either, of course. Like, the Blake/Leighton drama over Nate was much more exciting on television than this lovey-dovey Serena/Blair dispute in the book. I somehow assumed Dan and Vanessa had known each other *much* longer than this prequel suggested. And, I knew Jenny was a bimbo -- but not THIS much of one, I guess. Oh, and Blair definitely pulls off the bitch factor better on television, for sure.
I kept forgetting these kids were, like, fifteen years old in the prequel. I found myself just pretending they were older. The writing style was a bit clumsy and awkward because, well, sentences just don't flow as well if they're specifically constructed more around the quantity of name-dropping than the quality of the storyline, I think.
I'm reading the first official GOSSIP GIRL novel next, and I'm hoping that things get a bit more interesting from here. Honestly, I don't think I would have continued to trudge through these 400+ pages if I hadn't loved the show so much -- and, I do still think the show is better. But, I'm all for a nice, frivolous, air-headed read, so I'm not ready to give up quite yet...
jayse's review
3.0
Background: I’ve NEVER seen Gossip Girl. The local goodwill had half the series when I was in high school and I bought them on whim thinking I would read them and watch the series. Time got away from me. The pandemic arrived and there was no time like the present to read a trashy, gossipy, bitchy teen-drama and reminisce on my high school years. It’s been a wild ride, and I still have the holiday special, the Carlyle spin-offs, and the IT GIRL spin offs. But I say all of this to say, I really like Serena. I root for her. She’s pretty and spoiled but she has so much heart. Pretty privilege is a thing yes! But we often forget that sometimes behind gleaming eyes and perfect smiles is a human who at the end of the day wants to be truly seen and loved just like the rest of us. I’m curious to see if I’ll like her as much in the CW series as I do in the books.
Until then. . .
You know you love,
xJayse
Until then. . .
You know you love,
xJayse
courtneys_reading's review against another edition
3.0
Full Review with spoilers here
The origin story of how everyone came to be who we all know and love.
It was a cute read but I gotta say I wasn't expecting all these things to happen, seemingly in one go. It felt too fast for me, I would prefer a more gradual pace. This one actually has the longest timeline of any of the books and I think that's what threw me off.
Still, we are so close to the end and I'm looking forward to moving on from the series, we've been here a while and the last few books haven't been great so I'm hoping we can end on a high note with the last one. Let's see how it goes.
The origin story of how everyone came to be who we all know and love.
It was a cute read but I gotta say I wasn't expecting all these things to happen, seemingly in one go. It felt too fast for me, I would prefer a more gradual pace. This one actually has the longest timeline of any of the books and I think that's what threw me off.
Still, we are so close to the end and I'm looking forward to moving on from the series, we've been here a while and the last few books haven't been great so I'm hoping we can end on a high note with the last one. Let's see how it goes.