Gloss by Marilyn Kaye (Young Adult, 9/10)

June 2013, Macmillan Children's Books, 394 pages, Paperback, Review copy,

Themes: life in the 1960's, New York, being a magazine intern, new experiences, living with strangers, being eager to please, having a life plan almost set in stone, wanting the finer side of life, hiding secrets from everyone, huge disappointmemts, major revelations that change how you view the world, the power of friendship, getting into scrapes, being rescued, finding out what you want isn't what you thought you wanted, an unusual reason for stealing, being yourself, learning to trust others, making a fool of yourself, making a scene, dreams being realised, heartbreak, loss, realisations,

Content: moderate teen romance, drugs, alcohol, immoral behaviour, a tissue is needed. 

Summary from MacMillan 

New York, 1963. Fashion, music and attitudes are changing, and there's nowhere in in the world more exciting.

Sherry, Donna, Allison and Pamela have each landed a dream internship at Gloss; America’s number-one fashion magazine. Each girl is trying to make her mark on 1960s New York and each finds herself thrown head-first into the buzzing world of celebrity, high-end fashion and gossip. But everything isn’t as glamorous as it seems - secrets from the past threaten to shatter their dreams.

They're finding out that romance in New York is as unpredictable and thrilling as the city itself.

Nayuleska's thoughts

Although some of the plot was predictable, the way the girls slowly bonded with each other kept me reading from cover to cover. The errors some of them made were life changing,although not always obviously so. My favourite has to be Donna's story, with Sherry coming in a close second. Allison's run in with the law was bittersweet, while Pamela is...a handful who sort of learns her lesson.

Suggested read

Another funny summer read about an intern is My Scorching Summer Diary by Kelly Ann author Liz Rettig (Young Adult, 8/10)