This Girl Isn't Shy, She's Spectacular

Readers met Riley Swain, D, and Samantha Owens in THIS BOOK ISN'T FAT, IT'S FABULOUS. Whereas the first book was all about Riley, this novel focuses on Samantha and D. Samantha has convinced her parents to let her finish her senior year of high school at home in New York City. She's spent the past few years at New Horizons boarding school. She met Riley there when Riley spent two weeks on break attending "fat camp." Samantha has always been the good girl and never any trouble. She's created a list of things that she's not done, and she needs Riley's help to accomplish the list. On the other side of life, Michael D. Hammond III (aka D) has done TOO much and writes a list of things that have messed up his life. He wants to change his life and starts with the determination to get a good night's sleep before school the next day. He finds himself tossing in bed by 11pm and decides he needs to go for a walk. When Samantha and D encounter each other the night before Samantha is to start school, they are both interested in the other, but Samantha leaves with only a phone number in her phone that she labels THE BOY. She refuses to give him her information. Imagine the surprise they each show when they meet up at Starbucks before school because of a mutual friend...Riley. THE BOY is none other than the D that Sam heard all about while Riley was at New Horizons. And D knows that he can't screw around with Sam. Riley would kill him. So the rest of the story proceeds, alternating between D and Sam's voices. Sam is trying to accomplish her list, but her thoughts keep going back to D. D can't stop thinking about Sam, but he does all he can to keep his heart safe. THIS GIRL ISN'T SHY, SHE'S SPECTACULAR is a fast-paced read. Easily finished in one evening, the reader will come to admire Samantha's energy, Riley's passion for life, and even D's hesitancy. One doesn't have to have read the previous novel to enjoy the adventures that Riley drags Samantha through. I found that I enjoyed this novel even more than the first one and hope to see these three friends in future works by Ms. Beck. Reviewed by: Jaglvr

This book is the follow up to This Girl Isn't Fat She's Fabulous. It begins shortly after that book. This time the main character is not Riley Swain, but one of the girls she met at New Horizons, Samantha Owens. Samantha Owens has planned on going to UCLA in the Creative writing program; she has wanted to be a writer since she was 8. But her writing samples are too bland. Her academics are exceptional so she has been asked to reapply. On receiving this news she decides to return to New York City for her final term of high school. Once back in New York she makes a list - a list of all the things she has never done and wants to do. And she teams up with Riley Swain to change her life. Her list includes: 1. Try to change 2. Stay out all night 3. Do something that is definitely a bad idea 4. Go with the flow 5. Make new friends 6. Go out on a date with someone uncontrollable 7. Learn how to deal with things in a more productive manner To start with, Riley takes her to a salon for a makeover, and helps her revamp her style. Then they slip out and into a bar. There she meets a strange man with a British accent and she finds him incredibly beautiful. The next morning before school, she discovers that this strange man is Riley's best friend D - Michael D. Hammond III. There is a strange tension between them. But Riley starts a dating pool for Sam. A group of 4 will vote and decide, based on applications and first dates, who will take her to the spring formal. The story is written in parallel chapters; both D and Sam are trying to change their lives. D is trying to clean up his image and his life and decide what he really wants to do. Sam is trying to sully her image and get more experience in life. Their goals are at odds and the tension between them escalates as Sam has more and more dates from the dating game. This is an incredibly well written book. It has solid characters, great pace and the story woven through two different first-person accounts is well balanced and remains interesting. The book also has the power to stand on its own if you have not read the first one. It is some great fun light reading. (First published in Imprint 2009-09-25.)