Simply Irresistible

Aah, this series. It's like a nice, warm bubble bath or a comfy breakfast-in-bed. Each and every character I've become weirdly attached to, and when I open every new book, it's like meeting with friends and catching up over coffee. Simply Irresistible, the third book in The Elite series, is the beginnings of fame for Casey and Madison, who are about to star in their own reality tv series. Of course, Phoebe, Sophie, and Drew - my other fav MCs - are going through their own drama, but a lot of the focus is on C and M. When I finished the book, I was horrified. See, I read it thinking the series was going to come to an end. Thinking, as I was told before, that it was a trilogy and this was the very last book. And, honestly, I COULD NOT leave all my characters behind with the ending Banash gave. They had so much more story to be told. But I found out there are going to be MORE BOOKS! Good thing, too, because I would have emailed Jennifer Banash relentlessly until she personally wrote and sent me more of their story directly. It would have been ugly. As it is, I can. not. wait. for another book(s). As far as the beginning and middle go, though - mmm. I love drama when it doesn't involve me (uuh, sadistic much?) , and S.I. definitely brought it. Not in a my-son-married-my-sister-and-were-stolen-by-pirates Soap Opera-y way, but in a very realistic, teenage-issues kind of way. Banash is the Queen of the dark & light mixed plot. The writing was deliciously descriptive, and although I've heard complaints of over-labeling, blahblahblah, & I agree that there was some excess, I think it was needed. Madison's kind of a betch. But a fashionable, lovable one. And she thinks fashion. So when it's in her POV, it's only realistic that she talks Gucci. Instead of being the girl everyone loves to hate, for me, she's the girl I hate to love. If I knew her in person, I doubt I'd like her - she has all the characteristics I loathe about people. But, in spite of that, I love Mad. She just has oomph. And, frankly, oomph is a perfect word for the entirety of Simply Irresistible.

Opening the cover of Simply Irresistible by Jennifer Banash is like opening a door and finding yourself in the middle of Manhattan's upper East Side. The first character you meet, Madison MacCallister seems to be your typical spoiled prep school girl. She doesn't like to lose and is used to being the center of attention in every group in which she finds herself. But Madison or Mad as her close friends call her, finds her perfect life turned upside down when her mother suddenly takes up with a much younger guy. To add to the agony, Mad originally thought of him for herself. If you include the addition of Casey McCloy a girl from a small midwestern town who has moved into Madison's upscale apartment house, The Bram, it is hard not to get sucked into this story. Not having read the entire series I am not familiar with all of the characters, but reading this book made me want to learn more about each of them. As the story progresses each girl's story is delineated and it's hard not to feel sorry for some of them. Though they wear expensive designer clothing and shoes and go to extravagantly expensive parties and restaurants, it's difficult for any of the characters except maybe Casey, to enjoy this. Their personal lives overshadow everything that they do; yet they seem to hold everything together in public. Casey's story is different, since she was forced to move to Manhattan to be with her Nanna, who lives in The Bram. But Casey has attracted the attention of Drew, Madison's ex-boyfriend, and the secret heartthrob of every girl in her school. All Casey wants to do is fit in. Could she help it that a TV producer wanted to make a show with her and her so-called friends? Will she be able to hide this from her mom? Or will her mom find out and yank her out of Manhattan? What will happen with Drew? Will the girls ever accept her? All of these questions are answered and more as the story progresses. Told in the point of view of each character, it feels like an expose of life as a teenager on the upper East Side. The story is woven through the lives of the girls and boys as they navigate the rocky terrain of teenage life with parents who are not great role models. In conclusion, Simply Irresistible is simply irresistible. Once you start reading it you will find it hard to put down. The writing doesn't disappoint, and that is one thing that makes me urge you to read this book.The editing is excellent and the sentences flow easily and smoothly. This is a book that will appeal to both girls and boys, since there is a large chunk in a male's point of view, and to women and men who are still young in heart. It's fun to wander through the lives of these privileged people and it almost feels like eavesdropping during some of the dialogue. I am looking forward to reading the first two books and hoping that Jennifer Banash will write a fourth book in this series.

