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Gilmore Girls #4
The Other Side of Summer
It's true. The Chilton gods seem to get great amusement out of putting Paris and me in the same setting, be it academically or socially. And they're alos bestowing their evil charms on my mom, who's been told by Headmaster Charleston that she needs to be more involved. So she's working on being a "Chilton mom," and I'm trying to be a "Puff." It hasn't been easy for either of us, especially with the distraction of my debutante ball, the arrival of Luke's nephew, Jess, and Tristan's return to school. What's Harvard?
169 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 2002
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2571 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
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January 20, 2012So I'm not even going to rate this because I would be totally biased and give it 5 stars just because I love the show. When I say I love the show, I mean I'm obsessed. My best friend and I can quote lines off the top of our heads and connect anything, and I mean anything to an episode/scene of this show. We plan on finding our own Stars Hollow, with our own Kirk and everything ;)
This book was good. It was pretty much a "script" from the show. The only difference was it was basically told all from Rory's perspective which I didn't really mind, but it would have been nice to have more Lorelai because she's just awesome and extremely entertaining.
This book was good. It was pretty much a "script" from the show. The only difference was it was basically told all from Rory's perspective which I didn't really mind, but it would have been nice to have more Lorelai because she's just awesome and extremely entertaining.
November 1, 2022
This book doesn't need to exist. Like I enjoy Gilmore Girls, I grew up watching it, but this book missed out on a lot of things that made that show worthwhile. I got this book to have more as a memorabilia for the show than a book I was actually interested in reading, but I figured it's on my shelf, I really ought to read it.
First of all, it's a bit weird that it's only from Rory's perspective. The show is more of an ensemble, even if you're disregarding Lorelai as the other main character, so only seeing what Rory sees is so incredibly limiting. You miss out on a lot of great and important moments because of that choice. To make up for it, there are some quick summaries Lorelai will give Rory, like when she has a date or a fight with Sookie, but whole scenes are just missed.
It also felt like there was a lack of description. I only know the tone characters' used because I could hear it from the show. I only knew what outfits they were wearing or what the scenes looked like because of the show. Sometimes in minor ways, but sometimes in ways that matter. A few times I had to think back to what I remembered from these specific episodes in order to tell if a character was joking or serious.
The fast pacing and super short scenes also don't work as well in book form. It felt choppy and disjointed. The characters also felt different. Rory's thoughts didn't seem totally in character with how she was portrayed on the show, and without Lauren Graham's acting, it was hard to get a read on the character of Lorelai.
To be honest, I didn't expect this book to be great. Novelizations of tv episodes rarely are. I wouldn't recommend this unless you're a hardcore fan of the show, and even then it's probably just more enjoyable to watch these episodes instead.
First of all, it's a bit weird that it's only from Rory's perspective. The show is more of an ensemble, even if you're disregarding Lorelai as the other main character, so only seeing what Rory sees is so incredibly limiting. You miss out on a lot of great and important moments because of that choice. To make up for it, there are some quick summaries Lorelai will give Rory, like when she has a date or a fight with Sookie, but whole scenes are just missed.
It also felt like there was a lack of description. I only know the tone characters' used because I could hear it from the show. I only knew what outfits they were wearing or what the scenes looked like because of the show. Sometimes in minor ways, but sometimes in ways that matter. A few times I had to think back to what I remembered from these specific episodes in order to tell if a character was joking or serious.
The fast pacing and super short scenes also don't work as well in book form. It felt choppy and disjointed. The characters also felt different. Rory's thoughts didn't seem totally in character with how she was portrayed on the show, and without Lauren Graham's acting, it was hard to get a read on the character of Lorelai.
To be honest, I didn't expect this book to be great. Novelizations of tv episodes rarely are. I wouldn't recommend this unless you're a hardcore fan of the show, and even then it's probably just more enjoyable to watch these episodes instead.
July 11, 2015
Loved this show and am sorry they didn't continue the book series.
