Lucy has been surrounded by “The Whitley Family scandal” for the past 9 years and just when she thinks she is finally going to be able to distance herself from her dysfunctional family, everything just gets even more complicated. All she wants to do is go away to a boarding school in Connecticut where she can step out from under the shadow of her evil, perfect and uber popular older sister Sloane and out of the little desert town that seems to be obsessed with gossiping about her family. Her plan to move across the country relies on her father’s second wedding which does not go as anybody expected.

This book can be summed up in one word: Drama, drama, drama! I thought this was a very enjoyable and quick read. The plot wasn’t as unpredictable as I would have hoped, but it did have its fair share of twists and turns which held my interest. I wasn’t really satisfied with the ending though, I felt that there was something...missing. I don’t even know why, it just felt a little unfinished to me.

As for the characters, the Whitley sisters could not have been more opposite if they tried. I felt that Lucy lacked a lot of confidence which was understandable since she was always being put down by Sloane. I kept rooting for her to grow and stand up for herself, but she never really did. She kind of just hid behind Megan who did most of the fighting. This really made Megan become my favorite because she didn’t seem to be scared of anyone.

The cover is cute and simple. I’m assuming the two girls on it are supposed to represent Sloane and Megan. Why Lucy wasn’t included (since she is the main one), I don’t know, but I still really like it. ( )

The Dirt takes us through a time in a young girls life when everything is in turmoil. The Whitley Family is in for a shock.

Our main character Lucy, is one of three sisters. She is the nerdy one, that just wants to be invisible. Lucy in incredibly intelligent, and is looking forward to their fresh start in a new place after her Father's wedding. Lucy may be quiet, but she has a spunky side that I really liked. Her sister Sloan on the other hand is part of the popular crowd and let me tell you these give a whole new meaning to "mean girls". The things they do and say to other girls are horrible. Which comes to bite one of them in the butt. I did like Sloane at times, because was so outspoken but a lot of the time she was kinda bratty when it came to getting what she wanted.

There are a few twists and turns that keep the pace of the story going and definitely kept me interested in finding out just what really going on. I will say that the sister are very different from each other and each had their own voices in the story, so I enjoyed each one of them in a different way. Needless to say, this is a fast paced roller coaster ride through a scandal that has rocked Palm Desert. There was a point that I thought I knew who was the cause of all of this, but I didn't have it right at all. I want to tell more about the scandal, but I really don't want to give away to much...

This is about staying true to yourself and not letting other people influence how to act or feel. It had tons of high school, and family drama, blackmail, and learning to trust and forgive. I would recommend reading this one for sure. ( )

"I stare at the three of us in the mirror, and can hardly believe my eyes."
—Lucy

The first thing that came to my mind when I first saw this book was the cover. I mean, it was gorgeous and eye catching, and the blue background and blonde hair did a good job creating a striking yet cool cover. And the title was actually intriguing enough for me to read the blurb, and later, the whole story. And have to say, I don’t regret my decision.

The Dirt told us about everyday life of the no-so-ordinary Lucy Whitley. Being born into a wealthy and influental family of Palm Desert, camera and people’s attention has become a common thing. But when her dad decided to marry again, Lucy thought it would be her perfect chance to get out from Palm Desert, from her family, and from her old life altogether. But when a girl crashed her dad wedding and claimed to be Lucy’s long-lost sister, her dream of getting away from Palm Desert is going to be just a mere dream forever . . . if she don’t act soon.
The plot of this book was actuall pretty enjoyable. It started slow in the beginning, but as the story proggress, it picked up its pace and moved quite fast. I love how the hint was being dropped here and there, and by the end, everything exploded and all well ended well.

Lucy Whitley as our main character was well-developed too. Sure, she was not that nice or good. She was easily tempted by popularity and she wasn’t loyal to her friend. She was not exactly what I would call ‘nice’, but she was definitely a constant character and stayed true to her personality, even if her personality was not that great.
Megan Whitley, the long-lost sister of the Whitley’s family as she claimed it, was quite great too. And she was actually very likeable, being witty, clever, unique, and solved problems with her own original way, which was very interesting. I also love how she would went against anything to defend herself and being fearless if it was worth it.
Sloane Whitley, the oldest of the Whitley sisters as well as the most beautiful, she was the main reason why Lucy wanted to get away from Palm Desert. She was the leader of a popular girl of Pal Spring, the PG. And as the leader of popular girl, she could be as mean as she wanted to be. And I like it how she was sly and cunning, and when she was nice, other person would be just like yes-Sloane-I-would-do-whatever-you-say. Her mean personality seemed so believable, and it was easy to picture her as well.

One thing I’m not quite fond of this book was there were some parts of this book that totally sagged the story, like the camping trip they made during a snowstorm, I think that actually, it was a bit pointless. And also, the Whitley’s Dad, I think that his personality was actually not quite developed as the other character. Like his existences was all just to control the Whitley sisters and that’s all.

Overall, if you like to read contemporary novel, or if you like that nerd v.s chic kind of novel, something about friendship and family bonding, or if you’re just searching for something light to be read, try this one and you won’t be sorry. Totally recommended. ( )

What if your future depended on everything going smoothly with something that you had no control over? That is what happened to Lucy Whitley. She wanted to get out of Palm Desert, away from her family that is always in the press and go to Darlington Academy, a boarding school that is focused on the sciences. First, she has to get everyone ready and the wedding has to happen. The wedding is between her father and Lisa Sullivan. This is simple, right?



Lucy’s sisters are not as easy to steer in the right direction. The oldest is Sloane. She is the president of a secret organization called “PG.” She does whatever she wants and doesn’t answer to anyone. Getting her to do what is asked of her for the wedding is a hard task. She also picks on Lucy for her being “ordinary.” Her younger sister is Frankie. She is the dread-wearing, skate board loving one who wears her converse sneakers underneath her bridesmaid dress.

Everything is going as planned and Lucy has started the countdown until she can start at Darlington, when a surprise happens. Someone shows up to the wedding that wasn’t expected, her sister Megan. They haven’t seen or heard from Megan since their mother left with her nine years ago. Why does she show up now? What does she want? Is she really their long-lost sister, Megan?

This book wasn’t one of those books that hooked from the get go. I find that true with contemporary novels. I guess it’s because I don’t read them enough. Like the contemporary books that I have liked in the past, I warmed up to the book and couldn’t put it down. I liked the dynamics of the relationships between the members of the Whitley family, especially Sloane, Lucy and Megan. This alone is worth reading the book for. Would I recommend this book? Absolutely. ( )

When I think of snobby rich kids, I think of this family. You have one that has it all, you have one that is just there, and you have one that is funny. This is usually how it goes. And I am really glad that this book stayed with the normal take on a rich family. It kept the book interesting.

You meet Lucy. Lucy is about to have it all! The mom that she never had, the school that she always wanted, and the vacation of a life time!!! But that is all about to be ruined because her long lost sister just walked in the door at her father’s second wedding claiming that his wife is still alive. I don’t know how I would feel about this. I mean if the love of my life ran away and never came back and then sent my long lost daughter walks in the door, I think I might be a little more then upset…. is he…. NO!! He wants to pick up where they left off. He makes the family go on vacation hiking instead of a family vacation in Paris! And that is where it really starts to go down hill.

I think Lori did such a great job telling a story that kept me wanting more. I loved every minute of this story. I felt like the characters grew along with the story. When that happens, it really makes a story great! It was everything I expected and more!!! ( )