Lipstick Apology

September 1, 2009
Gr 9 Up-When Emily Carson's parents are killed in a plane crash, she is left to struggle not only with the loss of her family but also with solving the mystery of her mother's cryptic last words, scrawled in lipstick on a tray table: "Emily please forgive me." She leaves her quiet Pennsylvania town to live in Manhattan with her Aunt Jolie, a famous make-up artist. With the help of her aunt and the woman's hair-stylist-to-the-stars friend, Emily gets a new look that allows her to fit in with the popular crowd at her new prep school. To her surprise, as well as that of the other students, Emily has sparked the interest of Owen, the most popular boy in school. While Emily may be confused, readers will know that Owen is a bad boy who will disappoint her, and that she will end up with her handsome but less-popular chemistry lab partner. Jabaley's debut novel is standard chic-lit fare complete with Manhattan makeovers and prep-school parties. The plot is predictable, with some inconsistenciesa Google search on Emily's mother yields only four hits, none of which deal with the media frenzy surrounding the tray-table message. The characters are two-dimensional with stereotypical reactions and language. However, chic-lit fans will forgive all these flaws as they devour the pages right up until the happily-ever-after ending."Lynn Rashid, Marriotts Ridge High School, Marriottsville, MD"

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