When you think of Paris, I bet the first thing that comes to your mind isn't a group of four American teenagers. In Beautiful Americans by Lucy Silag, a group of high school students have the opportunity to study abroad in none other than the city of love. Everyone has a secret; some are just more scandalous than others.
The book follows four main characters. First, there's Alex, the spoiled New York girl who thinks she can take Paris by storm. But when things don't go her way, she might just do anything to get it all back. Enter her 'best friend' Zack, a not out of the closet gay, who is only too willing to help Alex with her crimes. Then there's Penelope Jane, aka PJ. She's running from her problems at home (which aren't even revealed until the last chapter) and ends up running away from the program. Lastly, there's Olivia, the dancer from sunny California. Her dream is to get a scholarship at UCLA, but when she's given another opportunity, she may just go against her parents' wishes.
The book changes narrator chapter by chapter, allowing the reader to have a glimpse into the lives of each character. It's fine at first, but as the book goes on, chunks of the story are left out because of this gap. To add to that, the character's voices all seem the same, making the story line confusing if you don't pay attention. The characters throw around French phrases, which adds to the whole setting, but there's no English translation. I was more than lost at a few parts. Overall, the whole idea was entertaining, but you could tell that it was Silag's first book by the way it was almost forced into a cliffhanger. I'll be looking out for the next book, which will hopefully make up for this half-hearted attempt. If you want to know more, this review goes into more detail.
The book follows four main characters. First, there's Alex, the spoiled New York girl who thinks she can take Paris by storm. But when things don't go her way, she might just do anything to get it all back. Enter her 'best friend' Zack, a not out of the closet gay, who is only too willing to help Alex with her crimes. Then there's Penelope Jane, aka PJ. She's running from her problems at home (which aren't even revealed until the last chapter) and ends up running away from the program. Lastly, there's Olivia, the dancer from sunny California. Her dream is to get a scholarship at UCLA, but when she's given another opportunity, she may just go against her parents' wishes.
The book changes narrator chapter by chapter, allowing the reader to have a glimpse into the lives of each character. It's fine at first, but as the book goes on, chunks of the story are left out because of this gap. To add to that, the character's voices all seem the same, making the story line confusing if you don't pay attention. The characters throw around French phrases, which adds to the whole setting, but there's no English translation. I was more than lost at a few parts. Overall, the whole idea was entertaining, but you could tell that it was Silag's first book by the way it was almost forced into a cliffhanger. I'll be looking out for the next book, which will hopefully make up for this half-hearted attempt. If you want to know more, this review goes into more detail.
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