csib is the first book ive read in a long time that i wasnt able to put down. i cried so hard. we are so fuckign back

the ending is unexpected but i see why it ended that way and i feel alright about it

i read malibu rising a while ago and felt pretty meh about it. i really couldnt bring myself to care about the riva family that much considering they were all rich and famous young people living in malibu, despite their very real struggles. carrie appears very briefly in malibu rising, but only in one chapter, where the reader gets a "curt bitch" sort of vibe from her and nothing further. she's soooo awesome in csib. less whiny but just as dramatic as nina riva, carrie soto gets straight to the point and looks straight ahead rather than solemnly back at her past. 

csib has a satisfying character arc for carrie, a batman v joker sort of rivalry to the end, a romance subplot, frequent tense tennis match scenes, and even a lesbian character (as tjr must include at least one in all of her novels otherwise she will explode. im not complaining, im a lesbian myself). it has other stuff too but i  cant mention it here since they're spoilers. this has everything and i ate it up i loved this thing