Rivals by Lauren Kunze and Rina Onur

Wow!

It's impossible to say I did not love this book because I did love it. Reading the book was an amazing break from reality into an exciting world of prestige, rivalries, friendships, fights and college education. I loved the creative writing styles that the Kunze used throughout the book; the magazine editorials, the text messages, the invitations and the emails.

I found myself laughing at nearly every page as I read this book. I found myself curious to find out all the secrets that this book encountered. I enjoyed the surprise in finding out who was the Pudding Dues hero, and reading about all the exciting events and conflicts Callie confronted.

What I liked best about this book was how it never has a boring moment and how the writing flowed so nicely. I liked how the character's relationships were constantly changing; one moment Callie and Clint's relationship was perfect and the next jealously between the two soared. I also liked the amazing way secrets were slowly revealed, such as the reason for Grace and Lexi's rivalry. The seemly unimportant lines that I do not pay attention to the first time I read the book, I later realized it was foreshadowing a later event.

My favorite of those lines included when Callie saying the Gregory "Are you thinking about applying for a job?" (198 Kunze) and Gregory saying "Maybe." (198 Kunze) This subtly implied a certain misfortune.

The side characters were the best part of the book. Vanessa, Gregory, Mimi, Matt, Dana, Alessandra, Grace, Lexi and OK all had there own personalities and were easy to relate too. They made the book shine into a waterfall of excitement. It is impossible to say exactly what I like about these characters, but each of them play a fundamental role in this book. The book would not be the same without them.

I took away one star due to the main character Callie.  I have compensated for her naivety the last two books because I understood what it's like trying to fit into a new school where everyone else seems to know each other perfectly. I understood why she lied in the last book was because she was stressed and did not want to ruin her relationship with Clint and her reputation. But in this book, she had a perfect opportunity to tell Clint the truth and really should not have invaded his privacy. I feel that Callie has not yet risen up to strong heroine and protagonist land. I hope that in the final book she finally learns that truth equals happiness, lying equals misery. I also hope she just appreciates her friends.

During the last two books and the beginning of this book, I really liked Clint as a character. I liked how the love triangle in this book was composed of two boys that I thought were reasonable for Callie to date. But in this book, Clint shows his weak side and completely ignores how mean Lexi really was to Callie, after he learned what she did to Callie in the previous book. I do not know how Clint expected Callie not to become jealous or mad when he started spending time with Lexi again. I still like Lexi as a character because she is the perfect devious and intelligent villain. Though she was a bit insecure. I really do not like how Clint acted towards Callie during this book.

Back to the amazing truths of this formidable book!

This book relates a real problem that people face today; the results of financial issues eventually crashing down. I was completely surprised when I learned of the financial issues a certain character faced in this book. I felt sorry for him and I admire his stamina of this dismal occurrence. I am really worried about him. I love books where I feel connected to characters and wish I could solve their problems. 


I visited my sister a few times at college during Parents Weekend, so I loved reading about the Harvard version of parents weekend. Vanessa's mom was the best. I had a great time reading about Callie's father for the first time. I enjoyed reading how her father frazzled a professor and her father's conversation with Gregory. 


Basically, this book is should not be missed. I typically enjoy Paranormal books more than Realistic Fiction, but found this book addicting and fun read. The story is exciting, I feel connected to most of the characters and I feel the desire to read it again. I hope everyone tries this book out. It is a prefect book to read when you are stressed. Once you start reading it, you will not want to stop.

Title idea for the next and last book:

Since the next book's title is not yet released, I will tell you an idea I created and find as a perfect match to what I feel the next book is going to be based.

Culprit

This would be a impeccable title because the next book is all about figuring out and solving the mystery of who is the IvyInsider. 

I hope you try this series out!