Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah StrohmeyerExpected Publication Date: June 26th, 2012
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Page Count: 352 pages
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Amazon | Goodreads | Indiebound
* I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review *
Gigi, Bea, and Neerja are best friends and total overachievers. Even if they aren’t the most popular girls in school, they aren’t too worried. They know their real lives will begin once they get to their Ivy League colleges. There will be ivy, and there will be cute guys in the libraries (hopefully with English accents)! But when an unexpected event shows them they’re missing out on the full high school experience, it’s time to come out of the honors lounge and into the spotlight. They make a pact: They will each take on their greatest challenge—and they will totally rock it.When this book showed up in the mail along with a few others from HarperTeen I had no idea what it was about. I honestly had never even heard of it, and since I'm not a big contemporary reader I was a bit skeptical. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised! Not only is this book adorably fun, but it's a great summer read! Gigi and her friends, Bea and Neerja, have been holding themselves back from enjoying high school by spending all their time doing homework, but they've finally decided enough is enough! This is a great story about overcoming social anxiety, the pressures of succeeding, and learning to enjoy high school while still getting good grades!
Gigi decides to run for student rep, but she’ll have to get over her fear of public speaking—and go head-to-head with gorgeous California Will. Bea used to be one of the best skiers around, until she was derailed. It could be time for her to take the plunge again. And Neerja loves the drama club but always stayed behind the scenes—until now.
These friends are determined to show that smart girls get what they want—but that could mean getting way more attention than they ever bargained for....
Gigi is so smart, yet so dumb sometimes which definitely had me face palming a few times. She doesn't have the best taste in boys, although I thought she did for awhile! And her need to succeed has her oblivious to the social world around her. I absolutely ADORED her! Not only was she hilarious, but she was pretty too! I loved reading a story about a girl who was not only smart, but also pretty because I feel like that can be kind of rare in YA. Usually, it's the hot popular girl vs. the mousy-haired book nerd but there's no in between. It was so refreshing to read about someone who was pretty and proud to be so brilliant! Bea and Neerja were also incredibly awesome. Bea especially. I would definitely love to have girls like that for my friends!
The story itself is nicely paced, while staying fun and entertaining. It's told from Gigi's POV and she's got a pretty hilarious mind, I found myself laughing out loud on more than one occasion. Beware, there is a love triangle but it is definitely done well. I even found myself having a hard time choosing between the two boys, or even figuring out if they had feelings for Gigi at all! Strohmeyer does an awesome job of putting the reader in Gigi's shoes, because I really felt like I was her. When Gigi felt anxious, I felt anxious for her. When she got excited, I found myself with a huge grin on my face! I'm so happy I had the chance to pick up this book, because it was just so fun!
Overall, I absolutely LOVED Smart Girls Get What They Want! I was so happy to read about a Smart Girl going after what she wanted and putting herself out there on the social chopping block. High school isn't easy and it was great to see a group of friends who could stick together and make the best of it, while maintaining their 4.0 averages! If you're looking for a fun, exciting, cute, and just plain awesome summer read, Smart Girls is the way to go!!
