The Elite by Jennifer Banash

Title: The Elite
Author: Jennifer Banash
Age Group: Teens
# of Pages: 251
My Rating: 3.5/5

Casey McCloy moves in with her grandmother from Normal, Illinois to the upscale New York City. Her first day there and she is already having a cultural shock! Considering that she haven't even left the country yet!

While trying to find her grandmother's complex, she runs into a beautiful trio of the It girls. There is Sophie, Phoebe, and the one and only gorgeous ringleader, Madison.

Casey knows she can never fit in with them. How can she? They are filthy rich and have killer features that are completely natural (talk about unfair). Their days are full of shopping sprees at places like Gucci and Prada and sipping on the finest wine. She on the other hand is this average, frizzy-haired girl who never experienced anything beyond the norm. She's not used to wearing expensive brands or attending sophisticated parties, but that is about to change.

When she becomes frenemies with the almighty Madison, nothing will ever be the same again. Especially now that Madison's hot ex-boyfriend (?), Drew, is taking interest in her. Casey's life can go into shambles if one of the most influential girls around decrees so.

Before I start, I would like to thank Jennifer for being the first author to request me to review their book. I am most honoured. You rock Jen!

When I first heard of The Elite, I automatically thought of Gossip Girl. You know, it had the whole rich-girls-can-do-whatever-they-want kind of idea. And I remembered I hated Gossip Girl after I completed it. (Never went beyond the first volume.) I'm happy to say The Elite was much better in comparison.

Every time I picked up where I left off in the story, I feel refreshed. I think it was the way the author described the settings and what everyone wore without missing a beat. Something about it gave the book a glow. I know, it's strange and you might not understand me but that was how I felt. It was a very nice feeling.

In terms of plot and character, they were definitely not the most original. Drew's and Casey's relationship should have delved in further upon. I found them liking each other right away was not so realistic. It went way too fast. It would be much better if the two got to know each other more before anything happened.

Instead of focusing on only one character, each chapter moved on to a different one. They started to learn new things as they were exposed to problems they never thought would arise in their life. It was a great way to add some more drama because none of them were flawless. But I disliked the fact that everything was about appearance. Apparently, everyone was instantly attracted to each other when it came to looks. If the characters were given more time to interact with each other, it would've been perfect. More bonding times = more meat to chew on.

Despite that, it was compensated through imagery. I loved how The Elite was almost like a show. The story was easy to visualize and was quite bright. (Yes, bright! Refer back to a couple of paragraphs before this one.) It is a great beach read and especially recommended for fans of Kate Brian and Cecily von Ziegesar. I look forward to see how it all develops in In Too Deep!

Review copy provided by Jennifer Banash.