Beneath the Glitter: A Novel
Gr 6-9-The Fowlers of YouTube's AllThatGlitters21 and juicystar07 have written their first novel, a seemingly fictionalized account of their own lives. Sisters Sophia and Ava London, young and beautiful, are Internet sensations due to their video blog makeup tips. In short order they meet a movie star, win the prestigious Best Webstars of the Year, and are offered their own cosmetic line, London Calling. Sophia, the serious older sister, is recovering from a bad break-up and goes on a hiatus from dating, aka a "boytox," until she finds two very different men attractive: Hunter, who appears too good to be true, and Giovanni, an artist/bartender. Ava, the impulsive younger sister, is torn between Liam Carlson, a movie star, and Dalton, a mysterious animal-shelter volunteer. In the sisters' alternating narratives, readers see the romantic entanglements and sibling misunderstandings that threaten their relationship and new business. Ultimately all is resolved, and the girls seem headed for a happy ending until they are arrested at a benefit they are throwing. The mystery involving their arrest is forced and poorly set up and the epilogue is even more baffling. The book makes a serious attempt to explore relationships between sisters, but the emphasis on clothes, parties, and makeup detracts from this effort and gives the book an air of frivolity.-Kefira Phillipe, Nichols Middle School, Evanston, ILα(c) Copyright 2011.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.