I was apprehensive picking this one up. As far as I know, it's the last book in the Elite series. I enjoyed the first two, and was thus wary of the goodbye. The ending is open, ripe for a fourth book. Some characters do not end the story happily. But others are moving up and moving on. Casey McCloy's arc does come to a kind of conclusion, and I imagine she has a satisfying life, since she has a good personality. I likewise imagine good things for Phoebe and Sophie, and hope Madison one day figures out how to express herself better. But. oh. my. stars. Drew annoyed me so much in this book. It really is hard to imagine how much distance is between twenty and seventeen, but . . . I know I had a different view of open relationships then. (Still can't imagine one for myself. Just, no.) But there's a much bigger difference between two married adults who know and do nothing about the other having an affair and cheating on your girlfriend. I'm not trying to glorify Drew's father by any means. I'm just trying to point out how much of a douchebox with wings Drew is in SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE. Of course, this makes me take some issue of the fact Madison and Casey are still girlfighting over him. Both of the girls deserve better. (Luckily, Casey has a totally adorable rocker boy waiting for her to drop Drew.) As for Madison . . . well, she's getting her comeuppance. And ouch. Jennifer Banash has always done a great job of getting in Madison's head and fleshing her out instead of leaving her motivelessly malicious. It makes it painful to see her get hurt even as you know she needs to take a few knocks to facilitate a personality adjustment. So here's my goodbye to the Elite series. I vote it a member of the "good trash." Yeah, there's brand-dropping and ridiculously rich teens. But there's also a reality: parents, bargain racks, and being too awkward to tell the guy/girl what you're feeling. (Just jumping into SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE might be confusing. I do recommend starting at the beginning, with THE ELITE. Three books won't kill you.) From In Bed With Books

I read the first two books in the series and LOVED them, but nothing could've prepared me for all the drama in Simply Irresistible once the characters get their own reality TV show, DE-LUXE! I felt so badly for Drew in this book-he's so torn up about his parent's actions, and is clearly acting out in response to their infidelities The characters are all well-developed, as usual, and I found myself racing through the book, dying to know what would happen next. All I can say is that I really HOPE that there will be a fourth Elite book, because I HAVE to know what happens to Casey! Also, I have a serious crush on Drew. If you want a great summer beach read, do yourself a favor and pick up this series. You will NOT be disappointed!

Ex-small-town girl Casey McCloy finally feels like she's starting to fit in among her neighbors of the Upper East Side. And it's not just the newly straightened hair, the growing designer wardrobe, or a starring role in the hot new reality show De-Luxe, it's the confidence from all that and being a member of the Bram Clan that makes Casey feel like she belongs in the Big Apple--much to the dismay of her rival and reality costar, the reigning queen Madison Macallister. Madison absolutely refuses to give up her lofty position to social climbing Casey, even if--especially if--she has to dig her manicured talons in somewhere to maintain that status. Madison will do anything to ensure that she--and not Casey--is the next reality "It Girl." Since the rest of the rest of her life seems to be falling apart, Madison feels she at least deserves this. But Madison's not the only one trying to keep what's left of her life from further breaking down. There are a lot of people in the Big Apple. How can anyone be sure of anything--friendships, family, trust--when everyone has their own agenda? Though I absolutely adored the first two installments in this series, The Elite and In Too Deep, I felt Simply Irresistible didn't quite live up to its name. For me, this time around, the Bram Clan and other supporting cast were a little too "he said she said" for my taste. This over load of gossip as well as other annoyances such as the designer name dropping so frequent it became white noise and the fact that women were wearing sunglasses indoors in the dead of winter really distracted me and prevented me from really taking a liking to the story or characters. Yes, Drew caught his dad messing around with another woman, Sophie doesn't know what to make of her real mother, Phoebe just wants to fool around with Jared, Madison is as ruthless as ever, and Casey keeps trying to blend in, but what else is new? This whole novel, the cast just seemed to be talking along the same lines as they had been in the earlier novels. I was looking for something bigger because the same old was getting boring and unfortunately, the reality shows was more in the background than I hoped it would be. The characters are too inwardly conflicted throughout the entire novel; I would've liked to see some progress in at least their conviction in their lives. Maybe it's just me, but Simply Irresistible lacked a certain oomph I know Banash has in her. I know that's not exactly the most positive review for Simply Irresistible, but dedicated fans of The Elite series and guilty pleasure lovers will most likely want to read this novel. Though I was slightly disappointed in Banash's latest work, I'll probably still read the next installment in this series with high hopes.