Girls on Film

A-List #2

by Zoey Dean

Girls on Film is the wickedly funny and risqué sequel to the bestselling A-List that takes readers behind the scenes of the intoxicating world of Hollywood glitterati. Seventeen year-old Anna ("pronounced Aaaanah") Percy has moved from posh Manhattan to the even more posh Beverly Hills, California, where she's living with her estranged dad for the rest of the school year while her mother travels to Europe with a friend.

The fast times of Beverly Hills most beautiful and glamorous people drive the page-turning action of this irresistible, stylishly written novel.

Genres: Young Adult, Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Teen, High School

250 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

The author of The A-List series and How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls, which has been renamed and turned into a TV show known as Privileged on the CW in September 2008. Zoey Dean's books are produced by the media packager Alloy Entertainment, which created Gossip Girl, The Clique Series, and The A-List and sold them to Little, Brown and Company.
Zoey is currently working on The Talent series. She is also working on The A-List: Hollywood Royalty.
Zoey Dean divides her time between Beverly Hills, California, and her favorite small islands in the Caribbean.

See also: Cherie Bennett

Reviews

[Janelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really enjoy this book; it was a little boring actually. The main character, Anna seemed like she was a little too perfect. She never really messed up or anything. It wasn't a very memorable book; overall I would give it a two. There were very few interesting parts, and the others were actually quite boring.

[Hilary LiDestri · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this because I had a teen-ager living in the house at the time so here is my review for parents.


Sex, "so much emphasis on superficial things and cliche judgments," the epidemic of poor little rich kids, sexual aggression in school-age girls, rehab, underage drinking, intense nastiness toward others, the television program "Friends," total opposition to the present female in father's life, preoccupation with sex, complete lack of respect for one's self and parents, pills, drugs

Issues Touched Upon
Losing virginity to someone recently met, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), gambling addiction, life coaching, psychotherapy, birth control, DNA testing, teen pregnancy, drugs, lap dances, Jello shots, alcohol, rehab, Emily Dickinson, bi-sexuality, sexual orientation, snorting lines, Internet porn, breast implants, fake IDs, sneaking into clubs, casual sex, White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP)

LOTS of inappropriate language and talk of sex.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read: 2005ish. Reread: 8/2017. A bit more action in this one. Anna is kinda annoying, Sam is intriguing, Dee is a moron, and Cammie is a raging bitch. Pretty excited to see what comes next because I definitely don't remember. I'm cranking through these even faster than I hoped!

[Leelynn (Sometimes Leelynn Reads) ❤ · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a difference between old money and new money. When someone thinks of old money, they think of New York City, the Upper East Side, and all those powerful businessmen and women with their hands in everything. Basically, think the world of Gossip Girl. Now, new money is different. New money is Hollywood actors and models and all those people who rose to fame recently. There’s no family history of owning property or starting businesses from the ground up. No building an empire or a legacy that lasted many generations. It’s completely different, and those with old money can feel that those with new money don’t appreciate the value of said money like they do. Think Beverly Hills, with all the agents and record companies. Two different atmospheres, two very different outlooks on life, all rolled together into one.

This is the second book of The A-List series, and the drama only gets more intense as the series goes on. We have already been introduced to Anna, our Upper East Side WASP from New York who made the big move to California to live with her father. There she meets the Unholy Trinity in the form of Sam, Dee and Cammie. Three very different girls but best friends that will do anything for each other, or so we thought. With Anna in the mix, we see that the three best friends may have a rift in their otherwise tight knit alliance, and soon those lines may change.

We see that Sam may actually like hanging out with Anna, even if they had a bad first impression. Throughout this book, you see the two of them starting to get along much better when Sam isn’t with her two best friends. The infamous Sam Sharpe actually has a heart, and somehow Anna has been able to bring that good side to the forefront. Sam may have known that Cammie was a major bitch to begin with, but now she can see that sometimes her behavior is unwarranted and downright cruel. Anna is learning quickly that sometimes she needs to play dirty in order to survive in her new zip code, but as long as she remembers who she is and where she came from, she won’t turn into one of them.

Technically this is a re-read for me, even though the last time I read this book I was either in middle school or high school. It’s been years, trust me. I don’t know what it is about this series, but I just can’t stay away from it for long. I also don’t want it to end so that’s probably why I’ve been stalling in reading the rest of the books that I haven’t read yet. In this book, Sam really impressed me with her change of character, even if it wasn’t permanent. I like that we see a softer side to her, and that she and Anna can put aside their differences to come together and work together to do what needs to be done. I would much rather see these girls become friends to be an unstoppable force, but then where would all the drama be? To me, Ben is completely out of the picture and is so irrelevant to me. I don’t care if Anna really likes him, maybe even loves him, and he still winds up to make appearances in this series. To me, the story of each of the four girls is so much more interesting to me and I would rather delve deeper into their thoughts and their psyche than Ben’s.

[Jillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Where found: Barnes and Noble

Positive: I enjoyed this one a lot more than the first A-List book. I liked getting to know Anna's family more, and the arrival of Susan, Anna's sister, added a lot more substance to the storyline. The ending really surprised me but in a good way. I loved the way Anna finally decided to take charge of her life.

Negative: I didn't like the movie project part, and I felt like it was just more unnecessary flaunting of the wealthy world they live in. I also hated the whole Anna-Adam thing. It just felt wrong.

Recommendation: If you want to read it, check it out from the library or borrow it from a friend.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

adding lesbianism to this series really took it to the next level

[Tiny Pants · Rating 1 out of 5]

Anna, Sam, et al. decamp to Palm Springs to create a film project for school and continue the utterly non-compelling Anna-Ben romance from the first book. Like so many other upper class-focused contemporary YA series, this book continues to make F. Scott Fitzgerald roll over in his grave with gratuitous heavy-handed references to "The Great Gatsby." As in book one, the pace is excruciating, though since the characters are back in school and the narrative mercifully does not follow them to class, the action takes about a week. Nevertheless, as in the first book everything these girls think is insipid, and everything they do is worse. The constant references to Anna's effortless patrician beauty and Sam's desperate attempts at beautification (always in vain since she's -- omg -- a size eight) are extremely tiresome. For any boys reading this who don't understand women's sizing, a size eight is like, Kate Winslet maybe. Not fat. Similarly, Anna Percy should win an award for the least compelling main character ever. It is entirely possible the series would improve significantly if she moved back to New York and the series was just about Sam, Cammie, and Dee.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, if I was ashamed to admit that I liked the first A-List, I should be doubly ashamed to admit I enjoyed the second almost as much. Yes, the name-dropping of luxury brands is annoying. And nothing really happened in this book, until the very end. But there's something satisfying about these super-rich girls with their screwed-up families and superficial friendships. Maybe it is just the gossipy-ness of it. Reading the books is sort of like sitting in on a group of teenage girls dishing about their friends and enemies, only better written. And overall Dean emphasizes that as well-dressed and glamorous as these people might be, an honest friendship beats a Prada dress every time.

[shannon✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

On the one hand it’s fun to read about these kinds of people, on the other hand, these characters are just insufferable.

[Dez Chavez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rereading these, I didn't realize how short the time passing was in the narrative. It made me chuckle when it said that love was on the table for Ben and Anna and I'm like, they had one date. Also, what Cammie did to Susan was not cool. Maybe your mom was murdered but that is no excuse to project out your anger and mess around with somebody struggling with addiction. Also, how comfortable is your life to pay off your daughter's boyfriend 50 grand to dump her because you're bad news. Big sigh. Also, I found there to be a slight homophobic undertone in this book. Sam is thinking if she is attracted to Anna or not and there was a quote about how she didn't want to be gay or bi, even if it was chic or not..what!? There's more in the context of queerness.. I'm just glad we live in an era where there is more effort for fair representation for queer community in fiction. I'm still going to finish these books as a nod to being a teenager. Sigh.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very quick read, although I’ll admit I skimmed through a few parts. I really love Adam and I’m a little sad about him and Anna. The characters are interesting and it’s an entertaining series.

[Zoe Stewart (Zoe's All Booked)]

Cammie is the fucking worst and needs to be slapped

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know I am no longer the target age for this series. I get it. All in all, however, I disliked it immensely. I am trying to rid my shelves of books that have been sitting on it unread for years (I have 2013 listed in Goodreads but I can assuredly tell your its probably been on there longer). This happens to be one of them. I will be excited when I finish this series.

This seems to be a very Hollywood version of Gossip Girl. Never being interested in Gossip Girl, I have struggled to read this.

[Michele · Rating 2 out of 5]

Something to read when you've nothing better to do and just want to keep your mind occupied. Full of superfluous personalities and unlikeable people and events. Not for anyone who doesn't understand that California is NOT full of people like this, or those lacking the maturity to understand any of the above, disdainful comments :) Definitely for the bored or a YA reader.

[Allie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly, I liked the story line and was interested to see what happened to the characters. However, the book was so slow and had so many grammatical errors that I couldn't even finish the book. Don't books get edited before they go to print??

