Review: The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder

The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder

At Penford High School, Britney Taylor is the queen bee. She dates whomever she likes, rules over her inner circle of friends like Genghis Khan, and can ruin anyone's life with a snap of perfectly manicured fingers. Just ask the unfortunate few who have crossed her. For April Bowers, Britney is also the answer to her prayers. April is so unpopular, kids don't even know she exists. But one lunch spent at Britney's table, and April is basking in the glow of popularity. But Britney's friendship comes with a high price tag. How much is April willing to pay?

Review:

The Lipstick Laws was a fun and unique debut that reminded me of how much I loved the movie Mean Girls.

April was a likable character and she was a very believable sophomore girl- worried about her bra size, getting a boyfriend, and trying to fit in. When April’s best friend from freshman year moves away she has no one else to face the terrors of her tenth grade year with. School must be an absolute terror if you don’t have any friends to experience it with and my heart went out to April. Although soon things become a lot better for her when popular girl, Britney Taylor takes April under her wing and the cute new boy has his eye on her. Britney seemed nice and sweet on the outside but on the inside she was a controlling, malicious, well, bitch. Britney and her “friends” live by a set of rules known as the Lipstick Laws and when April breaks one of them, Britney’s nasty side comes out in full force against her ex-best friend.

There were a variety of likable characters in The Lipstick Laws and readers really got to know all of them. Books about revenge are some of my favorites and when April banded together with the rest of the “Lipstick Lawbreakers” things started to get really exciting! The girls plot a variety of schemes to get back at Britney and the real show down takes place at the school dance.

The Lipstick Laws was a fresh and fun twist on the typical Mean Girls-esque story and I enjoyed watching April’s character develop and start to stand up for herself. She made some great friends and they all learned a lot about what’s more important- getting back at an enemy or just living life to it’s fullest?

Amy Holder wrote a fantastic and cute debut that will surely attract a variety of readers. I can’t wait to see what’s next for her!

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

April 4, 2011/Graphia/240 Pages/Young Adult

Source: ARC From Publisher/E Book from NetGalley

Blog Tour: Character Interview With Britney from The Lipstick Laws!

As part of Amy Holder's The Lipstick Laws Blog Tour, the "it girl" from her debut is stopping by today! Welcome Britney!

1. What first inspired you to come up with the Lipstick Laws?

Everyone needs to have some type of direction to keep themselves in line and the best they can be. I’m a born leader, so I wanted to help my friends be their very best by creating these laws. Really, my friends should thank me for helping them avoid the curse of being nerd-herding chumpnuts.

2. When you saw April for the first time, what was your initial thought?

Major charity case. That was my first thought. And being the caring, philanthropicalist that I am, I tried to help her. Bad move on my part!

3. Is there any advice you can give high school students?

The biggest piece of advice I’d give is that the friends you hang around with help raise or lower your image…so choose your friends wisely! High school would be a much better place if everyone followed my Lipstick Laws...

4. If you could go back in time and change one thing about your life, what would you choose?

I’d never let any freak funnels in my group of friends. Other than that, I’d make sure my parents’ divorce never happened.

5. Why did your parents decide to name you Britney?

My mother said Britney was her favorite name. She said the name has an “it-factor” …and then Britney Spears got famous when I was young, so that reinforced the “it-factor” status of my name even more. I’m much prettier, of course.

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Thanks so much for answering my questions Amy and Britney! I really enjoyed The Lipstick Laws and will be posting my review next month!

As part of the blog tour, a signed copy of The Lipstick Laws is being given away each week. Anyone who comments on this post is automatically entered! For a complete list of stops visit the tour page on The Teen {Book} Scene here.

Introducing 2011: Amy Holder

Amy's debut novel, THE LIPSTICK LAWS, will be published in April 2011 by HMH/Graphia!

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1. What was the inspiration for The Lipstick Laws?

I really wanted to have fun while writing this book, so first and foremost, I wanted to write an entertaining read. Apart from that, I was also inspired to explore the ups and downs of social hierarchies in high school, while delving into body image issues and social bullying within the plot.

2. In what ways are you similar to April?

For starters, we both have naturally curly hair that we wish we could trade in for long, thick, straight locks. I'd love to be able to let my hair air dry out of the shower without looking like Medusa's twin... and so would April. We also share a similar sense of humor and a love of good sales. April's desire to fit in and be accepted is something I struggled with as a teen as well, which I think is a pretty common feeling at that age.

3. Did you put any of your high school experiences into The Lipstick Laws?

The high school and town in this story are fictional, but they're set near the real area that I'm originally from and spent my high school years around. A mall that I used to constantly patrol as a teen even makes an appearance in the book, so that's one aspect borrowed directly from my teen years. Without giving away any spoilers, there are some other minor aspects of the book that are loosely inspired by my high school experiences, but no scenes are exact matches.

4. What was your reaction to seeing your awesome cover?

After freaking out in the confused presence of my pets, I shared it with family and friends, posted it all over the internet (after the okay from my editor), printed it out and taped it to my desk to stare at, and lastly, I created a shrine to worship Carol (the cover designer). Okay, I'm exaggerating on the shrine bit, but Carol would be fully deserving of that kind of worship.

5. If you could travel to any place in the world, where would it be and why?

Oooh... This is a tough question because there are so many places I want to travel to. Australia has always been on the top of my travel wish list because I'd love to see Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef. Not to mention, who can resist an Australian accent? A close second would be Ireland because I'm part Irish, and it would be wonderful to see where some of my ancestors came from.

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Thanks so much, Amy!

Click here to visit Amy's website!