Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies

May 15, 2016
Harper dreams of becoming a journalist, so when she gets the chance to intern in New York City at teen magazine Shift, she jumps at the chance.Harper writes with sarcasm and flair, but her boss, McKayla makes her the dating blogger without knowing that Harper has never been on a date in her life. When the white teen from small-town Northern California plunges into the maelstrom of sophisticated fellow interns, she tells them that she's from San Francisco, compounding her problems. She meets Ben, her aunt's dog walker and a nice guy, who gives her advice, but she focuses on Carter as her dating target. Her snarky columns win her praise from McKayla and the chance to launch her career in journalism. However, Carter turns out to be the son of the owner of Shift, and he takes a real interest in her. But can Harper cope with what his interest might mean? When her constant little lies begin to catch up with her, Harper must try to repair the damage. Stampler flavors her writing with a nice ironic wit that nearly turns the story into a comedy, especially with her inclusion of Harper's dating blogs. The Shift intern pool is a somewhat diverse one, but Harper's dating interests are not; both Carter and Ben are white.Fizzy fashion fluff for lovers of The Devil Wears Prada. (Fiction. 12-18)

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October 1, 2016

Gr 10 Up-Harper Anderson isn't looking forward to spending the summer making smoothies and going to boring backyard parties, so when she receives the call from the editor of a popular teen magazine offering her a summer internship as the magazine's dating blogger, Harper says yes, and she's on a plane to New York City 48 hours later. However, Harper forgot one tiny detail in her application-she knows nothing about dating. The protagonist is quickly thrown into the high fashion, calorie counting, and glamorous world of magazine publishing in the digital age. Under the watchful eye of her editor McKayla (who would give Miranda Priestly a run for her money), Harper writes whatever it takes to get the most clicks on the magazine's website. The teen has it all under control...until she doesn't. Debut author Stampler shows she knows her stuff in this first work that can be described only as The Devil Wears Prada for the teen set. She accurately depicts the glitz and glam of New York City while seamlessly creating a fun story where consequences are real and there is no such thing as perfection. Full of pop culture references, well-known landmarks, fleshed-out characters, and multiple well-crafted plotlines, this novel will be devoured by teens. VERDICT A great addition for collections where contemporary teen fiction is popular.-Erin Holt, Williamson City Public Library, Franklin, TN

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