[Nazz]

this book may contain content that parents may not like for kids our age. check with parents first.

explicit content

[Savita · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ridiculously cliche.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

Basically just Gossip Girl/The It Girl set on the west coast. Didn't find any of the characters particularly likable.

[Victoria · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried to read it twice. Halfway through I got too bored with it to continue.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the other book that I read in February, which I thought was very entertaining even if it was stereotypical. I can see myself borrowing the next one. It is like my binges on reality tv. I just read it for entertainment. It does not have any redeeming qualities to it. You do not read this book like a “classic” that you can learn something from, the “deeper meaning”. You read it, because it is dramatic and you want to know what happens next, am I right?

DISCLAIMER:

I promise to be brutally honest with my opinion, but it should not be taken as fact. Any reader should read it for themselves, before they decide if this book has any merit or not. Do not judge this book biased solely on my opinion. If you do, you might miss out on a great read. You never know. It could happen. My review may contain spoilers, but I really strive to be spoiler-free. I borrowed this book from my best friend’s personal library. This book was not suggested to me by the author. I have no affiliation with the author or his/her publisher.

Main Character(s):

Anna is the main star of this novel again (well, it is her series). I found her a little more annoying in this book. I found myself liking Sam a bit more than Anna, which I thought could not be possible before. Anna was a bit too perfect and overbearing in this one. She does not do anything to become the new “kool” Anna, but stays her same uptight self, which her sister is just so eager to point out to her.
3 out of 5 stars

Evil Antagonist(s):

Well, Cassie is always an advisory not to be dealt with lightly, but what she did in this novel was a low blow. She is getting very petty and it is more than just losing Ben. She is jealous of Anna, because she wants to be Anna. Anna is everything that Cassie wishes she could be. She is the only real evil character in this book, but she only showed up in a third of this novel. She could be a lot worse to Anna though, so there is that.
2 out of 5 stars

Minor Character(s):

Ben is really a wimp and not really a man. I thought less of Ben by the end of this novel, even though he had a really sad story to tell. Dee just turned out to be an insecure pathetic girl. I felt sorry for her, but I actually really like her character. I find her to be very genuine. I loved Sam so much in this. She comes down to Earth and really befriends Anna, a true friend. It was very surprising, but enjoyable. Anna’s sister was also very likeable and relatable. I could see why she acted the way she did. I loved most of the main characters in this book. There were not many new ones.
4 out of 5 stars

The Plot:

There was no plot to this one. Anna completes a school project, while babysitting her alcoholic sister. That is not really much of a plot if you ask me. I wish there were some type of driving point throughout the book. There could have been something. I felt like the book was just missing something.
2 out of 5 stars

The Setting:

I was satisfied with the amount of descriptions and details in this novel. I still feel like there could have been more attention to detail, but the author does this novel justice with the amount of detail. I love the attention to the details at the spa. It sounded so luxurious and I really wanted to go there. It had more details than the first book, though.
4 out of 5 stars

The Dialogue:

This author knows the true language of teenagers and I appreciate the minimum use of slang in the dialogue. I think a lot of authors connect teenagers with slang and that is just not true. Teenagers do use slang, but their language is not just slang or heavily slang. It is just a sprinkling of slang or a dash of glitter if you will. It has a slight Californian feel, but Anna brings a touch of the East side to her language.
5 out of 5 stars

Engaging Surprises:

There were really only two surprises in this book for me. The first one was Sam’s friendship. That was much unexpected. The second and last surprise occurred at the end of the novel, when Ben tells Anna the truth. I was surprised at this revelation and it still stuck to the side of truth. There still weren’t many surprises with this one and there really should be. The author loses so much with all of the foreshadowing.
2 out of 5 stars

Climax:

This would have to be Ben’s revelation at the end of the novel. I wish that [they] the author wouldn’t put it so close to the end. It does not leave much room for a resolution. I still think that it was not much of a climax though. I want something truly exciting to happen in this series!
1 out of 5 stars

Emotional Response:

I didn’t have much of a connection to the novel to be honest. It was a nice, fluffy, quick book to read for fun, but there was nothing engaging about it emotionally, unless you were a character in the book. I know the style of this book and it is really not meant to be a tear jerker, but it wasn’t hilariously funny either. It was okay in that respect.
3 out of 5 stars

Ending:

I really hate the ending of these books. They are too erupt and far too short. I wish the endings were better and left on a cliff hanger instead of tidying all the ends up every time. They are just not as satisfying as other books of the same kind/type.
1 out of 5 stars

