Life With A Big Butt and A Beautiful Best Friend - Can Things Get Any Worse?

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Rebecca Larkin is an official New York It Girl. Jan Miller is not. Rebecca Larkin is wealthy, beautiful and sophisticated. Jan Miller is not. Rebecca Larkin knows exactly what to say to guys, even those of the gorgeous, college boy type. Jan Miller does not. Sometimes it's tough being the best friend of someone like Rebecca. Especially when you're devastatingly average. With a very large derriere.

Jan's butt isn't her only problem, of course. There are her parents. One word: embarrassing. Plus, they won't quit nagging her about filling out the college applications she's been collecting. Then, there's Josh Gardner, a transplant from Seattle who's quickly overtaking Tom Richmond as Best Supporting Crush in the tragicomedy that is Jan's life. Josh is sweet, just not exactly on her. And, of course, there's Rebecca - Jan's worried about her best friend. She's courting disaster in the form of the very handsome Brian, who's not just a second-year law student, but also a summer associate in her father's law firm. Jan's anxious for her best friend, who's lying about her age, her experience and everything else just to keep the older boy interested. Life's not easy for a Not It Girl like Jan, but she's coming to realize that it may be even tougher for a real It Girl like Rebecca. The girls' senior year will bring crushes, complications, college applications and change - these two very different girls will have to depend on each other to make it through.

There's not a lot to Confessions of a Not It Girl. It's funny, lighthearted, and not quite as fluffy as I first thought it would be. Still, the plot doesn't have a lot of depth or mystery to it. The characters are likable, although Jan's boy craziness gets old PDQ (Pretty Darn Quick) and her misconceptions get a little ridiculous. All in all, though, she comes off as an Every Girl with the usual insecurities. You can't help but laugh with her, root for her, and wish you had a best friend just like her. This isn't a book that's going to enthrall you with its mystery, make you swoon over a vampire, or give you creepy nightmares. It's a sweet, simple story that's easy to read and easy to enjoy.

Grade: B-

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for sexual innuendo, underrage drinking and some language

To the FTC, with love: Disney/Hyperion sent me this book for review. Getting the book for free did not influence my opinion of it in any way.