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Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality. by Elizabeth Eulberg. March 1, 2013. Scholastic. 272 pages. ISBN: 9780545476997

Lexi has never had very much luck with guys. She is known for having a great personality - a code phrase Lexi feels is applied only to girls who aren't beautiful. In her family, Lexi's seven-year-old sister Mackenzie is considered the beautiful one. The girls' mother enters Mackenzie into pageant after pageant, throwing away money they don't have on an activity Mackenzie doesn't even enjoy. Lexi sees through the superficiality of the pageant game, but her mother never listens to her. In fact, Lexi is expected to sacrifice time with friends, her work schedule, and even her own hard-earned money to make Mackenzie's pageants successful. This book is the story of how Lexi finally gets fed up with her life. She doesn't want to be known as just a great personality anymore, and it's time to exact her revenge.

Reality TV watchers who have seen the trainwrecks that are Toddlers and Tiaras and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo know all too well the questionable parenting and erratic behavior of some of these pageant moms. What we don't get to see on those shows, though, is how the pageant obsession might affect members of the family who don't approve of the expensive hobby, and how such a disagreement can put a strain on a family. This book, through the eyes of its teenage protagonist, shows this situation in a realistic and emotional way. Lexi is truly torn between her desire to be appealing to boys and her wish to avoid the appearance-obsessed attitudes of her mom and sister. When she suddenly starts dressing differently and wearing make-up, it does give her the results she wants with boys, but she still has trouble shaking the nagging feeling that is compromising her principles. So many times, in movies and books marketed to teens, all it takes is a little bit of lip gloss and a pair of contact lenses to turn an awkward, shy girl into every teen boy's dream. This book does a decent job of challenging that ridiculous idea and it goes deeper into issues of self image and beauty and reminds us of the value of having a great persoanlity, no matter what a girl looks like on the outside.

Lexi is a memorable character with whom I would have loved to be friends during high school. She is loyal, funny, and smart, and I rooted for her from page one. At a significant turning point in the book, Lexi's parents both do and say things they probably don't mean, and I nearly started crying, so closely did I sympathize with Lexi's feelings and her desire to break away from all that made her so unhappy. At that moment in the story, when the adults in her life let her down so terribly, I found myself making comparisons between this book and Tales of the Madman Underground, where something similar happens between Karl Shoemaker and his mom. (Both situations also involve money, which caught my attention as well.) Teens - especially those who will soon leave home - often clash with their parents, and I think this book handles that idea well, without making Lexi act like a total victim, and also without completely vilifying her mom. The psychology of this book alone is enough to make it enjoyable, and I think readers will enjoy seeing the transformation Lexi undergoes, and how this change in turn alters her family dynamics.

Fans of Elizabeth Eulberg's previous work (The Lonely Hearts Club, Take a Bow, etc.)  will not be disappointed by her latest novel.  Read-alikes for Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality include King of the Screw-Ups by K.L. Going and Big Fat Manifesto by Susan Vaught.


I received a digital ARC of Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality from Scholastic via NetGalley.

For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat. 

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Take a Bow. by Elizabeth Eulberg. April 1, 2012. Point. 278 pages. ISBN: 9780545334747

Emme, Ethan, Carter and Sophie are students at a competitive performing arts high school. Emme and Ethan are talented songwriters and members of the same band. Carter is a former child star who secretly wishes to leave the spotlight. Sophie is a singer who uses Emme for her songs and Carter for his fame. As senior year begins, all four talented teens are focused on one thing - the senior showcase, and what their performances will mean for their futures.

Though this young adult novel is told from four different points of view, and equal time is spent on each character’s thoughts, I thought Emme was the true protagonist, and I was very invested in what happened to her. I liked the fact that she was a talented, confident, and kind person, and I thought it was interesting to see how other characters either treasured or took advantage of her kindness. I thought her relationship to the members of the band, including Ethan, was very well-developed. The affection among those characters came through loud and clear in their dialogue and made me feel the same sense of warmth and comfort Emme feels when she performs with them.

Though she was not a likeable character, I also really enjoyed reading about Sophie. Her desperation and duplicity were somewhat one-dimensional, but I didn’t really care because she was so much fun to dislike. I was nervous every time I came around to one of her chapters, because I just couldn’t wait for Emme to figure out what a jerk she was, and how terribly she was being used. I didn’t like Sophie, but I thought it was useful to have her point of view so the reader understood that she didn’t really deserve the kindnesses Emme extends to her.

Finally, I really liked the romance that emerged between Emme and Ethan. Their complicated relationship provided a lot of twists and turns in the plot of the book and it was very satisfying to see them pulled apart and brought back together again and again.

Elizabeth Eulberg’s writing is very light and fluffy, with lots of dialogue and not too much in the way of description. This makes Take a Bow a great book for busy teens with lots on their plates who want to read something quick as a means of escape. High school drama club members, and other teens who like the spotlight will see familiar personalities and situations in this book, and will likely sympathize with the pressures of their chosen career path. Take a Bow will be perfect for fans of Eulberg’s 2010 novel, The Lonely Hearts Club, as well as Allen Zadoff’s My Life, the Theater, and Other Tragedies and Melissa Kantor’s Darlings series.

I borrowed Take a Bow from my local public library. 

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