Alicia

Even though ALICIA is the third book in THE CLIQUE SUMMER COLLECTION, I am yet to be bored by the series! Alicia is the character of the Clique who can stand out in a crowd. She goes to spend her summer without her parents in Spain, and she and Nina (who came to OCD in the series and caused a lot of havoc) create a lot of trouble. Alicia finds herself with a job she does not want, to pay for something that she should care about, but really doesn't. And she is trying to land a spot in a music video for a local pop star. How does she do it all and who will she meet along the way? Alicia is a brilliant character because she is so real. She really cares about her family, and even though she gets herself into a few compromising positions, she plays them off very fashionably. That is the kind of character I root for. So get your beach towel and get ready to read this short but enthralling novel! Reviewed by: Taylor Rector

When Alicia arrives in Barcelona, Spain, she is swept away with the sights, sounds and smells of her mother's native land. In the airport terminal, her model-gorgeous older twin cousins, Celia and Isobel, greet her enthusiastically, and she is genuinely happy to see them. But her 13-year-old cousin Nina, whose previous visit to America created huge problems with Alicia and her Pretty Committee friends, is not so enthusiastic --- and is not a welcome sight. While in Spain, Alicia hopes to avoid Nina as much as possible. She looks forward to spending her summer shopping, clubbing and traipsing around with Celia and Isobel. She's even more excited when she reads an airport billboard announcing a competition to discover a "real Spanish beauty" to star in a music video. Alicia's mother is Spanish. Alicia is a good dancer and (she has to admit to herself) a beauty. But being half-Spanish and half-American, Alicia doesn't seem totally comfortable in either culture. She hopes that being cast in the video will improve her status back home with Massie and the other Pretty Committee members; maybe Massie will even stop calling her Fannish (fake Spanish). While trying to play the role of a real Spanish beauty, Alicia does her best to hide the fact that she's an American, especially when a fair-skinned British teenage boy strikes up a conversation with her in English. And cousin Nina is doing her best to ruin things as well. She shatters Alicia's self-confidence when she tells her that Celia and Isobel are just using her so they can wear her American designer-label wardrobe. Hurt and angry, Alicia strikes back after noticing Nina wearing earrings that she stole from Alicia during her last visit to America. When the two teenagers get into a public scrap at a landmark hotel, things quickly get out of hand and they destroy an expensive statue. After Alicia's parents refuse to send a check to bail her out, she and Nina must work as maids to pay for the damages. Instead of cleaning up on the competition, Alicia finds herself cleaning other peoples' towels. Can her Spanish vacation be rescued? And how will she pay for all the damage she has caused? ALICIA is the third of five slim books about the members of the Pretty Committee. While the tone of the first three installments is playful and breezy, each one delivers a helpful and encouraging message for teenage girls. Alicia's story is as light and fluffy as cotton candy --- a welcome summer treat. Her message is that things aren't always what they seem, and sometimes fun and friends can be found when you least expect them. --- Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt

I've read every book in the Normal series and the summer series, and this is definetly the best in the 'SS'. It's not focusing on Massie for a change gets you a little bit into the betas life. A great book! I'd reccomend the whole series to any preteen-teenage girls who love to read and are preppy:)

As for the Summer Series, Massie was pretty good, Dylan was disappointingly not well-written, so I picked up Alicia with some reservation. It was fabuloso times ten!! I loved the story line set in the beautiful five star Hotel Lindo in Spain. We get to know Nina once again- but see a very different view of her from the crush-stealer of Westchester we had previously met. After reading this book, I so heart Alicia, and would love to read more books from her perspective! Alicia is now my favorite member of the Pretty Committee after readng this book- she behaves way bettter than any of the other of the other girls, and it pays off in the end! My only complaint about this book: I wish it had been longer!