Review Detail

A Girl Like Moi is the first in a new series starring the flirty and fun-loving fashionista, Imogene. She might look like an ordinary rich girl living on the Upper East Side, but if you look past her Chanel shades and Manolo Blahniks, youll find an utterly fabulous heroine. Imogene manages to overcome her shoe addiction, score an internship at HauteLaw, and fall in love with an Italian prince, all in the space of one summer.

The summer didnt begin so well, when Imogene and her best friend and fashion designer Evies vacation in Paris was abruptly canceled due to Imogenes sudden spiral into credit card debt. While her moms side of the family is very well off, Imogenes grandparents didnt take too kindly to her mother running off with a starving artist and cut her off from their wealth. Alas, Imogene has never had the never-ending bank accounts that most Manhattan socialites are used to, and her taste for the very best names in fashion (Dior, Miu Miu, and Dolce & Gabbana to name a few) creates a bit of a dilemma. After her inability to handle a credit card, Imogenes parents order her to find a summer job and pay off her debt.

Using her connections wisely, Imogene maneuvers her way into an internship at HauteLaw, the premier fashion forecasting company of the world. A brilliant writer on her school newspaper and with her obvious penchant for fashion, this is Imogenes dream job. Her internship brings back memories of The Devil Wears Prada, only her greatest nemesis appears to be not the wacky genius editor-in-chief, Spring Summer, but her assistant, Brooke. Imogene better watch her back, because a certain size-zero blonde is out to sabotage her shot at fashion glory.

If back-stabbing Brooke isnt enough to deal with, Imogene also struggles with her feelings for a certain hunky Italian cell-phone snatcher. After running into Paolo at a posh party, the kind one cant help but stumbling upon in New York, and sharing a delectable kiss, he inadvertently ends up with Imogenes cell phone. Retrieving her precious cell is a lot more complicated than it should be, and the ensuing drama causes Imogene to second guess her first impression of the Italian.

Although her summer is nothing like she imagined it to be, Imogene makes the most of her summer in New York City. With Evie and new friends Caprice the untraditional supermodel and Cinnamon, the would-be pop star, by her side, Imogene is ready to take on the world. Her unbelievable life will have readers jealous, but her resourcefulness, charm, and impeccable fashion-sense will win readers over.

Lisa Barham uses her unique fashion and film experiences to construct a wild fashion world that readers will enjoy. Barham creates a fun character in Imogene, and her outrageous adventures will never fail to entertain. A Girl Like Moi is great to read on a plane-ride to Paris, or as a just-for-fun read over Spring Break. Barham professes that it is possible to follow your dreams and have fun along the way. But readers looking for a realistic or more thought-provoking book will not find it here. If you are too old for Lizzie McGuire or you dont dream of Jimmy Choo, A Girl Like Moi might not be the book for you. Ultimately, Imogene is fun, but does not stand out in the plethora of similar teeny-bopper novels.