When I saw Gossip Girl sitting on the shelf in the library, I just knew I had to read it. I have heard the hype over the TV show for years, and I thought why not begin where it starts, with the first book! The books by Cecily Von ziegsar were made into a TV series, and usually the books have to be really good for that. With this being said, I had pretty high expectations of this being a good fit for me, and an interesting read. I thought this would spark my interest because gossip between teens is so dramatic. In most ways this young adult novel held up to the standards I put it too. I would recommend this book to girls my age, and for anyone who’s in for a mysterious, dramatic read. 

First of all, it’s clear, the author, Cecily Von Ziegsar, was passionate about writing this book. There is great detail that makes me think the book reflects her own life a bit. Her own experiences were thinly veiled throughout the book. She went to an all girls school, and the school in the book is based on a real all girls school in NY. 

The unspoken drama between the characters made for an enthralling read. Drama happens all the time in the book, but one of the main scandals was Serena sleeping with her best friend Blair’s boyfriend, Nate. Serena left after falling in love with and sleeping with Nate. After a year of being overseas and Blair becoming the most popular girl in school, Serena returns.  Serena's estranged best friend Blair, who was just getting accustomed to being THE most popular girl, now must take a step back and share the spotlight. Not only is her popularity at stake, but so is her love life, as she worries that her boyfriend Nate has eyes for Serena. This has been true in the past given the girls lost their virginities to the same boy. But, in the end, Nate chooses Blair. They actually both got accepted into yale.

The book starts with an entry from gossip girl’s website gossiping about one of our main girls, Serena, coming back to regular school after being shipped off to boarding school.  The entry was a great hook, and the way it was set up like an actual web page was very visually pleasing to me. It made me as the reader feel included like I was going on the website. When I first opened this book I didn’t know the setting would be an all girls high school. That made for an interesting dynamic between girls. In regular high school there is usually rivalry between boys and girls. After seeing this I started to pick up on jealousy between the girls because they don’t have anything to focus on but comparing themselves. This dynamic was also engaging because even the littlest things, the girls were trying to one up the other. For example we see this immediately in gossip girl's first entry when Serena came back to school after being sent to boarding school, gossip girl says “S is back from boarding school. Her hair is longer, paler. Her blue eyes have that deep mysteriousness of kept secrets....lf we aren't careful, S is going to win over our teachers, or wear that dress we couldn't fit into,” Since it’s an all girls school, there is an all boys one too. I’d assume the dynamic there is hyper-masculine, but the author didn’t get into that too much. 

After reading this book I feel it’s very relatable in many ways. Serena and Blair are supposed to be best friends, but they keep secrets from one another. It was kind of condescending at times the way everyone including Blair and Serena said that they were the best of friends, because in reality they were fighting over the things left unsaid. Like in the book Blair and Serena are described as “the two most beautiful girls on the upper east side” but judging by their dialogue they are envious of one another. I personally recognize the dialogue which is classified as teen girl talk. I can picture the way the girls would say things, the author's imagery is so strong. Serena somehow always ends up as the center of attention. Now one would think Blair should be excited for her best friend's return, but really she is bothered that Serena always ends up as the center of attention. Blair was queen B of the school when Serena left and it seems she was reluctant to share the spotlight for Serena's return. The girls remain "friends". 

I like how this book ended pretty openly. It ended with an action filled scene of Blair leaving her home to go hang out with her boyfriend. She tells her dad she’s leaving and he didn’t even notice her, just another example of her parents being inattentive. The end enforces what I’ve learned about stereotypes and privilege, the parents are rich and don't care! Right when the book ends Blair is pounding on Nate’s door begging to be let in, and that gives me the hint that in the next book something will happen when that door opens. Since the girls are finishing school and starting life in the ending of the book, I can tell there is more to come for the series. I like how the ending is clear that there will be another book, it is good for the series. I loved the way the book was written, it was a great read.