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Hot Mess: Summer in the City
EMMA FREEMAN IS waving buh-bye to her standard summer of stationwagoning around the suburbs. This summer she’s heading to the big city. Emma’s totally prepped for days at a fabulous internship and nights of socialite-ing around town. But when you’re 17 and not an heiress, reality is far from pink fizzy drinks and red velvet ropes. As the summer heats up, Emma learns that glamour is hard to come by when your only friend is too boy-crazy to hang, your budget is more H&M than D&G, and you spend 8 hours a day working for a man who proves that the devil wears Dockers too. Add one little white lie told to one very hot coworker and a roommate who makes Paris Hilton look junior varsity, and this summer in the city is starting to turn into one hot mess.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
4 people are currently reading
226 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
April 17, 2020
Just as bad as her YouTube videos.
April 23, 2012
This book is a "Hot Mess". Nothing about it is good. Not only is it obscurely unrealistic and dumb, but it lacks originality, and common sense. WARNING: This is a BAD book! It makes the Twilight Saga look like Shakespeare.
July 13, 2010
The only way I could have disliked this book more was if masked robbers had appeared out of nowhere, taking out everyone with a shower of bullets. . . . Actually, that might have made it better.
Full review up at write meg!
Full review up at write meg!
November 15, 2012
Reviewed by JodiG. for TeensReadToo.com
Emma Freeman is about to break free from her quiet suburban life and usual summer job as a lifeguard. She is also making the break from Brian, her boyfriend of nine months who, as it turns out, is a rotten, no-good cheat.
So, where is a girl to go when she wants to get away from it all? How about New York City?
Emma lands a summer internship in the city and even talks her BFF, Rachel, into coming along. The girls head to New York with a moderate budget and big plans for a glamorous summer in the city. The reality of living in the city soon hits them. What seemed like a sizeable budget in the suburbs doesn't measure up to the cost of living in NYC. And the kind of housing you can rent for the price Emma and Rachel have to pay usually has some very creepy terms in the deal.
Just when they are about to give up, Emma and Rachel answer an ad and find themselves rooming with a real life socialite. Jayla is beautiful, rich, and lives an exciting life full of nightclubs and late-night make-out sessions with the hottest guys in town.
Although the housing situation is looking brighter, the internship turns out to be almost unbearable. Emma's boss is a nightmarish mix of 90's rap revival, bad jokes, and an overblown self-image. Then there is that one cute guy that works for the company, and the one lie that Emma told him. Will she be able to keep the lie going all summer long?
HOT MESS: SUMMER IN THE CITY is a really fun read that is full of current references to popular culture and believable dialogue. This is a must-have for your summer reading list!
Emma Freeman is about to break free from her quiet suburban life and usual summer job as a lifeguard. She is also making the break from Brian, her boyfriend of nine months who, as it turns out, is a rotten, no-good cheat.
So, where is a girl to go when she wants to get away from it all? How about New York City?
Emma lands a summer internship in the city and even talks her BFF, Rachel, into coming along. The girls head to New York with a moderate budget and big plans for a glamorous summer in the city. The reality of living in the city soon hits them. What seemed like a sizeable budget in the suburbs doesn't measure up to the cost of living in NYC. And the kind of housing you can rent for the price Emma and Rachel have to pay usually has some very creepy terms in the deal.
Just when they are about to give up, Emma and Rachel answer an ad and find themselves rooming with a real life socialite. Jayla is beautiful, rich, and lives an exciting life full of nightclubs and late-night make-out sessions with the hottest guys in town.
Although the housing situation is looking brighter, the internship turns out to be almost unbearable. Emma's boss is a nightmarish mix of 90's rap revival, bad jokes, and an overblown self-image. Then there is that one cute guy that works for the company, and the one lie that Emma told him. Will she be able to keep the lie going all summer long?
HOT MESS: SUMMER IN THE CITY is a really fun read that is full of current references to popular culture and believable dialogue. This is a must-have for your summer reading list!
July 9, 2010
I picked this book up at a sale at Borders for only $3.99. I was just picking up random books that looked like a fun easy read. It was an easy read - aimed at the Teen audiance and I didn't enjoy it too much.
January 24, 2009
A delightfully fun and easy read that I needed after awhile. The quirky humor mixed with the modern lingo (yeah I said lingo) created an entertaining read. It only started to pick after the halfway point even after which was still quite slow for me. While it was a great read during that time, it didn’t linger. Nothing truly special screams at me, well except for the almost pedophilia/cradle robbing which was quite disturbing at points.
