Reviewed by Stephanie on
Belles by Jen Calonita is a fun, if not predictable, contemporary read. Izzie is ripped from the home that she knows in the beginning of the book and transplanted amongst the rich and famous. Every teenage girls fantasy right? Well what that fantasy doesn’t include is the loneliness that comes with being surrounded by people that you have only known for days. Not being able to go to school with your friends and knowing your place in the world. What that fantasy actually contains is being on the outside looking in because you haven’t known these people their entire lives and cliques have been long established.
One of the things that I liked best about Belles is that Izzie stayed pretty true to her character. She didn’t let the sudden wealth surrounding her change her too much. Sure some things were made easier but other problems were constantly being brought to the forefront. Savannah being one of those pesky problems. And by pesky, I mean bitchy. In Savannah we find the stereotypical mean girl. We are meant to hate her and all that she stands for. We know that Savannah is never meant to have the hunky boy (Braydon). In fact, we root for her to be tossed aside like yesterday’s garbage. Calonita does not vary from this line of thinking. If you’re looking for more of a meaty book, I would pass on this. If you want some fluff (and there is nothing wrong with fluff) this is an entertaining read.
The only other issue that I had with Belles by Jen Calonita is that I knew before I even cracked the book that Izzie was actually the senator’s daughter and not some cousin/niece.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 4 July, 2012: Finished reading
- 4 July, 2012: Reviewed