The Secret Diamond Sisters

December 23, 2013
There's more glitz than substance in this series opener from Madow, author of the self-published Transcend Time books. When Savannah, Courtney, and Peyton's alcoholic mother enters a rehab program, the sisters are whisked from California to Las Vegas to live with their rich, hotel magnate father, a virtual stranger, who seems primarily interested in cultivating his newfound image as a family man. The girls see little of him, but they are showered with lavish surprises: an ultraglam penthouse condo of their own, credit cards without spending limits, bodyguards, and plenty of boys ready to take them out. Each girl reacts to her posh new surroundings differently: naïve Savannah revels in it, sensible Courtney feels overwhelmed, and rebellious Peyton wants her old life back. Unfortunately, the plot, which consists of a series of shopping sprees, parties, and failed romances told from the girls' alternating perspectives, comes off as scattered and rushed. Questions about the girls' mother's condition and their father's long-term absence are addressed on only a surface level and left to later books. Ages 14âup. Agent: Molly Ker Hawn, the Bent Agency.

March 1, 2014
Grades 9-12 Three sisters' lives change drastically when they leave their small hometown to move in with their estranged father at his casino hotel in Las Vegas. Readers get to experience the beauty and the facade of living in Vegas through the eyes of distinctly different siblings: Savannah, Courtney, and Peyton. Each girl offers a unique perspective on her spoiled high-school peers and the decadent lifestyles that surround them. The excitingand often terrifyingexploration of the Vegas strip is tempered by the more relatable plotline of the sisters trying to figure out their past. Sexy and often electrifying, this novel suits its wild Vegas setting and will entertain more-mature teen readers. Gossip Girl meets The Princess Diaries in a city that never sleeps.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)