IT’S ALL ABOUT US
Shelley Adina
FaithWords
Fiction
ISBN: 9780446177986
256 pages

Lissa Mansfield thought that changing schools would be no big deal. After all, she was the most popular girl back at her high school in Santa Barbara. However, in IT’S ALL ABOUT US, the shelley book in a brand-new series by Shelley Adina, former it-girl Lissa gets more than she bargained for when she transfers to Spencer Academy, an elite boarding school in San Francisco.

Lissa’s dad is the famous Gabe Mansfield, director of some of the hottest new movies. An extended film shoot in Northern California means big changes for the whole family, including Lissa’s entry into the world of boarding school. Beautiful, stylish and wealthy, she used to be a standout. But at ultra-posh Spencer, nobody is taking notice. Trouble begins immediately as Lissa and her new roommate, opinionated New Yorker Gillian Chang, think they have nothing in common. That is, until they discover that they both are committed Christians. However, it seems that Gillian is a bit more committed than Lissa, who becomes embarrassed when her roommate’s religious zeal begins causing her problems with popular classmates.

Just as Lissa thinks she will never fit in, Spencer’s hottest guy, Callum McCloud, begins to take notice of her. Lissa has had a crush on Callum since she arrived and is willing to do almost anything to become his girlfriend. The two begin to get very serious, very fast. Now that she is with Callum, Lissa suddenly finds herself back in the popular crowd to which she is accustomed. But her newfound popularity may have a big price tag. Lissa’s new friends seem to be engaging in a number of activities that compromise her reputation --- big time. Not to mention that her relationship with Gillian and friend Carly, the only two people who would even associate with Lissa before, is more than tense. Lissa reaches a breaking point when she realizes that she may not be able to give Callum everything he wants without compromising her own values and identity. But is he, and the entire world of Spencer’s it-crowd, really worth it?

IT’S ALL ABOUT US plays off of the popularity of California-rich-kid shows like “Laguna Beach,” “The Hills” and “The OC.” The book gives an inside look, from a Christian perspective, of this glamorous world of paparazzi, designer clothes and big-time drama. It is also saturated with pop-culture content. From references to the hottest celebrities, to new gadgets like the iPhone, one often feels like he or she is reading a copy of US Weekly.

While it may be somewhat over-the-top and unbelievable in its nature, pop culture junkies and fans of such reality programs as “Laguna Beach” will undoubtedly love IT’S ALL ABOUT US. It is fun, intriguing and has the potential to capture the attention of an audience more likely to be watching MTV than reading a novel. While the content may seem shallow to some, perhaps it is just what many teens need to start getting interested in reading again.

    --- Reviewed by Jennifer Crosby

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