my favorite guilty pleasure
Customer Rating: 
Truthfully, this book has no moral value whatsoever, which is why I think the people who have negative things to say about it don't like it. The characters are all rich teenagers (aside from a few) in high school who have sex, drink and party all the time, wear fabulous clothes, gossip about and back stab one another, engage in drug use, and nothing horrible ever happens to them in spite of all that. Now is it right that they engage in risky behaviors yet don't ever suffer the consequences? No. Which is why I can understand why a parent would not want their child to read any of the "Gossip Girl books". But I for one, would rather not read a book about teenagers who do drugs and have sex and end up with some horrible disease because of it. Because honestly...who wants to read about somebody having crotch rot? Yeah, that's what I thought.
That being said....I LOVE the Gossip Girl books. A book series about the glamorous lives of rich, stuck-up teenagers who can do whatever they want and get away with it is the perfect juicy read for escaping from the everday problems of your own life and getting wrapped up in the drama of the characters, or its just nice to read on a lazy sunday afternoon.
And really, its not just any old book about the rich and the famous, as I'm aware that there are several books out there on the very same topic. Because when it comes to chick-lit, "Gossip Girl" is the cream of the crop.
"Gossip Girl" revolves around the lives of New York residents Serena Van Der Woodsen (the girl that every girl wants to be and every guy dreams of sleeping with), Blair Waldorf (Serenas bitchy on again off again best friend who rules the school), Nate Archibald (every girls dream boy and the object of both Blair and Serenas affection), Chuck Bass (the jerk), Dan Humphrey (the chain-smoking poet who longs to be with Serena), Jenny Humphrey (Dans little sister who is a wannabe Serena), and Vanessa Abrams (the complete opposite of Serena and Blair, who wants to be a filmmaker and has a huge crush on Dan)
Plot:
Blair Waldorf, who is suffering from an eating disorder and dating Nate (who is in love with Serena) is devastated when Serena mysteriously returns from boarding school, especially because she is jealous of Nates affection for Serena and is afraid Serena will once again push her out of the spotlight. Serena who is hiding a major secret from Blair having to do with Nate, hopes that she can rekindle her friendship with Blair, but Blair makes it perfectly clear that's not going to happen and goes about spreading rumors about Serena and turning all of her former friends against her. Because Serena is now friendless, leaving her with nothing to do, she goes about searching for new hobbies and tries out for a student film that Vanessa is directing, which is how she meets Dan. Dan is beyond thrilled that he has the chance to work with his dream girl, but a jealous Vanessa makes sure that isn't going to happen by not casting Serena in the film. Meanwhile, Jenny is thrilled that her idol Serena has returned and tries her best to find a way to fit in with the 'in crowd'.
And the best part of the book? That would be GOSSIP GIRL. Gossip Girl is the mysterious online personality that annoymously blogs about the characters in the book on her website and reveals scandalous and juicy secrets about them. That right there, is what makes this book unique and stand out from the other books of the same type.
Vapid and Shallow -- and Not In A Good Way
Customer Rating: 
This and all other Gossip Girl books read like an ad for over-priced consumer goods. I got my hands on all the books at once because I enjoyed (still enjoy) the television show inspired by the series and because I was about to be laid up in bed, recovering from surgery, for awhile. I didn't want anything too heavy to read -- just some mindless and simple fun.
The Gossip Girl books are mindless and simple alright, but they are not fun. I can't believe Ziegesar stretched the books out as long as she did (Furthermore, I can't believe I read them. The painkillers must have anesthetized my judgment as well!) because all twelve (count them, TWELVE) books tell basically the same story over and over: spoiled teens having too much sex, doing too many drugs, and having too little parental supervision. You would think that a combination like that could at least be entertaining, but no. Ziegesar manages to muck up the most basic of premises and turn it into something incredibly boring.
The underripe cherry on the flavorlese sundae is that every other sentence contains references to expensive consumer goods. Whether it be three thousand dollar jeans, a bottle of Cristal, or just the Hampton's Jitney, the message is clear: life is just better when you have mo' stuff. I wasn't censored in my reading as a child, and I wouldn't encourage anyone to forbid their children from reading these books, but if you see your adolescent daughter/niece/neighbor heading towards these books in a library or bookstore, do whatever is necessary to distract them towards better fare. These books will do nothing but encourage them to be glassy eyed, sulking consumers.
A good book, but not the best.
Customer Rating: It's not the best book, but I did find it pretty good.
S is back from boarding school. Her hair is longer, paler. Her blue eyes have that deep mysteriousness of kept secrets...If we aren't careful, S is going to win our teachers, wear that dress we couldn't fit into, eat the last olive, spill Campari on our rugs, Steal our brothers' and boyfriends' hearts, and basically ruin our lives in a major way.
Gossip Girl is filled with gossip, scandal, jealousy, and betrayal.
It's a very engrossing book. Once you enter, it's hard to extract yourself
