Gossip Girl #1: A Novel (Gossip Girl Series) by Cecily Von Ziegesar

The enigmatic “gossip girl” describes the life at a particular prestigious New York Upper EastSide Highschool, where the students are rich, nasty, spoiled, partying animals, who are all headed to Ivy League Colleges, but meanwhile are out for some fun in high school. Not only do they get drunk at their parent’s parties, but each are backstabbing friends, and cheating on another. They might all live in huge apartments, have shining cars, and wear expensive brands, but each is insecure about life and themselves.

First there is Blair and her hot boyfriend Nate. Blair been really insecure lately since her former best friend Serena van der Woodsen, just expelled from boarding school overseas, is back and Nate, and the whole male population, can’t seem to take their eyes off Serena. Blair once again is becoming the sidekick, one of Serena’s friends, out of the school’s mainstream limelight. But Blair is going to fight back at Serena this time with all shes got.

Serena doesn’t understand why every girl, especially Blair, is suddenly becoming so cold to her and spreading nasty rumors about her. However Serena has other problems to deal with. She has fallen terribly behind and if she doesn’t pick herself up, Yale or Harvard is never going to accept her. So Serena decides to join the school play and unexpectantly the lead male actor is extremely cute, but unpopular. Throw in the fact that the director has a crush on the male actor and things are heating up.

Drink, eating disorders, insecurity, drug use, and profanity are just many parts of Gossip Girl that might make your parents have a heartattack, but the book itself is really wonderful and delicously full of gossip. I literally could not put this book or any of the other books in this series down. A definite must for any teenage girl!

Gossip Girl: It Had to Be You: The Gossip Girl Prequel (Gossip Girl) by Cecily von Ziegesar

All I can say is that I loved the book! At first I thought the books could never amount to the greatness of the show but when I started to read I got hooked! The first book I read was “Don’t Forget About Me,” which was bought by a friend for me since she knew I was obsessed with the show. After reading it I was motivated to buy “It Had to Be You” and now after reading it I want to read ALL OF THE BOOKS. “It Had to Be You” was extremely interesting. There were no boring parts and the ending, just like the endings of the episode’s on the television show, left me wanting more! Although the books are slightly different from the show, they are just as great! LONG LIVE GOSSIP GIRL!! LOL

All I Want Is Everything (Gossip Girl, 3) by Cecily von Ziegesar

Blair Waldorf is having the worst time of her life. She has just completely flubbed her Yale interview, even going so far as to kiss her interviewer; she must contend with a dreadlock-bearing new stepbrother named Aaron, who seems to have some ulterior motives up his sleeve; her mother is marrying a loser whom she has known for hardly no time at all; and, to top it all off, Nate has ditched her for a chesty ten-year-old – well, she looks ten. Luckily, she and Serena van der Woodsen are back on speaking terms, and living it up as BFF’s once more. But who knows how long that will last.

The holidays are just around the corner, and with the Upper East Side absolutely freezing, everyone who’s loaded is planning on ditching their Marc Jacobs coats, and slipping into their Missoni string bikinis for a Christmas in a tropical place. With Nate Archibald having called it quits with Blair in order to take up a romance with freshman Jenny Humphrey, Blair is anything but ready to say goodbye to the city, and head off to St. Bart’s with Serena, where they can sunbathe topless, and, perhaps, have a winter fling. Unfortunately, Serena is being stalked by Flow, the hottest rock star on the planet – at least at the moment – and can’t seem to shake him off, and Blair, armed with her iBook plans on holing up in the hotel room writing the essay for her Yale application. Looks like this vacation won’t be as sizzling as originally planned. But with Blair’s new stepbrother, Aaron, and his pal Miles in tow, you never know when the sparks will fly.

Back in the city, Nate and Jenny are having the time of their life. But with Blair’s sudden appearances at every turn, Nate finds himself more and more drawn to the girl he has known and loved for so many years. But then there’s Jenny. Sweet, innocent, voluptuous Jenny. Maybe if Nate spent less time being baked, and more time being straight, he’d be able to decide who he’s truly lusting over.

Then there’s Jenny’s older brother, Dan. Since admitting their passion for one another, Dan and Vanessa have been having a whirlwind romance – albeit a dark one – filled with foreign films, cigarettes, strong instant coffee, and lots and lots of black. But since falling in love, Dan finds himself at a standstill regarding his poetry. Suddenly, he’s experiencing writer’s block firsthand, and it’s not a pretty picture. But when Vanessa supposedly does something that betrays both him and Jenny, he wonders if this is the push he needs to get his writing back on track – and to get even.

Three books down, and still Cecily von Ziegesar is going strong; creating intoxicating storylines that leave you craving more, and dying to find out what will happen to S, B, N, and the rest of the gang. Finally Blair and Serena are back to their old tricks, partying ’till the break of dawn, and hamming it up for the cameras. While their friendship is a beautiful thing, and it’s wonderful to see them back on speaking terms, the fact that they’re not at each other’s throats any longer kind of makes the reader miss their feuding; however, their gossip fests about their friends, and their many shopping sprees certainly make up for their catfights. Jenny is still the sweet girl we all know and love from GOSSIP GIRL and YOU KNOW YOU LOVE ME; but in AS LONG AS WE’RE TOGETHER, she finally seems to be growing up a bit, and it’s nice to see her stand up for herself for once, and not allow people to push her around. Her relationship with her brother, Dan, seems to have changed slightly. Suddenly, he’s watching her every move, and not being as friend-like towards her. Instead, seeming more like a jail warden. But, no matter what, you can’t help but love each and every one of them – even the slightly creepy Miles, who seems to be stalking Blair. Of course, the installment wouldn’t be complete without Gossip Girl reporting straight from…wherever, giving us all the lowdown on what it takes to be a part of the In Crowd, and providing us with the status of every move all of our favorite characters take. As breathtaking as a first kiss.

Gossip Girl: Because I’m Worth It by Cecily von Ziegesar

Contrary to what many believe, money certainly can’t buy you happiness, and no one knows that better than the privileged members of New York society, and residents of the Upper East Side – namely Blair Waldorf.

Blair Waldorf has it all. The looks, the clothes, but she’s missing two very important things – her hotter than hot ex-boyfriend Nate Archibald, and a spot at the prestigious Yale – a place of higher learning which she has had her sights set on since she could walk. But after a botched interview, Blair is seriously contemplating enrolling in community college – after all, in her opinion, that’s probably where she belongs. Instead, she hacks off her hair during an Audrey Hepburn moment, then snags a re-do interview for her college of choice. But with her aggravating new stepbrother, Aaron, lurking around, she still can’t find a moment of peace.

Blair’s best frienemy, Serena van der Woodsen, doesn’t mind Aaron’s presence, however. In fact, she can’t seem to get enough of it. In her opinion, for the first time in her life, she is madly, deeply in love with the dreadlocked, bohemian style that Aaron embodies. But maybe, just maybe, Aaron is beginning to feel suffocated by his girlfriend’s presence, and the fact that she expects him to spend his spare time accompanying her to the various fashion week shows coming up – one of which she may be playing a role in.

And of course we can’t forget Nate. His good looks may draw you in, but his constant dependence on marijuana can certainly work to deter you from taking a second glance. When he gets busted, it’s finally time for him to turn over a new leaf in his life. Hopefully it won’t be a marijuana leaf.

Jenny Humphrey and her brother, Dan, along with his girlfriend, Vanessa, of course, are still up to their old tricks; only slightly different. Jenny has picked up a new best friend who seems to think about nothing but romance – perhaps because Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. And Dan has let the popularity of his first ever published poem go to his head, leaving Vanessa out in the cold. Never mind, she may just have someone else who can keep her warm – and appreciate her talent for what it truly is; even if it’s slightly weird.

It has been a few months since I read ALL I WANT IS EVERYTHING, but that doesn’t mean that I have forgotten about some of my favorite Upper East Siders. Upon reading the first paragraph, my passion for Cecily von Ziegesar’s characters came flooding back, and stayed with me long after I turned the last page. As always, Blair steals the show with her over-dramatic hysterics and theatrics, which leave the reader spellbound; but little Jenny certainly shows the potential of snagging the spotlight with her constant contemplation regarding the state of her life, and the choices that she has made of late. Serena is gorgeous, as always, but her bubbly, carefree, somewhat air-headed personality can be a little much at times, and leave you wanting to take a step back from her character; and no matter how much trouble Nate gets himself into, it’s impossible to resist his gorgeous green eyes, and debonair way of living. Dan’s transformation is a little bizarre, as is Vanessa’s ability to put up with Dan’s betrayal; and Aaron comes off as just an afterthought who may disappear from future installments bit-by-bit. All in all, however, BECAUSE I’M WORTH IT is most certainly worth your time.

Gossip Girl, The Carlyles #1 (Gossip Girl) by Cecily von Ziegesar

Once upon a time, the Upper East Side was ruled by three glamazons – Serena van der Woodsen, Blaire Waldorf, and Nate Archibald. But, upon growing up, our favorite drama queens, fashionistas, and stoners up and left the enchanted New York City playground they called their home, off to bigger and better things. Someone has to take their place, of course. Which brings us to a new trio of troublemakers – the Carlyle’s.

The Carlyle triplets – Baby, Avery, and Owen – may have been born with silver spoons in their mouths, but they never had a chance to make their mark on the world – until now. Raised in the countrified Nantucket , the triplets were always comfortable, residing on piles of money; but were more used to the country bumpkin ways of public school and crawfish catching. Since the death of their grandmother, however, they have relocated to the Upper East Side , and they’re looking to take it by storm. Well, at least two of them are.

Baby is too wrapped up in the boyfriend she left behind to do anything remotely ladylike, preferring to spend her days torturing the Constance Billard teachers, and skipping class. Avery is determined to take over her deceased grandmother’s role of society hostess, doing what she can to make friends via updated tea parties. And Owen just wants to find the girl he hooked up with over the summer. But finding her may just cause bigger problems than he could have ever imagined.

Jack Laurent is just back from Paris where she was kicked out of an illustrious ballet program that could have set her budding dancing career on fire. Instead, she preferred snacking on petit fours, and dreaming about her boyfriend, J.P. Cashman, ravaging her. But suddenly J.P. isn’t as attentive as he once was, and Jack has decided to take out her frustrations in one of two ways: making the lives of Baby and Avery Carlyle a living nightmare, and indulging in a little retail therapy. Better watch out, Jack. Your AmEx may just run dry.

Rhys Sterling and Kelsey Talmadge have been blissfully happy since kindergarten when he asked her to be his Valentine. Since then, they have been through thick and thin with one another, and Rhys is convinced that the two of them will someday be married. But after a summer of globetrotting, Rhys is confused by the distance Kelsey has suddenly placed between the two of them, and can only think to turn to his new pal, Owen for solace. Better watch your back, Rhys; Owen may just be the one you should be running from.

I’m not sure if Annabelle Vestry penned any of the original GOSSIP GIRL books; but whether she did or not, she has done a fabulous job of creating new characters who will be just as adored as the old ones. Vestry’s writing is catchy, addicting, and completely engrossing; while her characters possess the same qualities. While each character is unique in their own way, Vestry has placed many of them in the shadows of characters from the past. Baby Carlyle is quite similar to Serena van der Woodsen in the sense that she is effortlessly beautiful, and the eye of some taken guys. Jack Laurent and J.P. Cashman have succumbed to falling into the footsteps of Blair Waldorf and Nate Archibald – complete with dysfunctional relationship. And Avery Carlyle manages to make herself known via a slight resemblance – personality wise – to Blair Waldorf. That said, each of the characters bring a new set of drama to the table that provide countless laughs, tears, and whispers; and by the time you reach the end, you’ll be hungry for a second dose. Gossip Girl is back…with a vengeance.

Gossip Girl #6: You’re the One That I Want: A Gossip Girl Novel (Gossip Girl) by Cecily von Ziegesar

The main plot in this book revolves around college acceptance letters and what the characters plan to do with their lives after high school. In the beginning of the book, Serena, Nate and Blair meet to open their letters. Blair, whose main goal in life seems to be getting into Yale, is accepted only to Georgetown, her “safety school.” Serena, on the other hand, gets into Yale, Brown and just about every other major university in the USA. Nate, likewise, is accepted to four universities. This whole scenario seems a bit ridiculous because Blair has spent her high school years slaving away in honors classes and doing community service work, while Serena and Nate have been to busy doing drugs and going to parties to focus much on school. Upon this Blair throws a temper tantrum, yells at Aaron, starts drinking, etc…
In the mean time, Jenny is perusing her modeling career with a bit of help from Serena. Vanessa is adjusting to life with her two new roommates. Dan is still the troubled, lost soul her always was, even with a new residence. Nate is still a jock and a pot head. The character’s college visits are also described. Serena, as always, is breathtakingly beautiful and mysterious, causing men to fall in love with her everywhere.
What I really like about the Gossip Girl books is how well von Ziegesar intertwines the different lives and stories of her characters. There are always lots of little stories being told consecutively, lots of subplots, but the book is still very easy to read and a real page turner. The characters are all so different and yet they all stumble across each other’s paths in clever and interesting ways.
The only thing that really bothered me about this book (which is more exciting than the previous one, by the way) is Blair. At the beginning of the series I found her amusing, but there are times when here drama queen antics and constant bad mood can be annoying as hell. She’s completely self-centered and everything always has to be about her. For example, I can understand how she might be upset about not getting into Yale, but that doesn’t mean that Serena and Nate (who got in!) should be afraid to even mumble the word in her presence. Every time someone tries to console her about it, (like her mother,) she doesn’t even give them a chance to say anything. She’s especially rude to her mother, by the way, who’s pregnant with her baby sister. Blair gets to choose a name for her sister, by the way, and chooses Yale like the egoistical teenager she is.
Enough Blair bashing though. Overall, this book is a fast-paced and exciting read. Despite being the sixth book in the series, the ideas are still fresh and the twists are very clever. It’s better than Gossip Girl 5 so…read it!

Would I Lie to You (Gossip Girl, No. 10) by Cecily von Ziegesar

I am in definite agreement with the majority of the reviews. “Would I Lie to You” is a sad piece of evidence of what happens when you take something fresh and successful and turn it into a cliched work of garbage. And while I do agree with one reviewer that stated that this book was written purely for entertainment and not to win a nobel prize, I will point out that the book should be WELL-WRITTEN!

The ghostwriter has no conception of how to tell a good story and even more importantly doesn’t understand the characters. Though von Ziegesar did make her characters curse, this ghostwriter overkilled with the profanity. It always seemed that Blair and especially Serena were too classy to be dropping the F-bomb in every sentence they spoke. Not to mention that the Serena von Ziegesar created doesn’t seem to have enough emotional depth to have pined secretly for her best friend’s boyfriend for a year and then become suddenly depressed and scared when Nate and Blair reunite. Deciding to write a sappy Dear John letter to end their romance was not only a stupid device used to create tension but was another indication that the ghostwriter can’t successfully continue this series. In addition, GG (whoever that may be and now who cares) dropped so many product endorsements and wrote so many how to lists, I began to skip pages in boredom. The ghostwriter lacks any flair or style to make the readers care who the anonymous GG is and boasting about where the wealthy go to vacation and what designer sunscreen they use can’t make up for the fact that the premise of “gossiping” about these self centered characters has grown stale.

When I was teenager I loved reading YA fiction because it was fun and you didn’t necessarily have to think too hard about what you were reading. I still like to pick up a teen series every now and then for the same reason. Though I may have over-analyzed something meant to be a pleasurable escape from real literature, I cannot help but be upset that a clever series has been degraded to horribly written pulp. Readers may not look deeply into the style or character development but if you’ve stayed with the series since Book 1, you have probably learned to care to anticipate what these characters will do or go through next. It’s an insult to those readers who have really enjoyed these books. Alloy Entertainment should have let this series end with Book 8.

Gossip Girl #7: Nobody Does It Better: A Gossip Girl Novel (Gossip Girl) by Cecily von Ziegesar

Cecily Von Ziegesar really keeps things interesting in her seventh Gossip Girl book. In this book, Senior Spa Weekend is coming. Things with Blair and Nate aren’t good, when Nate steals his parents yacht to bring with stoner friends on vacation. Blair gets mad because Nate was supposed to meet her at the Plaza Hotel. Dan leaves the Raves band after he pukes all over at a concert, and Jenny joins as the lead singer, that is until things fall apart with her life. Next year she won’t be back at Constance Billard, unless she repeats ninth grade. Blair moves in with Vanessa and gives her apartment a makeover and hooks Vanessa up with Aaron. At the Senior Spa Weekend, Blair finds out that she has made it into Yale, and also that Nate is cheating on her with Lexique and she finds Serena making out with him. Interesting gossipy book. I really liked this one!

Gossip Girl #9: Only In Your Dreams: A Gossip Girl Novel (Gossip Girl) by Cecily von Ziegesar

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.

Gossip Girl #8: Nothing Can Keep Us Together: A Gossip Girl Novel (Gossip Girl) by Cecily von Ziegesar

I have to say that the gossip girl novels are not influencing on my lifestyle in anyway as the worried parent wrote in the NO! review. these are just books, a way to escape from the world. i am personally against the use of drugs and think getting drunk is really stupid, but these books are just a fun way to enjoy an afternoon. if your daughter thinks that because the people in the book get high she should too them there is a problem! but if shes just reading them whats the harm in that! i think that these are great books. they’re fun and exciting and well they give you something to do that isn’t boring. there are worse things on TV and in movies than in this book.