Bookshelf: Review of The Debs

Disclaimer: I am picky with serieses (what's the plural?) about overprivileged girls. I hate Gossip Girl. Private I loved until about the fourth book, when it became a soap opera on paper. I've never touched The A-List, Clique or any of those. It's just hard to convince me to care about people with everything, since they seem to always have the same problems.

The Debs, however, are different.

Susan McBride's new series is told in the voices of four potential debutantes in Houston, Texas. Laura's plus-size and gorgeous, Ginger's friendly to the planet and planet-lovers, Mac's dealing with debu-fears and stepmothers and Jo-Lynn is planning her way to the top.

The setting, first of all, is so cool. I live in the South and as much as I jibe it, it doesn't get written about enough. The characters are great. Each girl brings her own problems and frustrations to the table; it's not simply I want to wear the pretty dress. They're rich, but they're also lonely, Southern and confused, dealing with parental and peer expectations as best they can. With these kinds of people populating the novel, things happen soon and suddenly.

Overall, The Debs is a new series for readers who like guilty pleasures and intelligent conversation. Pick up your skirts and run to the bookstore, because it's the perfect antidote to start-of-school stress.

Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya_yeppuKmc.

NEXT WEEK: Susan McBride comes to talk about The Debs, herself and everything in between.