Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan are the masterminds behind the hilariously bitchy and gloriously witty Go Fug Yourself; fashion commentary at its inventive best. They’ve branched out into the world of young adult fiction with a bang. Spoiled is the first book following the exploits of Brooke Berlin and Molly Dix, two sixteen-year-olds from very different parts of America. Molly’s mother has just lost a battle with cancer and revealed on her death-bed that Molly’s father is in fact Brick Berlin, movie-star extraordinaire. When Molly picks up and moves from Indiana to join the glamorous Beverly Hills high-life she has no idea what she’s in for. Armed with a brand new Lexus and black Amex Molly did not see the venemous scheming of her green-with-envy half sister Brooke coming. Molly is about to get a crash course in how the other half live, warts and all.
Brooke is privileged, talented, beautiful and, you guessed it, spoiled. She’s been experiencing the absent-minded Brick Berlin parenting style for years. Her mother, Kelly Berlin, is no where to be seen. At the beginning she’s superior, shallow and so overwhelmingly horrible to Molly that you really really want to hate her. But you don’t. This is what this book does so well. You manage to love the characters as well as wanting to shake them to make them see sense! Molly is the character that readers will insert themselves into, but Brooke is just human enough that you don’t hate her as much as you could. This book will have you gasping, laughing and groaning out loud all the way through. There’s fab bitchy come-backs, Brick has some of the most ridiculous one-liners, there’s a character called Arugula and Molly finds herself a brilliantly sarcastic sidekick… I mean friend. The authors poke fun at Hollywood’s elite who they know so well, without ignoring the obvious perks to being, frankly, insanely loaded. Molly could be too wholesome, but she’s not. Brooke could be too awful, but she’s not either. It’s really just excellent, moreish fun, I read it in two sittings and THAT was only because I had to work and sleep somehow.
This story line of girl-next-door goes to Hollywood could have been overdone and boring but it’s actually really entertaining and insightful. What you end up with is kind of book teens will want to read with a moral backbone that won’t make parents cringe. Which is kind of the holy grail of young adult fiction if you ask me. Now I’m just waiting for my copy of Messy, the sequel! Spoiled is paperback, $17. Messy is available here in paperback from June, the is a hardback is available via special order from America in the mean time.
PS; how fantastic are the covers? The answer is very.
