Gossip Girl #1: A Novel (Gossip Girl Series)

Just finished reading this book and I thought it was pathetic. Why? Because it's extremely shallow and the characters are pathetic. Like somebody else on here said, these teens are snobby stuck up rich kids who waste their lives getting stoned, drunk, and drugged. They do nothing but party, gossip, and stab each other in the back. If you like books like that, then by all means, waste your money on it.

I just thought this book was over all boring and really, really stupid and beneath me. And I'm seventeen. Well guess what? We're not all this dumb and immature.

After working with teens for nearly two decades, I don't recognize the teens described in this book. Yes, it's fiction, but the characters are a combination of every stereotype of teens. It's an insult to real teens.

If it were well written, I would get it, but the author transitions from one character's POV to another without thought. It is full of cliches, and detailed description of the designer clothes and purses that the characters wear. Oh, and don't forget the hair!

Yes, our teens struggle. Yes, many are sexually active. Yes, many drink or smoke weed or are taking their parents' prescription drugs. But these characters (14 to 17) have sex with each other, with friends, with older men, all the while smoking, drinking, taking drugs, and shopping their way to fabulousness.

Seriously. . .

I started reading the series because I saw the TV show and fell in love. I read each one in about 2-3 days so they are a pretty good read. I'm not going to go into detail about it because that's what Wikipedia is for.

I loved it because as a teenager I can relate to what the characters are going through: jealousy, breaking of friendships, trying to fit in, popularity, gossip, etc. That's why I think it's so popular, because so many people are going through or went through what the characters are going through. Most people that read them either are young and dealing with these issues or remember what it's like to. I connected to each character in a different way and saw a little or a lot of myself in every one. Each character has their own personal struggles - one is suffering with bulimia, one's drug addicted, one's trying to gain a positive reputation and her old friends, etc. Many people criticize the profanity, drugs, sex, immorality of the books but the truth is a lot of these things are very real. Some things are heightened a bit but that's because it has to keep the readers interested, but most of it is the reality. Many people think the whole thing is an exaggeration but it's really not. I went to a very pristigious middle and high school in California and two girls were pregnant in the eighth grade! All of these things are very much a part of teenage reality, so it would be ridiculous not to portray it in some books and act like it's not there. And for those of you who are totally against it, just don't read it! Why are you even "wasting" your time and money buying, writing, and reading about it? Find better things to do than criticize literature.

I love reading about these characters and what they do next. I also recommend the show!!!

Oh please, all these over protective parents who have never seen the 'F' word in a book before are writing all these one star reviews on what really is a great book.
I can't tell you much about it since it is kind of hard to follow, but it has a great story to tell.
Sienna is extremely nice and thinks about others which is why she gets everything she wants, while people like Chuck are rude and cruel which is why he has to force girls to let him get up their shirts.
This book was amazing and who cares that there was a 'bad' word on every page? I mean that is what gets you to be able to put your self on how they are feeling.

Serena's come home after getting kicked out of boarding school and everyone wants to know if the rumors are true. Was she pregnant and did she leave her baby in France? Is she really dealing drugs with her initial "S" stamped on each pill? And what's up with her clothes? Is she getting them from a homeless shelter?

All Serena wants to do is hang with her friends and have her old life back. Unfortunately, her friends and old life don't want her back. But don't waste any time feeling sorry for her. She's still rich and gorgeous, and manages to draw the attention of two photo-artists who ask her to model for them and then plaster the city with her pictures. (Well, pictures of some part of her. No one's really quite sure which part, though. Belly button, maybe?) Anyway, she also manages to make new friends and shows signs of adding some depth to her otherwise shallow world.

Don't expect to walk away feeling enlightened after reading this page turner, however. It's not great literature, but it is entertaining and a breezy bit of escapism, much like its tv namesake. Fans of the weekly drama will note some character differences: the names are the same, but physical descriptions, personality traits and economic status vary - most notably in the characters of Dan and Ginny Humphrey. Dan is a little more gritty and angst-ridden and Ginny doesn't look so much like Barbie's little sister, Skipper.

I rated the book five stars because I really enjoyed it and plan on reading the rest of the series. Would I recommend it to you? Well, if you're familiar with and enjoyed Morgan Burke's Party Room trilogy, Melissa De La Cruz's Blue Bloods or Hobson Brown's The Upper Class, you'll probably like Gossip Girl, too. They all center around spoiled, rich kids - or, in the case of Blue Bloods, spoiled, rich vampires - and the dirty secrets that sometimes even money can't hush.