I would recommend this book as a short read to pass the time by.
I would recommend this book as a short read to pass the time by.
May 24, 2020
bad like her Youtube videos
April 30, 2010
originally posted at curledupkids.com
When Emma Freeman's boyfriend heads off to college for summer orientation, she thinks that he'll return in a week and that they'll be able to spend the rest of the summer together. They have big plans to lifeguard together to catch some rays (and make out behind more than a few sunshades). But after a strange girl answers Brian's phone, Emma decides that her summer plans need a drastic change.
She takes her parents up on their offer to send her to New York City for the summer to work at an internship secured by a friend of a friend, and she talks her best friend Rachel into going with her. They are going to have so much fun in the city – just like Carrie and Samantha!
But when the girls arrive in the city, nothing is like they fantasized. Why are hot dogs off the street so cheap but everything else so expensive? Their parents agreed to foot the bill for the girls to spend the first couple of nights at a hotel, but they quickly discover that looking for an apartment can be like looking for a sane person in a bucket full of crazy. And what's with the weirdly large number of people napping in the street?
Hot Mess is a hot mess of fun - I completely enjoyed reading about Emma and Rachel and their adventures in the city. Kraut and Lester get the voice of a teenager exactly right, and the scrapes Emma gets herself into are hilarious. I think I laughed out loud at least once every ten pages, and that doesn't happen often. Older readers may pause at the idea of Emma and Rachel's parents sending them off to live in New York without solid living arrangements, but the resulting hilarity that ensues as Emma and Rachel attempt to find an apartment that is within their (meager by NY-standards) price range makes up for this bit of unbelievability. I didn't want the book to en, and I will be on the lookout for their future collaborations in the hopes that they will be just as un-put-downable as Hot Mess is.
When Emma Freeman's boyfriend heads off to college for summer orientation, she thinks that he'll return in a week and that they'll be able to spend the rest of the summer together. They have big plans to lifeguard together to catch some rays (and make out behind more than a few sunshades). But after a strange girl answers Brian's phone, Emma decides that her summer plans need a drastic change.
She takes her parents up on their offer to send her to New York City for the summer to work at an internship secured by a friend of a friend, and she talks her best friend Rachel into going with her. They are going to have so much fun in the city – just like Carrie and Samantha!
But when the girls arrive in the city, nothing is like they fantasized. Why are hot dogs off the street so cheap but everything else so expensive? Their parents agreed to foot the bill for the girls to spend the first couple of nights at a hotel, but they quickly discover that looking for an apartment can be like looking for a sane person in a bucket full of crazy. And what's with the weirdly large number of people napping in the street?
Hot Mess is a hot mess of fun - I completely enjoyed reading about Emma and Rachel and their adventures in the city. Kraut and Lester get the voice of a teenager exactly right, and the scrapes Emma gets herself into are hilarious. I think I laughed out loud at least once every ten pages, and that doesn't happen often. Older readers may pause at the idea of Emma and Rachel's parents sending them off to live in New York without solid living arrangements, but the resulting hilarity that ensues as Emma and Rachel attempt to find an apartment that is within their (meager by NY-standards) price range makes up for this bit of unbelievability. I didn't want the book to en, and I will be on the lookout for their future collaborations in the hopes that they will be just as un-put-downable as Hot Mess is.
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April 27, 2010Emma Freeman has just dumped her boyfriend, Brian, after she found out that in his college, girls are already trying to get his attention. She is in tears and decides to take her parent's advice and go to live in New York City for summer vacation. She also brings her best friend, Rachael with her. Who needs Brian now? Just because they are in New York City doesn't mean everything is going to be okay. They have to survive their internships and they still have to look hot at the same time. Rachael is dating 24/7 and Emma is trying to survive her internship. Then, there's their roommate, Jayla, who is 21 years old and is HOT. She brings Emma to many bars and clubs with her. Emma meets a guy at a club and she falls in love. But, she lies to him about her age and her job. Then, there's the price of everything in New York. Everything is just overly expensive. Will she survive the summer? Or will she just give up?
I think that this is a good book because it shows the problems that real girls actually have. There are the problems like love, money and food. I think this book is for people who like teen drama. I loved this book, even though it got a bit boring at times. Sometimes, i never wanted to put the book down. It makes me feel like i want to keep on reading and stay in my own little world forever.
