BECAUSE I'M WORTH IT: A Gossip Girl Novel
Cecily von Ziegesar
Little, Brown and Company
Fiction
ISBN: 0316909688
208 pages

The fourth book in the Gossip Girl series opens with the beginning of second semester for the Constance Billard School girls. Some are finding out who got into their Ivy League schools of choice. Blair and Serena have become peer counselors for freshmen, including Jenny. Daniel and Vanessa are finally an item. Serena is totally in love with Aaron. Nate is finally arrested for his pot habit. Everyone is gearing up for Fashion Week in New York City. The anonymous Gossip Girl is summing it all up for readers throughout this lightweight, fun read.

This title is better than the two previous ones in the series because no girls are fighting over men and Blair's boring obsession with her virginity takes a backseat to better plots. Everyone in the book is having pretty exciting things happen --- from becoming a NYC runway model, to having a film shown at a famous fashion show, to having a poem published in the New Yorker and getting a literary agent, to being accepted into Harvard or NYU. Blair even has been given another chance at her Yale interview. Remember how she kissed the last interviewer?

BECAUSE I'M WORTH IT shows the series stars growing up and looking to the future. There are still plenty of plot surprises, and the breezy writing style brings in lots of humor. The writer is making fun of the characters and their angst in a way the reader will enjoy.

These books aren't completely realistic --- after all, how many high school teens only wear designer? But somehow it works --- as a 90210-esqe soap opera that's pure escapism. Readers may want to keep a copy of Vogue handy to brush up on what some of the frequently name-dropped designers' creations actually look like. BECAUSE I'M WORTH IT is most suitable for older teens but this Gossip Girl novel is definitely "worth it."

   --- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

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Here's another special treat for Gossip Girl fans. The previous books in the series --- GOSSIP GIRL, YOU KNOW YOU LOVE ME, and ALL I WANT IS EVERYTHING --- are now available in one fabulous boxed set. Don't miss it!