I LIKE IT LIKE THAT: A Gossip Girl Novel
Cecily von Ziegesar
Little, Brown and Company
Fiction
ISBN: 0316735183
208 pages

The fifth Gossip Girl novel covers Spring Break for the Constance Billard School girls and their guys. Blair does not want to go to Hawaii with her newly blended stepfamily and very pregnant mother. Serena offers rescue in the form of a skiing trip to Sun Valley, along with her hot brother Erik. A sober Nate is also going to Sun Valley with his new girlfriend from rehab. Daniel lands an interesting internship at a hot new NY literary magazine. Vanessa tries to keep her films from her eccentric parents. And Jenny tries to find out why boyfriend Leo is so mysterious. In other words, it's business as usual for these characters.

I LIKE IT LIKE THAT seems to be preparing readers for major upcoming events: Blair still doesn't know what college she will be attending; she and Nate still dance around each other; Blair's mother still has not had the baby, but events help Blair come to terms with this in the book; and Daniel goes back and forth with Vanessa. Plenty of humor does keep things moving here, especially concerning Daniel's internship and Blair's efforts to impress Serena's brother Erik. A crazy caper where Serena is almost arrested naked is another little surprise that keeps the book fresh.

My only reservation is when the book falls into the stereotypical angst about virginity and guys. Hopefully, this series will not head into a typical Hollywood-esque Prom/Graduation story and will continue to surprise readers. Nevertheless, I LIKE IT LIKE THAT is a fun and light read, filled with the delicious designer details that are the signature of this series.

   --- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

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