Only in Your Dreams

Graduation is over, and now it's time for the true games to begin. Summer is finally here. And, as the last summer before everyone goes off to college, it's destined to be the best one in history. But with so many people on the outs with one another, it may be hard to find the strength to simply stretch out in your new Eres bikini without feeling the burden of just the tiniest amount of guilt. Then again, when you look this amazing, guilt is just a thing of the past. Since meeting Lord Marcus, Blair Waldorf has been on cloud nine. Not only does he have the most charming British accent, but he makes the gorgeous Nate Archibald look pale in comparison, and, as an added bonus, he has invited Blair to spend the summer abroad with him in England. Blair just knows that this is it. Marcus will propose to her, and the two of them will ride off into the sunset. But Marcus is totally different in England. In fact, if Blair didn't have her American Express card in tow, she may have actually been lonely as he basically abandoned her to cavort with his horse-faced cousin. It's enough to make her long for her friends and family in New York. While Serena van der Woodsen is heartbroken that her frenemy Blair Waldorf is vacationing abroad, she can't help but be relieved in the wake of her absence, for it gives her more time to concentrate on nailing the role she just landed as Holly in Ken Mogul's Breakfast At Fred's - a remake of Breakfast At Tiffany's. While Serena is being hailed as a young ingenue, she can't seem to get it right when it comes to being Holly. And the fact that she's been cast opposite uber-hottie Thaddeus Smith. Serena wants more than anything to do well in the first role of her life, but Thad has a way of making her forget her lines, and fumble in more ways than one. Nate Archibald has finally written off girls. After botched relationships with both Blair Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen, he is convinced that this is his summer to be free from females, and to get his head on straight. Besides, he needs to reserve enough energy for fixing up his Coach's house, so that he can finally receive his diploma. But when he meets a Hamptons townie named Tawny, Nate's reservations about females are thrown out the window. Suddenly, he can't think about anything other than hanging with the fake-baked Tawny, and smoking joint after joint. Looks like someone's summertime resolutions have, once again, been cast to the wind. After a torrid love affair with one another, Dan Humphrey and Vanessa Abrams are finally back together - but not for long. Working at the Strand, Dan meets a yoga-loving hottie, and finds himself drawn into her wacky world, leaving Vanessa in the dust. And Vanessa, working on Ken Mogul's new film Breakfast At Fred's is forced to succumb to harsh criticism that is undeniably undeserved. The only one having fun seems to be little Jenny Humphrey who is completely out of the picture. After receiving her acceptance letter to the exclusiv

In this edition of the series, everyone is faced with difficult decisions dealing with everything from college to boyfriends/girlfriends. Cecily von Ziegesar has kept up the quality of the pervious books despite the long running of the series. I can't wait for the next book to come out and discover the outcomes of all the decisions made in this episode.

I've been reading these books since they first came out and I have to say this one is the best. the characters are all out of high school and living life outside of school and the small world in which they once lived. of course they are still living the life of the rich in this new book, but they are doing new things, like working(!) and spending time away from each other. it was starting to seem that these people would never get out of high school! I hope that the author takes these characters on to college so we can see what happens.

Catty, wicked, frivolous and decadent, our beloved characters are back, fresh out of high school and entertaining themselves in all the ways we'd expect. Serena is trying her hand at becoming a movie star, but isn't having as much luck wooing the male lead as she had hoped. Vanessa is on the set as well - "selling out" to Hollywood so she can pay her rent! Dan finds some extracurricular activities of his own, and Nate is found in the Hamptons, slumming it with some townie chick while he works on his Coach's house. What will our A-list ladies think of Nate's Target-dressing, fake-bag wearing, working class girl? Then Blair - she begins in London, shopping it up to console herself that her Lord whatshisname seems to have the hots for his cousin. Forgetting about the exchange rate, she gets in a bit more trouble than she'd meant to, and when she arrives home to New York is told very firmly to get a job to learn some monetary responsibility. Trust Blair to make the best of this and get the job every gal in New York wants. This latest addition is as good as the rest - perhaps even better, since the characters are all maturing a bit and having more interesting adventures out of high school. If you have liked the other books in this series (do read them in order!), you'll love this one.

The ninth installment of the Gossip Girls series was quite an enjoyable read. I'm almost a graduating senior myself, so I can relate to everything that's happened to Blair and the gang. Blair spends the beginning of her summer in the UK with the gorgeous Lord Marcus. When things turn awry, she turns to her American Express black card to solve her problems. It's too bad she forgot about the dollar-to-pound exchange rate! Serena is filming Breakfast at Fred's with director Ken Mogul, a major sell-out. Her gorgeous on-screen co-star seems to captivate her eye (as per usual). Will anything become of it? (Can anyone really deny themselves the pleasure of Serena van der Woodsen?) The one thing she seems to not excel at seems to be her new job. The stress causes her to chain smoke French Gaulloise cigarettes. Will Blair (expert at all things Audrey Hepburn) come to her rescue? Better hope they're friends at this point in time. Nate is in the less glamorous section of the Hamptons working on his coach's summer house while his friends are smoking pot near his family's East Hampton place. Overall, I enjoyed the book immensely and I hope if you're reading this you consider buying it. I tried not to give out too much information, as spoilers aren't as fabulous as they seem. Blair Waldorf, however, is.