Books › Best Friends for Never
Best Friends for Never
224 pages
A deliciously catty, brand-obsessed plunge into the cutthroat social warfare of wealthy middle schoolers.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like flipping through a glossy early-2000s teen magazine while eavesdropping on the most popular girls in the cafeteria. It is a brisk, unapologetically shallow, and highly addictive plunge into the cutthroat world of middle school social warfare, where designer labels are armor and a party invitation is a matter of life and death. The atmosphere is glitzy and frenetic, driven by snappy dialogue, relentless brand-dropping, and the constant, buzzing anxiety of maintaining one's spot at the top of the food chain. It perfectly captures the toxic yet magnetic pull of female cliques. Readers looking for a nostalgic, guilty-pleasure escape into high-stakes, low-consequence suburban drama will devour every snarky, gossipy page.
- Mood
- glitzy
- catty
- frenetic
- nostalgic
- Tone
- snarky
- gossipy
- satirical
- dramatic
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- social hierarchy · toxic friendships · middle school survival · materialism and status
- The writing
- The prose is snappy and dialogue-heavy, dripping with early 2000s slang, IM abbreviations, and relentless designer brand-dropping.
- The arc
- The emotional journey swings wildly between the anxiety of social exclusion and the fleeting, glittering triumph of middle school popularity.
- Who it's for
- Readers craving a nostalgic, guilty-pleasure dive into unapologetic mean-girl drama and wealthy suburban cliques.
Content notes
- bullying
- fatphobia
- toxic friendships
- mean girl dynamics
About the book
In the second book starring Westchester County's most privileged middle schoolers, the Clique declares Massie a hero for hosting the first boy/girl Halloween party of 8th grade. Massie's already hired Landon Dorsey, the hottest party planner in the 9-1-4 area code, but her parents insist she has to invite the entire class. Unfortunately that means everyone. Layne is bummed that the boys will be there -- she IMs Claire that's so "DESPR8" -- as Claire wonders if maybe a boyfriend will make her happy.Meanwhile, Massie and the Clique are fighting over who gets to invite Derek Herrington. Dylan thought it was obvious that she was the one who danced all night with Derek at the OCD benefit last month, but says "Whatevs" when Kristen gets all weird about it. Fine, she can have him. He was a terrible dancer anyway and there will be tons of guys to choose from at the party....
Description from Open Library.
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