Heels, Heartache & Headlines

Gr 9 Up—This volume keeps the antics of the Pampered Princesses grandiose with alternating narratives from the four girls: Spencer, Heather, London, and Rich. The book begins on a serious note as London recovers from a suicide attempt, but the girls are already scheming and plotting, backstabbing, and talking trash to one another. Rich may have hooked up with London's fiancé, Justice Banks. Spencer is seeking revenge, using the endless supply of alcohol to get Heather to divulge secrets. Heather decides to use Rich's birthday to drop the juiciest revelation in the book: that two of the princesses may share more than they thought. Their exchanges are equal parts playful and spiteful, depending on whose guy is with whom and whose parent is adding drama to their already chaotic lives, which are filled with paparazzi, alcohol, and money. Language is habitually used to heighten the drama, along with the frenemies' sexual escapades. The seriousness of the girls' experiences isn't sugarcoated; the humor that Simone and Abrams inject regularly adds to the engrossing theatrics. The authors have created an epic finish that sets up fireworks for the sixth installment, which will have fans ordering ahead.