The Fruit of My Lipstick

This book was nominated for the 2009 Christy Award. As I read the book I found it to be nicely written, well rounded characters with a lite Christian theme. The girls were in a boarding school and there is a romance brewing between Gillian and Lucas that is pretty standard YA. I wasn't feeling the hardiness behind the book - what I would be expecting from a book, any book, up for an award. And that is about the time that in my opinion author Shelley Adina hits a home run in this book with a twist to the plot - so perfectly woven throughout the books happenings that I didnt see it coming. Shelly takes this book to a higher level and threw all my previous thoughts on the book out the door when she blind sides me as the reader, with a topic very important to young girls, abuse. I am trying hard not to give away too much of the book here yet this is such an important part of my review. When the abuse - not only physical but also verbal is presented I actually had to pause in my reading to consider what I had read - and how it was there, and I hadn't seen it. And that is where the brilliance of this book comes in. How often do young women go about what they think is a normal relationship and not see it in the correct light? Sometimes it takes a friend to show us the way. And as I write this I am reminded that it is not only the young that can be caught by this ... but women of all ages. Overall, I am impressed, Faith and Friendships flow generously through this well written book.

Once again, I had a blast reading the second book in the "It's All About Us" series. This is one of the most fun YA books I've read. Shelley Adina writes very well in a teen voice and really makes you feel like a bunch of 16-17 year olds are writing this book. It's a very fast read but so enjoyable that you'll want to reread it again (or at least get the other books in the series). This is one of the very few Christian fiction book that I have read that features an Asian American lead character. Especially one that is not an immigrant or an adoptee. I know it's a topic I always bring up with there's an AA character but it's something that needs to be the rule and not the exception. The book is great at showing how an Asian American tries to fit in between two cultures. You can see Gillian struggle to fit in the two worlds with her parents and with her life at school. Her mother reminded me very much of my own mother. I could practically hear my own mother's voice every time Gillian's mother appeared. This book features a storyline that is very relevant with teen girls and dating. Abusive relationships need to be talked about to girls. They need to know that it's not always physical abuse that one needs to be on the lookout for. Verbal and emotional abuse need to be avoided as well. Lucas was a jerk. He started off being nice, but once he had Gillian wrapped around his finger, he just went off the deep end. It pained me to see him treat her like this and her either not noticing or just shrugging it off. Girls do NOT deserve that type of treatment, no matter what they've done! The scene that really got me was that he wanted to take her to Angel Island. For the majority of the readers of this book, this would have meant nothing of importance. However as a history major, I've studied about Angel Island and would have been horrified as a Chinese American if a guy I liked decided to take me there for a romantic date. This guy seriously had major issues and I was so happy with the ending of the book. There is also a mystery involving a student selling exam answers to the popular kids. While I guessed who the perpetrator was, I was happy to read how things turned out. However I was NOT happy at how the school handled the situation with Gillian. Very unprofessional of them to condemn someone with all the required evidence. You'd think a boarding school wouldn't want bad publicity! I really enjoyed this book and was sad to see it end. This whole series has been wonderful and I'm eagerly looking forward to the next addition. If you're a fan of Gossip Girl and want something a bit tamer, this book comes HIGHLY recommended.

Christmas break is over and we are back at Spencer Academy with Lissa, Gillian, Carly, and Shani. Since Lissa was able to tell her story about Callum in It's All About Us (and Carly will share her story in book 3 - Be Strong and Curvaceous) it is Gillian's turn to come clean about her infatuation with Lucas Hayes - the smartest guy at Spencer Academy. Lucas is working towards the Physics Olympiad when he and Gillian hook up. Gillian has never had a boyfriend before and is pretty quick to get swept up in the moment. While she likes Lucas, and always looks forward to seeing him, she doesn't always feel quite happy after her time spent with him - but it is nothing that she can put her finger on, so she just chalks it up to not having anything to compare it to. At the same time, though, she needs to concentrate on her own grads or her Type A dad will be coming down on her pretty hard! Most of the other juniors are studying hard also, except for those that have been buying exam sheets from Source10. Nobody knows who this person is - but the whole junior class is going to be punished with F's if they are not caught! First, one of Gillian's friends is suspended for the deed - then Gillian herself is put on house arrest as a suspect! They give their problems to God and pray that the truth will come out - but will it happen in time to save the semester? And where will this leave Gillian in her relationship with Carly, Lissa and Shani - not to mention Lucas! I enjoyed this book as much as I did the 1st and 3rd books in the series. I like the way they gradually lead you into Christianity without being preachy. I think this series would definitely be good for those teens/young adults struggling with their faith.

