Be Strong & Curvaceous

I thought this was a really cute book. I enjoyed reading it and I would recommend it to any young lady. I found the book easy to read and the storyline interesting enough to keep my attention even though it is geared towards younger women. I have not read the entire series but this book was good enough that I think I would like to read them all now!

I have really enjoyed the first 2 books in this series and was anticipating the 3rd book. It was worth the wait! This series about 4 friends that meet at a high class high school and go through semester after semester together. What I love is that each book takes a semester from a different girl's perspective, so we are getting inside the head of someone new each time. Each girl is dealing with different issues and circumstances so some things change but overall we find that friendship is really important. First we had - "It's All About Us" Then there was - "The Fruit of my Lipstick" And now - "Be Strong and Curvaceous" This 3rd book is about Carly and it is amazing! I would recommend reading the books in order, but please hurry so you can get to this one. In addition to the usual adolescent angst, Carly throws in some mystery, suspense, stalker danger and, oh yea, the English royalty that becomes Carly's roommate (did I mention she acts like royalty too!). This is the best of the series so far and a wonderful addition to any YA bookshelf!

Be Strong & Curvaceous is a fun book for any teenager to read. I only wish there had been books like this when I was young. The Author, Shelley Adina has a B.A. in Literature, an M.A. in Writing Popular Fiction, and countless manuscript pages. Shelley is a world traveler and pop culture junkie with an incurable addiction to designer handbags. She knows the value of a relationship with a gracious God and having Christian friends. Be Strong & Curvaceous is a story about a girl who is no afraid to stand up for what is right and wrong. This is the type of book that any teenager would enjoy reading. It will keep them entertained from page one to the ending. This book is about love, friendship, importance of good grades, respect for parents, love, and most of all about a relationship with God. The book takes place in a boarding school where each day is new and exciting. A great book to help you escape into another world...but learn very important things every teenager needs to know.

Carly Aragon has had a rough start at Spencer Academy. She's a scholarship student who feels that she needs to hide her status from the rest of the school, just to fit in. She's been secretly crushing on Brett Loyola, who is way out of her league. After all, he was dating the It Girl, Vanessa Talbot. And to top it off, she was accused of selling exam scores to other members of the junior class. So she has high hopes upon her return after spring break. But she comes back to find out that she's got a new roommate...Lady Lindsay `Mac' MacPhail. How can Carly compete with a Lady? And Mac is everything that Carly is not. It will only be a matter of days before Mac is a new member of Vanessa's crowd. Carly can't believe her luck when she is approached by one of Vanessa's minions to join the Design Your Dreams committee. The DYD event is the opportunity Carly has been waiting for. It will give her a chance to showcase one of her own designs, for Carly is an amazing fashion designer. She just needs the chance to prove it. The only condition of being on the committee is that she has to convince her new roommate to come along. Carly will figure out something. They haven't exactly gotten off on the right foot, but she will do whatever it takes. Slowly, Carly and Mac come to accept each other. Though they may not be friends, Mac tries to instill some confidence in Carly. Mac convinces Carly she is beautiful in her own right, and has much to be proud of. And she makes Carly start to think that she has just as much chance of dating Brett as someone like Vanessa does. It's only after Mac shares her mysterious emails from the Drifter that the two finally come together. Through a bizarre twist of events that only the guiding hand of God could direct, the two, plus their other band of friends, come together to save themselves, and Spencer Academy. And surprisingly, Carly gets more than she bargained for in the end. I have to admit that I enjoyed BE STRONG AND CURVACEOUS (the third novel in the ALL ABOUT US series) the best to date. There's a fourth due out in the spring (WHO MADE YOU A PRINCESS?) that I'm eagerly looking forward to, as well. The series of events in BE STRONG AND CURVACEOUS seemed much more real to me than those in THE FRUIT OF MY LIPSTICK. I found Carly far more likeable and vulnerable than the previous two characters that have been written about. Don't get me wrong, both of the previous novels were good, but I enjoyed the drama and intrigue in this novel the most. Ms. Adina does a wonderful job infusing the love and guidance of God into the lives of insecure teenage girls. The story shares the wonders of newfound faith as well as unquestionable friendships. Read BE STRONG AND CURVACEOUS - you won't be disappointed. Reviewed by: Jaglvr

When we are teenagers, sometimes a little younger, we tend to pretend we have things that we do not have; unless you really do have it and flaunt it in people's faces. It is not to be better than anyone else, but to fit in. Be Strong & Curvaceous by Shelley Adina helps one to clearly see it is not always easy to juggle the real you and the one you allow others to see. Carly Aragon is a scholarship student at Spencer Academy. She is offered the chance of a lifetime to be a part of the Design Your Dream committee. In order for her to make the type of dress she envisioned, Carly had to do something none of her friends were aware of and her father was against. It was this secret that would come in handy when Mac, her roommate, shared with her some disturbing emails. When Mac makes Carly promise not to tell anyone, Carly relies on God for his instruction on what she should do. Would Carly be able to hold onto to all the secrets she is keeping or will she explode from it all? Be Strong & Curvaceous is the third book in the All About Us Series by Shelley Adina. This was the first book I read in the series but I did not feel like I was missing anything from the other books; except that I am curious to read what other adventures the students at Spencer Academy have experienced. I recommend this book to teenagers and adults. There is a lesson in there we all need to learn. Jennifer Coissiere APOOO BookClub