I think that this is a good book because it shows the problems that real girls actually have. There are the problems like love, money and food. I think this book is for people who like teen drama. I loved this book, even though it got a bit boring at times. Sometimes, i never wanted to put the book down. It makes me feel like i want to keep on reading and stay in my own little world forever.
August 24, 2009
Emma Freeman is a girl from the suburbs who has had no adventure in her life... until now. Emma is now moving to New York City with her best friend for the summer while working at an internship. Emma found it hard to find a place to stay on a tight budget until one day she found the best offer ever. She moves into a beautiful condo with her best friend and a roommate who is rich an beautiful but not snobby at all. Emma has a lot of fun partying at the age of 17 but at the same time found trouble adapting to the city because her best friend is boy crazy, and she is not crazy enough to go clubbing everyday. She meets a guy at a party and immediately falls in love, but this relationship has a small problem. He thinks she's a college graduate who's been living in the city her whole life.
I think this book was really good! The little twist and lies that Emma Freeman told, really gave the story a little spice and it made the story different from all the other stories that we read about. :)
I think this book was really good! The little twist and lies that Emma Freeman told, really gave the story a little spice and it made the story different from all the other stories that we read about. :)
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April 6, 2010This book talks about a girl who goes to New York City for the first time. Emma recently broke up with her boyfriend and decided that going to the city would be a change. She invites her best friend Rachel to come. They meet Jayla who becomes their fashion adviser and landlord.
Emma meets Colin who turns out to be much older than Emma. She lies to him, convincing him that she had a job. I felt that Emma shouldn't have lied to Colin. However, this can be one of those summer things, but I also noticed that the two of them would be pretty hurt.
I guess the main character, Emma, and I are similar because we live in New York City. However, Emma's case is temporary considering that she's living soon. But our parents are similar because they're also overly protective.
This was a pretty good book. It gave some sight-seeing details.
Emma meets Colin who turns out to be much older than Emma. She lies to him, convincing him that she had a job. I felt that Emma shouldn't have lied to Colin. However, this can be one of those summer things, but I also noticed that the two of them would be pretty hurt.
I guess the main character, Emma, and I are similar because we live in New York City. However, Emma's case is temporary considering that she's living soon. But our parents are similar because they're also overly protective.
This was a pretty good book. It gave some sight-seeing details.
October 27, 2011
A friend of mine read this book so I decided to put it on my to-read list. It seems like a book written for teens, and I am not a teen, so I finished it in 2-3 days, but enjoyed it at the same time. You can relate to it, but it's a little over-the-top at the same time. It's a book where it's easy to envision the characters, the apartment, Emma's boss, etc. A good quick read.
December 14, 2009
When I started this book, I wasn't looking forward to finishing it. Luckily, it got better and I actually became interested in the plot. At it's heart it's a story of friendship, of putting the "sisters before the misters," that's set in New York City. A light read that's fun, but wouldn't recommend it for those that don't like the chick-lit genre.
September 5, 2008
Honestly the funniest book I've read in awhile. The humor in it kills me and the title reminds me both of one of my favorite phrases coined by Christian Sirriano and of that song Summer in the City by the Lovin' Spoonfuls. I also love love the cover.
June 5, 2010
Not bad for a modern teen novel and altogether more realistic language wise, although it was funny that Random House had to put a blurb on the copyright page that says "Random House supports the first amendment"....LOL.
July 1, 2008
young adult book that one of my friends wrote. It's like a sex in the city for high schoolers... very entertaining, good summer read for young people...
August 29, 2009
My roommate from college's first book. A fun and entertaining summer read. Really funny!
May 27, 2010
Martians could have seen that ending coming. Liked the very very accurate, constant descriptions of New York weather.
July 24, 2011
I absolutely loved this book. I am a big time romance/adventure book lover, and this satisfied my needs. Not to mention it takes place in New York!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 28, 2011
this book was aposolutely awesome!
October 7, 2012
lol funny, cute.
June 12, 2013
MESS IT IS. LOL.
March 17, 2016
Kind of weird. Not as good as I thought.
August 29, 2023
Shallon Lester is one of the best writers and YouTubers out there. This should be more popular than it is
April 29, 2011
Soo good.
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June 1, 2011Tell the truth. Don't lie about who you are or you'll end up getting hurt.
April 19, 2013
Funny but mainstream.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews