Expelled from yet another boarding school for hacking, sixteen-year-old Rebecca “Bec” Jackson is shipped off to Rome to intern for Parker Phillips, the editor-in-chief of one of the world’s top fashion magazines. But when a mysterious accident lands Parker in a coma, former supermodel and notorious drama queen Candace Worthington takes the reins of the magazine. The First Lady is in Rome for a cover shoot, and all hands are on deck to make sure her visit goes smoothly.
Bec quickly realizes that Parker’s “accident” may not have been quite so accidental, and when the First Lady’s life is threatened, Bec is determined to uncover the truth. On top of that, Bec must contend with bitchy models, her new boss, Candace, who is just as difficult as the tabloids say, and two guys, a hunky Italian bike messenger with a thousand-watt smile and a fashion blogger with a razor-sharp wit, who are both vying for her heart.
Can Bec catch the person who’s after the First Lady, solve the mystery of Parker’s accident, and juggle two cute boys at the same time? Blonde Ops is a fun, action-packed romp through the hallways of a fashion magazine and the cobblestone streets of Rome.
Fashion. All the fashion feels, I give to this book. Blonde Ops can have them. All the emotions you went through reading/watching The Devil Wears Prada? They’re back, here in this adorable little YA novel that I loved so much. If you are a proper kind of human being this will be your favorite part of the book. So many of us (me included) dream of working in the magazine industry, and I liked the idea of a hacker gal accidentally coming across an internship for one fabulous mag, in Rome, no less. While there was stress on designers and brands, I will say that I wish we had a bit more emphasis on attire because that’s what it is all about. Also, the workers at the magazine? All fun, even the snobby sorts.
Taj and Dante, both swoonish boys with a bit of an edge. I’ll admit, there were times when I was convinced that these two were working together against The First Lady. I liked how I found myself switching back and forth constantly, and ultimately, without spoiling too much, ended up siding with the bad boy. *sigh* I always do, don’t I? Either way, I loved how these two weren’t front and center and the story stood well without either of their presences. Not to say there isn’t still hope for my bad boy, if I read the end of things right.
It was great reading about Rome and all, and there were even some amazing locations used throughout the novel, so it was great that as a reader you got to feel like you were actually exploring the setting. It really set the mood for the story.
Blonde Ops‘ writing was so smooth, and I feel the need to include this in my review, because, ahem, we had two authors paired up to write one girl’s perspective. Sure, we’ve seen quite a few of our favorites do it, Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry, two of the funniest men I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet, and Lorie Langdon and Carrie Corp, another two of my favorite entities, but, but, Lorie and Carrie are writing about two girls’ perspectives, and Dave and Ridley are writing third person. Who are these two women and how did they so smoothly write alternating chapters without me noticing a difference in their craft? Absolutely majestic, I must say. Now that takes some talent, I’ll say.
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While the ending to Blonde Ops was pretty conclusive, I hope Bennardo and Zaman find a way to continue writing stories set in this world because this one was absolutely fabulous.
Rating: 8/10
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