I am so impressed by the cast of characters in this series. Darcy is so different from Acting Out's JD, and both of them are, in turn, quite different from Kelly in Pranked, but all are strong, believable protagonists with real-life difficulties and challenges. Darcy's realization that she might be growing apart from Nicole is something I think everyone experiences as they reach middle school age, but I can't name very many books that address that issue with this much honesty. I really appreciate Katy Grant's willingness to explore the realistic outcome of the many conflicts that arise in these books, instead of always trying to give us a happy ending. I also really appreciate the fact that these books are good, clean fun, with minimal foul language and no other mature content - this book, in particular, really bridges that gap between middle grade and YA that so many tween girls get stuck in.