The Writing:

This author knows how to write. It is the structure and content that has me mostly annoyed. Her writing is direct and lacking any grammatical mistakes. Her team of editors did a great job. I don’t know if her style is very distinct though. It is like The Clique with less drama and those girls were in 8th grade. Speaking of which, I need to finish that series.
3 out of 5 stars

The Artwork:

I would say that is Callie on the cover with her red hair and diamond choker. The funny thing is Callie spent the whole novel wanting everything to be about her, but it was all about Anna and her sister. I think the cover is fitting if a bit boring.
3 out of 5 stars

Genre:

It is a YA Chick lit novel and it is nothing more and nothing less. It is entertaining without substance. It is fluffy and light like whipped cream and just as sweet. It is empty calories for your mind. It is time consuming, but you get very little out of it. It is just what the doctor ordered.
5 out of 5 stars

Title:

Girls on Film is very fitting for the novel, because they are acting like they are different people and pretending to be someone they aren’t on screen and off. I think most people are this way, spending their whole life being someone they are not. I try to always be true to myself, but sometimes, it’s hard when people don’t include you in on things because you aren’t like them. This novel made me think about these things.
4 out of 5 stars

Overall, I give this novel a perfect 3 out of 5 stars. It is an average novel. There was nothing really special about it, but it was entertaining. It wasn’t boring and allowed me an escape into a different world. I really like it and I look forward to reading the third one in the series. I also now really want to finish the Clique series. Maybe, I can borrow one of each? I need to get my library card renewed, dammit!

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't read Zoey Dean books expecting to find the meaning of life or something. The A-List books are a trashy guilty pleasure and for what they are, they are pretty good. In particular this book was a pretty fast read, short chapters (which i like), fast pacing, and super fun. If you are tryiing to finish your GoodReads challenge i think you should pick up some A-List books 'cause you literally fly through them. Super fun to read, quick and such a guilty pleasure. But you have to treat them for what they are - trashy, fun , quickies.

P.S. Anna sweetie, can you try to be less boring next time?

[Ireland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the first book in this series, Girls on Film was just okay. There wasn’t anything special about this book. It’s interesting enough for me to want to continue reading the series. But not interesting enough for me to want to re-read these books any time soon. So far these books are very similar to the Clique series and the drama has only intensified. I still think that Anna is one of the only remotely redeemable characters in this series and Sam seemed to have some character development in this book.

[Stella Peck · Rating 1 out of 5]

i hate it when people rate books or really anything badly and i always think it’s probably better then they made it out to seem

but for me this book was just really boring and i totally get it if you loved it or whatever but it’s just not my type of book i guess

also if your like me you probably read reviews with more disgust the worse the rating and more bubbly when the review is good so just keep in mind i tried to write this in a truthful and friendly way and i swear i’m not a book hating karen 😊

[nerd nation · Rating 3 out of 5]

not my cup of tea actually, it wasn’t bad, i mean it wasn’t bad at all, but it’s toooo chill for me. the story line is pretty interesting but boring at the same time, half of the book i was like “wtfffff” and not in “they’re crazy” way but in the “you guys are so stupid” way. i don’t understand how anna and ben managed to fall in love with each other for only one day and then spent weeks with chasing each other. susan was annoying sometimes, i wasn’t capable of taking her behaviour , but i know why she acted like that, dee and cammie were annoying as fuck, and adam deserved better, period.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Similar to the first book in the series, I enjoyed for the nostalgia; escaping to a gossipy, rich, glamorous world; and just how quick and easy it is to read, but my god, there's such little plot in these books! Both so far take place over the course of 2/3 days (with the 2nd book starting a few hours after where the first book ends) and I don't get why? Why not make them longer and make more happen? (Regardless, I'm probably going to read all 10.)

3/5

[Willa Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

one thing I really like about this series (so far) is that the next book picks up exactly where the first one ended, to the minute. it makes for a very continuous story. that being said, this book was simply okay. it was a lot heavier overall, and felt like it was only two scenes total for 250 pages. just felt a bit slow compared to the first one!

[Stefanie Witkowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really interesting because it tied up the ends from the first book.

[Amanda Clemons · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was entertaining. It had themes that would appeal to teenage girls (boyfriends, etc). It was interesting that it took place in Beverly Hills.

[Sara Jordahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look on rich life. Not the most captivating series but they are very well written and hold my attention.

[Nicole Felten Castillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the second book in the A-list series. With Ben out of the picture (for now) Anna wants to focus on her internship. But with her sister in town, it may not be as easy as it seems.