Publisher: Berkley Jam (2007)ISBN: 978-0-425-21704-7
228 pgs
Classification: YA fiction
Genre: chick lit
Age Level: 14+
Reader’s Annotation: A modeling agent discovers Violet Greenfield in her small North Carolina hometown, and Violet soon finds herself booking jobs all over New York City.
Summary: Perennial wallflower Violet Greenfield prefers not to be noticed, but her towering height makes her hard to miss, and the high school senior secretly longs for a good reason to stand out. Her big break breezes through town in the form of a fast-talking modeling agent who is convinced she’s found fashion’s newest it girl in Violet. Suddenly Violet is thrust onto the catwalk where, most shockingly to Violet herself, the spotlights and flashbulbs cause her not to wilt, but to bloom. What ensues is a whirlwind of go-sees and photo shoots, club scenes and fashion shows, but before long this flower begins to fade. Living on her own and confronting eating disorders and drug use, Violet seems to be losing herself and alienating her friends in the process.
Notes: This Cinderella model story provides what Cheryl Diamond’s memoir lacks: a heroine the reader truly roots for. While Diamond was never awkward nor gangly, Violet is the girl-next-door that every girl would like to call her best friend. The story continues with Violet by Design and Violet in Private. Content to be aware of—underage drinking, drug use.
Flags: 4
