BLONDE AMBITION: An A-List Novel
Zoey Dean
Little, Brown and Company
Fiction
ISBN: 0316734748
240 pages

The third novel in Zoey Dean's A-List series begins with Anna Percy having lost her virginity to Ben Birnbaum in a hotel. From there she sees her sister off to rehab, gets fired and rehired on her internship, and meets a hot new guy. Anna is now working for Clark Sheppard, producer of a new hit TV show and father of Cammie, who hates Anna. She has some feelings for her father's driver, the mysterious Django, as well as a guy who works on the TV program, and tries to be friends with Adam, who still loves her. Keeping up with all these changes is quite a challenge.

Many of the delicious details of the wealthy lifestyle that have drawn readers to this series are present here. We still experience drinks after school at the Beverly Hills Hotel and designer bathrobes and underwear. But interesting characters need to inhabit that lifestyle to keep it fresh, and there is too much plot here to leave much room. For example, Anna's friendship with filmmaker Sam, a highlight from GIRLS ON FILM, takes a backseat to her flirtations in this book. Her new relationship with Ben is shallow, after what should have been a huge step for her. Cammie has conflicted feelings about a new stepsister, but that quickly dissolves over her machinations to get some sort of revenge on Anna.

The guys in BLONDE AMBITION seem pretty two-dimensional as well. Ben becomes way too intense too quickly, then suddenly changes again and heads back to school. Adam, the interesting down-to-earth boy from the Midwest, is flirted with by both Sam and then Cammie. All men other than fathers appear to be sex objects, while the girls come off as untrustworthy to each other.

Anna seems to be changing in ways that aren't good during her fresh start in LA. A fourth book is alluded to in the author description; hopefully this next installment will feature improved characters.

   --- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

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