(Review) The Popularity Rules

 Title: The Popularity Rules
Author: Abby McDonald
Pub Date: October 2011
Pages: 480
Publisher:Sourcebooks Landmark

Source: I received an advance readers copy from the publisher for my review.

About the Book:

The meek don’t inherit a thing. Nice girls win nothing but regret. Virtue is wholly overrated.

If you don’t do it, some other girl will.

Kat Elliot has spent her life fighting against phony schmoozing—and it’s led her nowhere. A rebellious music journalist, Kat is down on her dreams when her ex–best friend Lauren swishes back into town. Ten years ago, Lauren dumped Kat for high school gold: popularity. Now Lauren wants to make amends by teaching Kat the secret to her success: The Popularity Rules, a decades-old rule book that transformed Lauren that fateful summer.

Broke and desperate, Kat reluctantly agrees to a total makeover—what does she have to lose? She’s gotten nowhere on her own. Maybe becoming someone new is just what she needs.

This is Abby McDonald’s second adult book that I have recently read. Her first one is The Liberation of Alice Love. She is the author of several young adult books and I have to admit that I have them sitting on my shelf waiting to be read. I am hoping to read them very soon.

Before I get to my review of the book, I have to share with you that i actually got my quote on her website. You can see it here: http://abbymcdonald.com/review-round-up. Thank you so much Abby I loved The Liberation of Alice Love and I have to say that I think I loved this one just as much.

When I was offered to read and review this I quickly sent the email with a yes please I would love to read this. I have had the book for awhile now but only recently allowed myself to read it. I knew if I read it right away that I would want to gush about it. So when I picked up the book I made sure that it would be during the week when I knew I wouldn’t be interrupted so on a recent cold and rainy day I picked it up to read and read it I did. I barely put the book down and managed to read it in a few hours.

WOW! I love the book and I feel as though I got to live vicariously through Kate while I read this book. I like the cover. This is one thing I love about Sourcebooks is that the cover of the advance readers copy is always the same as the finished copy.

I love reading chick lit and even more so when its from the UK. Not quite sure why that is, perhaps its knowing that the author is from the UK that does it for me. I mean who wouldn’t love to go and be in the UK? That is my go to destination one day. I absolutely love the UK and anything to do with the UK.

Each chapter starts off with a “If you want to be popular rule” and some of these rules are so funny. The one common thing in this whole book is if you want to be popular you basically have to be a bitch because nice girls don’t get anywhere. Honestly I kind of think that is true in some weird way. Each chapters tips were basically told like it is and it related to the story that followed.

I think Kate is very relatable character and she wasn’t so far fetched. I have to admit that I am probably a Kate and I could relate to her throughout the course of the book. Growing up Kate was always trying to fit in but it was always a struggle (which is for some many people). We see this with Kate.

Growing up she had a resentment for her then best friend, Lauren. It seemed like the summer that Lauren went away to camp she came back a whole new person and dumped Kate like yesterday’s trash with no real explanation. That effected Kate.

Then just when it appears the whole world is crashing down around Kate (she has just gotten fired from her job, she has no money, she is going to be kicked out of her apartment etc) in walks Lauren. You know this won’t be good news for Kate. Lauren offers to take Kate under her wing with offering her what she has. A life of getting everything and anything.

Kate figures what does she have to loose? Seriously if you were down and out and someone offered you a place to live (expense and rent free), showed you the ropes and bought you nice things, wouldn’t you jump at the chance to find out how to get it all on your own? I know I would.

As the book progresses Kate learns alot about herself. What its like to struggle for things and what its like to get things given to you.

I loved Ash at the beginning and so wanted the relationship between him and Kate to develop more. Not sure what it was that made me love him so much. They both had great chemistry and then later in the book I just wanted to throttle him. I think Kate handle the situation very well and I probably wouldn’t have done the same thing.

I think if you like chick lit you will enjoy this.

I am dying to read Abby’s young adult books and I know any future adult books will be read and devoured.

Thanks to Sourcebooks for contacting me about this book and thanks to Abby for writing such a fantastic book.