March 20, 2022
Lol vrijwel niks gaat over harvard in dit boek terwijl de titel letterlijk: alles voor harvard is haahahaha. Ja oke het gaat wel over chilton maar nog, slechte titel. Wel leuk boek!
July 30, 2019
Quick, fun read.
January 17, 2022
It follows the script closely and I love that. It’s a quick and fun read for every Gilmore Girls fan :)
September 9, 2025
reading the book and watching the show are two of the most similar thing in the most different ways
December 17, 2019
Another thrift store find I couldn't resist. Follows the script closely, though everyone seems younger. Must be the nostalgia.
May 29, 2021
I liked it, of course, since Gilmore Girls is my all-time favorite show. However, I don't really think the quick banter fits in book form. Also, this book is basically a script.
October 16, 2022
In this installment of the novelizations, the book covers five episodes: "Nick & Nora/Sid & Nancy", "Presenting Lorelai Gilmore...", "Like Mother, Like Daughter", "The Ins and Outs of Inns", and "Run Away, Little Boy".
This is the final book (at least to my knowledge) that was released in English. This novel begins to highlight the cracks in Dean as a character (that is the cracks that show after the ludicrous breakup). Him and Rory have gotten back together, but when she wants to pursue things that will help her get into Harvard, he is entirely unsupportive. I really wish there were more books because I would love to be in Rory's head while she is dating Jess and especially when she is with Logan.
Speaking of Jess, he is introduced in this installment. I have always been Team Jess, and I have always thought he got the short end of the stick. He was written off the show before Rory and Jess really got to try, and the time they did have together was riddled with problems because Jess had such a tough life. I wanted to see more from him. As for this novel, I really enjoyed at least getting to see him introduced before the books stopped.
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading these novelizations and I am sad to see them end. These are by no means well-written books, but if you are a fan of the show, I think they are a great way to enjoy the Gilmore Girls in a new way. All of the books are written in a way that you can read them independently from each other, if you can only get your hands on one, which I think is great. The writer subtly reintroduces all of the characters or important plot points in each book. If anyone in charge of these novelizations reads this: please continue and write novelizations for the rest of the series!
This is the final book (at least to my knowledge) that was released in English. This novel begins to highlight the cracks in Dean as a character (that is the cracks that show after the ludicrous breakup). Him and Rory have gotten back together, but when she wants to pursue things that will help her get into Harvard, he is entirely unsupportive. I really wish there were more books because I would love to be in Rory's head while she is dating Jess and especially when she is with Logan.
Speaking of Jess, he is introduced in this installment. I have always been Team Jess, and I have always thought he got the short end of the stick. He was written off the show before Rory and Jess really got to try, and the time they did have together was riddled with problems because Jess had such a tough life. I wanted to see more from him. As for this novel, I really enjoyed at least getting to see him introduced before the books stopped.
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading these novelizations and I am sad to see them end. These are by no means well-written books, but if you are a fan of the show, I think they are a great way to enjoy the Gilmore Girls in a new way. All of the books are written in a way that you can read them independently from each other, if you can only get your hands on one, which I think is great. The writer subtly reintroduces all of the characters or important plot points in each book. If anyone in charge of these novelizations reads this: please continue and write novelizations for the rest of the series!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 28, 2022
I love love loved this. Gilmore Girls is my favorite show; it's the only one I watch every day because other shows end up boring me, and I think it's the only show I've ever re-watched all the way through. I wish I could live in Stars Hollow and be a part of it's community. It's so heartwarming and magical and comforting. This book is so good; I am so glad I found it. It's from Rory's point of view and it spans about five episodes. Since it's from Rory's POV, it doesn't include any scenes of just Lorelai or the other characters, but usually Rory catches the reader up on what's going on eventually. The dialogue seems to be word-for-word of the show, which is awesome because the snappy conversations of the show are basically its trademark. This book also adds in the internal dialogue of Rory, sometimes providing a bit more than what we get in the show, which is so cool! There are lots of references to music that I loved, especially on the very last page, which I don't even remember being a scene in the show. I can only find four of these books in English (some seem to be exclusively in German??) but I ordered the first one in the series and I'll wait (im)patiently for the other two to drop in price. I LOVED this book :)) And the pictures in it! And there were so many love interests in this one (Lorelai- Christopher, Luke, Max, guy-from-her-business-class; Rory- Dean, Jess, Tristan). I wish there was a book 5 where her and Jess start dating but after this they're all in German...
