A Girl Like Moi: The Fashion-Forward Adventures of Imogene [ペーパーバック]

Sixteen-year-old Imogene is not your typical, run-of-the-mill, Greenwich, Connecticut prep school student. For one, while she comes from old money, she is currently broke, due to her mothers heinous idea to marry a "starving" artist against her father's wishes, basically cutting her out of the will; and two, she's being forced to sign up for a summer internship through her school, while the rest of her classmates gallivant all over Paris and the Cayman Islands for the summer. Imogene absolutely knows that this will be the worst three months of her life. But when her best friend, and resident wannabe fashion designer, Evie, spots a posting for an internship at HAUTELAW - a fashion forecasting agency in New York City - Imogene knows that she has found her calling. As the writer of the "Daily Obsession," Imogene is confident that she knows what's on the up and up in the fashion world, and knows that this internship was created specifically for her in mind. So when she lands the job of her dreams, she just knows that her life is changing - for the better. After all, the Editor, Spring Sommer, truly loves her ideas, and the fact that she gets to be parent free for the summer, living in a fab apartment with her "girlena" Evie, and dividing her time between lunching at the posh Serendipity, and snagging tickets to the Barney's warehouse sale, Imogene feels as if she's in heaven. Throw in the fact that she's met the most adorable Italian stallion named Paolo, and Imogene's summer is cut out for her. But when she encounters Brooke, the all-evil senior intern she'll be working alongside, Imogene's fears leave her shaking in her Christian Louboutin heels. Suddenly, this paid internship looks like it may leave a deeper impression on the fashion-obsessed diva - one that makes her question whether this is the path she wants to take in life, or if she'd rather be labeled a "poor little rich girl."

Lisa Barham is the new queen of the teen fashion scene. From page one, Barham illustrated Imogene as a likable new ingénue, who's upbeat, bubbly personality sets the pace for an adventure of a lifetime. Imogene is a delightful character, whose oft-times clueless personality is charming, while her many rants and raves regarding the fashion world, her love life, and her mounting AmEx bills leave the reader riveted. Her many hare-brained, yet hilarious schemes are irresistible; while the interactions she partakes in with her diet-obsessed, sugar rush loving, restaurant heiress pal Evie, could not be more true-to-life and relatable. Evie is a wacky, yet delightful secondary character, whose role in Imogene's crazy mix-ups, and outrageous fashion crises make her seem like the best friend of the reader, as well as the main character; while the many other personalities found within the pages of A GIRL LIKE MOI - such as the struggling up-and-coming model, Caprice, and the astrology-loving, spend-a-holic, Cinnamon - truly tie the tale up, and give it that special je ne sais quoi. Barham has created THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA for the teen-set. This season's must-have accessory!

Erika Sorocco

I'm horrible at writing summaries, so I'll tell you what I like about this book. It's awesome for girls who love fashion, like moi. =] I would recommend this book for ages 10-13. Imogene is a really cool character and I love the idea of an internship at a fashion magazine! (Read the book and you'll find out what I'm talking about!)

This is a wonderful book and I'm not even halfway done with it! I am anxiously awaiting the sequel that comes out in June!

Since I usually read more intellectual books and pride myself on not reading chick lit, I took this book off the shelf for three reasons: It was the only non-children's book there; It was nice and long, for chick lit standards; and its cover was appealing (I know, I know, don't judge a book...).

It started out just as I expected it to be: Imogene is a girl with much more money than a typical teen - who still thinks she's totally broke. It was annoying and I found myself gasping at the stupidity and in anger at inflicting the book on myself. But after the first fifty pages (shock! - it took longer than a day to read), things started looking up and the book became the first interesting piece of chick lit writing I have ever laid my hands on. While Imogene's advice to her sixteen-year-old peers at the beginning is to lick their noses to prevent their chins sagging when they hit eighteen, the end of the story becomes quite intelligent and Imogene's narrating voice is intelligent, funny and plain mature. It happens so naturally - I haven't found the turning point yet, but I wish all readers a lot of fun trying!