The Elite by Jennifer Banash

Synopsis:

From the top, you can see everything…except yourself.

When Casey McCloy steps into the elegant Bramford building, she’s overwhelmed. Fresh from the Midwest, she’s moved to New York’s Upper East Side to live with her grandmother and attend the prestigious Meadowlark Academy. Here all that matters is who you know. The girl to know is Madison Macallister: popular, pretty, platinum blond. She’s not just Casey’s new classmate and neighbor; she’s an icon. So Casey aims to get in with Madison and her gorgeous gal-pals from the start. As the reigning queen of coolness, Madison is capable of destroying reputations with one well timed whisper. Better to be on her good side.

But after a city-haute makeover from her new frenemy Madison, Casey is wearing the right clothes, saying the right things, and meeting the right people—including Drew, the boy-about-town who Madison thinks belongs to her and her alone.

I was excited when Jennifer offered to send me these, because I had heard a lot of good things about them. So, I picked up The Elite and started reading it one night last week, and at first, I thought I wasn't going to like it. You know how sometimes you just aren't in the mood for certain books? I sat it aside and read Dream Factory and then I told myself to give The Elite another try. Am I glad I did!!

I read this book in basically one night. Once I got into it, it was like I couldn't stop reading. I've never been able to get into Gossip Girl or The Clique, but I am a fan of the Private series by Kate Brian. To me, this book felt more along those lines. It was very fun, well-written, and compulsively readable and I really cared about what happened to the characters. At times, I could just see where Casey was headed into trouble and I wanted to scream and warn her.

I think I enjoyed the chapters written from Sophie and and Phoebe's points of view even more than Casey's and Madison's. Their stories were both really compelling and I can't wait to see where they are headed next. I'll definitely be reading In Too Deep soon. I just love it when I find a new series that I am really into. It's interesting to revisit characters that you like and follow them through their triumphs and tribulations.

Thanks so much Jennifer for letting me check these out. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a great and fun read.