Gillian Chang thought that life with her overprotective New York family was stressful. But when she flies thousands of miles away to attend the elite Spencer Academy, a whole new set of problems comes her way. In THE FRUIT OF MY LIPSTICK, the second book in Shelley Adina's All About Us series, loud-mouthed science whiz Gillian realizes that there's one problem even hours of studying can't solve --- love. After surviving a dramatic first semester at Spencer, Gillian returns from her holiday break expecting to throw herself back into her math, science and music studies. That is, until she begins to fall hard for Lucas Hayes, who is not only cute but a certified physics genius, already planning for his Ph.D. at Stanford. Gillian tries to get his attention just as she would prepare for a chemistry test --- working very hard. And after a disastrous first date, she's pleased to see her efforts begin to pay off. Before she knows it, she's able to call brilliant Lucas her boyfriend. But can she keep him? Gillian can't help but notice Lucas's clear admiration of other girls --- particularly one of her biggest rivals, Vanessa. When Gillian realizes that they are all stick-thin, she resolves to undergo a rigid exercise program, to drop some pounds and make her man happy. Unfortunately, her schedule with her expensive new trainer means she will have to give up her graphic design class (her true passion). Her friends point out that this isn't the only thing she's giving up either. It seems that now that she's dating Lucas, friends, family, school and even church have all become secondary priorities. As she further distances her friends and family, Lucas begins to show a side of himself that is less than perfect. Complicating matters even more is a mystery student at Spencer who has been selling exam copies. If he isn't identified, then the entire junior class will flunk the semester --- something that Gillian's overbearing parents certainly would not take kindly to. With the exam thief on the loose, and her boyfriend's behavior becoming increasingly erratic, Gillian realizes that she needs to reorganize her priorities and reclaim her sense of self worth. THE FRUIT OF MY LIPSTICK is the follow-up to IT'S ALL ABOUT US, which focused on Gillian's roommate, Lissa. Fans of the first book undoubtedly will enjoy hearing the story of this formerly secondary character. However, the new entry contains far less of the up-to-date pop-culture references of its predecessor and far more references to the high-pressure world of elite academics. Whether this is a good or bad thing depends on the reader. While it isn't as hip or as light of a read as IT'S ALL ABOUT US, THE FRUIT OF MY LIPSTICK does deal with some important issues that teen girls face: parental pressure, abusive relationships and eating disorders, to name a few. It may also appeal to Asian-American readers, as Gillian finds herself constantly struggling to come to terms with this identity. --- Reviewed

Normally, all that Gillian Chang has to worry about is making sure her grades are absolutely perfect. This generally isn't a problem because Gillian is extremely intelligent, but pressure from her strict parents can get a little tough at times. The last thing Gillian wants to worry about is a guy, particularly after the fiasco Gillian's best friend Lissa got involved with last term. But then again, love, or at least like, is not something Gillian can prepare for--especially when she finds herself falling for the only other person who's possibly smarter than she is, Lucas Hayes. But is Lucas really the golden boy Gillian thinks he is? Only time will tell, and Gillian is going to have to believe in herself, her friends, and her faith is she's going to survive this term at Spencer Academy. The Fruit of My Lipstick was a well-written story about friendship and dealing with boys, with a little bit of religion mixed in. Some readers may be wary of reading this series because of the inclusion of religion, but in reality, the Christian faith is more of a healthy influence on Gillian and her friends' morals. I definitely would not consider this book or its prequel It's All About Us preachy in any way. The storyline and the characters in this novel are very believable, which makes it easy to relate to Gillian and her friends' various situations or at least sympathize with them. The plot was a little slow towards the beginning, but it picked up towards the middle with the addition of a school scandal. The Fruit of My Lipstick is a fun yet sincere novel with a positive message that all teen girls can relate to and enjoy. The Fruit of My Lipstick is the second novel in Adina's It's All About Us series, but the story can stand alone. I look forward to the third installment in this series, Be Strong and Curvaceous, and I recommend both It's All About Us and The Fruit of My Lipstick to anyone looking for a much more mild form of Gossip Girl with actual depth and meaning.