Lola Carlyle's 12-Step Romance

March 1, 2015
A spoiled celebu-spawn fakes addiction to worm her way into rehab and follow her crush, but she finds that it isn't as she expected (gasp!).Full of sass and witty banter, Lola Carlyle, daughter of an esteemed (though largely absent) father and a soap-opera-star (and hypercritical) mother, hasn't a clue how she's to spend her last summer before she turns 18. However, when she learns from her best frenemy, Sydney, who is in rehab, that her crush-the handsome actor Wade Miller-is a patient there, Lola is determined to get herself admitted. Once she concocts a lie passably large enough, she is indeed admitted. Instead of the spalike environment she envisioned, Lola quickly discovers that rehab-and keeping up her pretense-is harder than she thought. To add another wrinkle, Lola's mentor, Adam, is annoyingly cute and seems to be taking a special interest in her. Playing this premise-Lola's faking alcoholism to satisfy a schoolgirl crush-for laughs is more than a bit disconcerting, as is the blossoming relationship between mentor and (supposed) patient. The presumed love triangle, which should buoy this frothy fare, plummets when Lola makes a clear choice long before the conclusion. While some of the love scenes do have some sizzle, ultimately, there just isn't enough spark to save this. A marginal beach read only for die-hard chick-lit fans who can overlook its multiple stumbles. (Chick-lit. 13-16)

March 1, 2015

Gr 7-10-Lola Carlyle's life may seem glamorous (her father is a famous producer, and her mother is a soap-opera star), but it is hard for her to feel glamorous when her best friend is in rehab and her only plans for the summer include spending time with her self-obsessed mother, who is constantly baiting and avoiding the paparazzi. When Lola's friend Sydney calls from Sunset Rehabilitation and tells her that the facility is like a spa and the boy that Lola has crushed over for the past four years just checked in, Lola pretends that she is an alcoholic so that she may join her friend and help save the guy of her dreams. When Lola arrives at Sunset, she is shocked to find that it is not the spa that Sydney described and, even more alarming, Sydney is no longer there. While this is far from a work of serious fiction and is a bit predictable, the simple language and writing style make it a fun, leisurely read. VERDICT For teens who enjoy the writings of Lisi Harrison or Cecily von Ziegesar.-Ellen Fitzgerald, White Oak Library District, Lockport, IL

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