October 14, 2024
*Gilmore Girls* is a heartwarming series that follows the close relationship between Lorelai and her daughter, Rory. Set in the charming town of Stars Hollow, the show explores themes of love, friendship, and ambition. Lorelai, a single mother, juggles running an inn while navigating her complicated family dynamics, especially with her wealthy parents. Rory is a bright student aspiring to attend Harvard, facing challenges in school and her personal life. The dialogue is quick and witty, filled with pop culture references, making it entertaining. Overall, *Gilmore Girls* is a delightful blend of humor and heartfelt moments that resonate with viewers.
July 5, 2017
As a huge Gilmore Girls fan I was so excited when I found this book on a shelf in a used book store! This book is like reading episodes of the show but from Rory's viewpoint and with added details that give more insight to things that happened on the show.
April 8, 2020
I’ve loved this show for years and have just now discovered that there is a (very short) series on some of the books. For any Gilmore girls fans, this book is like reading the script. Super cute and easy read!
October 14, 2025
This book follows where “ Nick & Nora /Sid & Nancy “ begins and where “ Run away, little boy “ ends. This is also told from Rory’s perspective. This makes you wonder if this is what Rory’s book that she was writing at the end of “ A year in the life” would be similar to.
April 3, 2018
I need to get the rest of the books!
August 17, 2018
I wish there were more books in the series. I love these books.
December 26, 2021
again love this book! read it! sooo good!!
September 9, 2023
it was literally just the plot of gilmore girls.
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April 7, 2024I haven’t felt this way since going to the library with my grandma to pick up my usual Mary-Kate and Ashley mysteries.
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January 25, 2025no rating! cute & easy
February 17, 2025
I love these little Gilmore Girl books. Just fun little additions to my favorite show. Again it was a few episodes from Rory’s perspective and I love reading parts that was don’t see in the show!
February 6, 2017
I like the show better than this story.
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September 27, 2025Going into these books without seeing the tv series was real autumn cozy treat.
The forshadowing of toil the preasure will take on Rory is heartbreaking for being so real.
Overall, now i get why interent is full of gifs and refrences to this one the moment first leaf hits the pavement. Tho, the amount of junk food main duo is consuming, apart from being skyrocketing unhealthy, would def not leave their faces smooth like on covers.
All four books were fast read and I enjoyed them. Kinda wishing there were more than only four.
The forshadowing of toil the preasure will take on Rory is heartbreaking for being so real.
Overall, now i get why interent is full of gifs and refrences to this one the moment first leaf hits the pavement. Tho, the amount of junk food main duo is consuming, apart from being skyrocketing unhealthy, would def not leave their faces smooth like on covers.
All four books were fast read and I enjoyed them. Kinda wishing there were more than only four.
February 10, 2017
This book is pretty much the exact script in book form of an episode of Gilmore Girls. I enjoy the show more than the book.
September 10, 2015
As I think I've said before if you love Gilmore Girls the TV show these books will be a really enjoyable for you. I love their mother daughter relationship, their witty sarcastic playfulness, I just love the Gilmore Girls. This read coupled with the fact that fall is in the air has put me in the mood to rewatch my Gilmore Girls DVD seasons.
January 5, 2009
This is the final book relating to the Gilmore Girls (as far as I know). I enjoyed it as much as the others, even though I have seen the entire series and therefore knew everything which happened in this book. Still a good, quick read.
November 2, 2007
This is one example in which the TV show is actually far better than the book.
May 31, 2008
this is my favorite tv show ever!!! it is funny and interesting
but this book is so bad it not at all like the tv show don't read it!!!
but this book is so bad it not at all like the tv show don't read it!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews