The Bride Wore Size 12

August 12, 2013
Bestseller Cabot neatly blends crime, humor, and a touch of romance in her fifth Heather Wells whodunit (after 2012’s Size 12 and Ready to Rock). While handling the demands of freshmen orientation at Manhattan’s New York College, Heather also listens to parental complaints about room assignments at Fischer Hall, the student residence where she works as a supervisor. Recently popularized by the arrival of Crown Prince Rashid, Fischer Hall is also the site of the untimely death of a new resident adviser, Jasmine Albright. Heather works to fit together the pieces of the puzzle in Jasmine’s demise even as she continues to plan for her upcoming wedding to her dreamy fiancé, Cooper Cartwright. Multidimensional characters, from the dorm handyman to the arrogant yet elusive prince, are a plus, but it’s the simmering mystery behind the suspicious death that propels this installment to its surprising conclusion. Agent: Laura Langlie, Laura Langlie Agency.

July 15, 2013
In this sequel to Size 12 Is Not Fat (2005), ex-pop star Heather Wells is about to get married, if only she can stop the murderer in the dorm. Having been bilked out of her teeny-bopper fortune by her mother, and having lost fame to younger musical upstarts, Heather is rebuilding her life at New York College. It is the end of the summer, and Heather is an assistant director at Fischer Hall, organizing the work schedule for the resident advisers and preparing for the incoming freshmen and all their attendant complaints. Meanwhile, she's planning for a gala wedding, at the Plaza no less, to Cooper Cartwright, a private detective who also happens to be a media heir. Too bad one of the RAs ends up dead. Alcohol poisoning? Asthma? Murder? When the medical examiner confirms foul play, Heather begins investigating (she is a criminology major, after all) but not without the inherent risks--the murderer may want to shut her up too. Perhaps everything can be traced back to Fischer Hall's newest resident, "Rascally" Prince Rashid of Qalif, whose hard partying ways, menacing bodyguards and penchant for beautiful coeds could bring shame to the king if word got out. Meanwhile, Heather is trying to keep calm in the face of familial discord: In an attempt to heal the rift, Cooper's sister Nicole invites Heather's mother to the wedding. Now Heather is furious with both Nicole and her mother, who is hoping to move in with a less-than-forgiving daughter. Cabot, a megastar in the YA market, has written a number of novels for adults, but this feels misconceived--it's light and superficial yet concerns murder and sex. Though 30, Heather behaves like the teenagers she's in charge of, making this whole concoction feel like an aspirational novel for a 16-year-old. A flimsy romance tied to a flaccid murder mystery.

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April 1, 2013

Young fans of Cabot's YA "Princess Diaries" series have followed her straight into their twenties, making her "New Adult" Heather Wells series a big hit. Here, Heather is anticipating her wedding to PI Cooper Cartwright when her wedding planner disappears, a pretty first-year student living in the dorm where Heather works turns up dead after an all-night party, and Heather's estranged mother turns up joyfully. With a 100,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2013
Heather Wells is trying to juggle her wedding plans with registration week at the residence hall where she is assistant director. Jasmine, a new RA, dies, and Heather discovers she had been drinking with students and several other RAs at a party held by a prince, whose father bought his luxury suite of dorms, along with his student status. Tidbits of news are being leaked to the student news blog, and Heather talks to the editor, only to have him nearly killed soon after. The prince's bodyguard begins harassing her, and her fianc''s family contact Heather's long-estranged mother with a wedding invite, producing high stress on multiple fronts. Heather rises above the craziness to take care of everyone and solve the crime in what is both an exciting mystery and a surprisingly funny caper. Cabot splices realistic details of dorm life with humorous descriptions of wedding planning, along with rapid-fire, smart commentary on everything from hovering parents to women's skills at target shooting. Fans may also enjoy Laura Levine's equally funny Jaine Austen series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)