Between Us

Picture Perfect #4

by Cari Simmons, Melinda Metz

Being one half of a BFF heart necklace is serious business—and in the Picture Perfect series, each story tackles a tough friendship challenge. Through the ups and downs of life in middle school, through braces and boy bands, family feuds and fashion disasters, your best bud is there. But what happens when friendship suddenly gets complicated? Tween readers will adore these sweet, accessible stories about the power of friendship. Bailey Broadwell and her best friend, Olivia, are going to have the greatest year ever in middle school! Bailey has it totally figured out. All they need to do is follow her foolproof list of ways to make sixth grade epic. But Bailey's plan doesn't include her aunt and cousin Hannah unexpectedly moving to town. Though Bailey hasn't seen Hannah since they were little, she sets out right away to make her cousin feel welcome. And right from the start, Hannah and Bailey seem to enjoy similar things. Only, it's a little strange how Hannah likes everything that Bailey does. And it's weird when Hannah starts joining all the clubs that Bailey's in. Soon, she starts dressing like Bailey. And agreeing with everything Bailey says! Bailey tries not to let Hannah's copycat behavior bother her, until it seems like Olivia and the rest of Bailey's friends like Hannah more than her. How can Bailey have the best school year ever if Hannah is taking over her life?

224 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2015

Reviews

[Laura Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, fast read for pre-teen girls.

[JT · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe I’m just a jealous person but I hated how this ended. The main character tried incredibly hard to think of her cousin in good faith, and her friends insisted she (the cousin) was annoying, and creepy, even going as far as to meet up behind the main character’s back to complain about it. Then the second she starts agreeing with them, suddenly she’s evil for it?
This little girl was more than accomodating, and tried to be kind and supportive towards her cousin even when she felt suffocated by her. She was repeatedly told her needs were not as important as her cousin’s, and was given no safe space to vent her frustration, so she turned to writing. Even then, she was still trying to be nice in her writing (reminding herself that it is not her cousin’s fault, and to be kind) and yet was made out to be the villain simply because this writing was found when it was not meant to be. The books solution seems to be ‘force yourself to hang out with people you dislike’, ‘ignore your own feelings and boundaries’ and ‘give up on your goals because focusing on yourself is bad’. Nasty.

[Terry]

The story has potential, but it fell flat for me. The female characters are pretty stereotypical that felt like a book version of a Disney show. Bailey's Dad and Gus were the best characters, offering some balance and originality to a pretty predictable story.

[Nunu]

I think it explains how life is and relax

[aem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trials & tribulations of middle schoolers - even when having awesome ideas, trying to do good, and doing the right thing, things can be difficult and misinterpreted.

[Mymcbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Review: Bailey and her best friend Olivia planned on having an epic first year of middle school. Their plan was to go to the mall and check out what the 7th and 8th graders are wearing. Then shop! Start getting up at time you need to get up for school. Eat breakfast so that their stomach wouldn't grumble. Smile at people and more.

She was set for middle school, until her mother told her that her cousin Hannah and aunt are coming to stay. Bailey promised her mom to help Hannah fit in and plan to make her feel incredibly welcome. She planned on giving her the tour of the school, take her to S&I for ice cream, introduce her to her friends, take her to the mall and many more. When Hannah turned up, Bailey started to enjoy Hannah's company enjoying similar things. After awhile, Hannah started to dress like Bailey, joined the clubs she's in and agreeing with everything Bailey says. It soon done on her that Hannah was a copycat, and that all her friends likes Hannah more than her. Bailey needs to come up with a plan before Hannah take complete control of her life.

A book every middle school grader will love to read, full of fun and will appeal to young girls.



FTC Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from HarperCollins in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion in any way

[Brittanny Handiboe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is how to have an epic first year of middle school: one, make lots of friends, two, be chosen spirit week MVP, three, don’t let visiting cousin copycat, four, don’t let visiting copycat cousin become more popular and steal friends, and most importantly five, relax!!! In this addition to Metz and Simmons’ “Picture Perfect” series, Bailey Broadwell’s perfect first year of middle school takes an unexpected turn when her cousin, Hannah, moves to town temporarily. Expect much drama to be had as jealousy clouds Baily’s judgment when her best friend Olivia seems to want to be around Hannah more. This series is reminiscent of Megan McCafferty’s “Jessica Darling’s It List” series and it is preferred to be read in order, however each book brings a new and relatable storyline so they can be read separately while still being easy enough to follow. This series is recommended for a young girl ages 8 to 12 in their freetime.

[Bret Jarvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable book for little girls. Sweet and strong characters. Won courtesy of Goodreads Giveaway.