Bookshelf: Violet in Private

Violet in Private by Melissa Walker is the concluding book in the Violet modelling series (Violet on the Runway and Violet by Design.) Apart from her gorgeous and exotic name, Violet has always stood out... enough to make a New York modelling agent pluck her out of North Carolinan obscurity and into the spotlight of the modelling world. Since her debut, Violet has both faltered and triumphed in the fashion world, learning more about herself and how she fits in.

In Violet in Private, Violet has retired (maybe?) and is attending Vassar as a semi-normal human being. However, with her agent Angela (who probably is BFF with Cruella De Vil) always on her phone and her own uncomfortably attractive BFF dating someone else, Violet's not sure whether to model or not. There are moral dilemmas, friendship issues, magazine stories, gossip columns- at least Violet's got all that Diane von Furstenberg in the closet!

The thing I took away from Violet in Private was how Violet had grown up from the first book. I love when you can tell a character has matured. I don't mean Vi's ready to qualify for Social Security, but she sounds like a college student, not a high school freshman. As she faces re-making her life, she does it with awkwardness and honesty. And as the series comes to a close (no spoilers, don't worry!) Violet hasn't finished all her growing up, but she's journeyed pretty far and you respect her for it. Brava, Violet!

P.S. I will be giving away my copy of Violet in Private in the next coming weeks... stay tuned for the deetz!