Homecoming Queen

Carter House Girls #3

by Melody Carlson

With six teenage girls living under one roof, things are bound to get interesting. Mix six teenaged girls and one 60s fashion icon (retired, of course) in an old Victorian-era boarding home. Add guys and dating, a little high-school angst, and throw in a Kate Spade bag or two and you ve got The Carter House Girls, Melody Carlson s new chick lit series for young adults! The Carter House experiences a shake-up as one of its own returns home after an unnerving disappearing act. Then, friction grows as a school Homecoming Queen race heats up, turning friends and housemates against one another. DJ, Eliza, Taylor, Kriti, Rhiannon, and Casey show they have plenty of lessons to learn as the votes roll in. Some grow smarter and closer to God, while others seem to make the same mistakes over again. Despite all their differences and disagreements, the Carter House girls continue to grow together, forging a bond that strengthens through hardship. Hearts CAN change and friendship paves the way for at least one girl to move closer to God.

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Genres: Christian, Christian Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary, Teen, Realistic Fiction

217 pages, Paperback

First published October 5, 2008

About the author

Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books, several of them Christmas novellas from Revell, including her much-loved and bestselling book, The Christmas Bus.

She also writes many teen books, including the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, the TrueColors series, and the Carter House Girls series.

Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books, including the Notes from a Spinning Planet series and Finding Alice, which is in production as a Lifetime Television movie. She and her husband serve on the Young Life adult committee in central Oregon.

Reviews

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 3 out of 5]

About this book:

“The Carter House experiences a shake-up as one of its own returns home after an unnerving disappearing act. Then, friction grows as a school Homecoming Queen race heats up, turning friends and housemates against one another. DJ, Eliza, Taylor, Kriti, Rhiannon, and Casey show they have plenty of lessons to learn as the votes roll in. Some grow smarter and closer to God, while others seem to make the same mistakes over again. Despite all their differences and disagreements, the Carter House girls continue to grow together, forging a bond that strengthens through hardship. Hearts CAN change and friendship paves the way for at least one girl to move closer to God.”


Series: Book #3 (of eight) in the “Carter House Girls” series. (Book #1 Review Here! Book #2 Review Here!) {Another series by this author, “On the Runway” mentions these characters after the final book. {Read #1 of that series review Here!} I personally would read the CHG series then the OTR series. :) }


Spiritual Content- Prayers; Talks about God & a God-thing; ‘H’s are not capital when referring to God; DJ is still a new Christian and has some doubts; Taylor mentions that her grandmother is a real church-going lady; A guy says he’s an atheist; Mentions of prayers working; Mentions of youth group & church going.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘flipping’, an ‘idiot’, a ‘shut up’, a ‘sissy’, two ‘duh’s, two ‘sheesh’s, two ‘suck’s, three ‘dumb’s, three ‘witch’s, nine ‘stupid’s; Taylor curses & mentions of her cursing (said, not written); Sarcasm, sass & eye rolling; Taylor smokes (semi-detailed); Mentions of Taylor’s drinking & thinking of suicide/giving up in Book #2 (semi-detailed); Mentions of drugs & stealing them; A mention of shooting a horse;
*Note: Mention of designers & celebrities; Mentions of Starbucks; Many mentions of pig’s blood and the movie Carrie.


Sexual Content- a cheek kiss; Touches (barely-above-not-detailed); a ‘sexy’, two ‘hot’s and two ‘skanky’s; A mention of a passionate kissing scene in a play; A mention of “a love session” from Book #2; A mention that Taylor engages in casual sex; A mention that Taylor has condoms in her purse; A mention of having a child out of wedlock; A few mentions of a coach that some students think is gay (she’s not, she has a boyfriend); Mentions of flirting; Mentions of kissing & kisses; Mentions of Book #2’s crude pictures of Taylor; Lots of boys, boyfriends & girlfriends, dating, breakups, exes, & all that drama;
*Notes: DJ wears a bikini to the pool & boys whistle; A mention of a lacy bra & mini-skirts; A mention of seeing another girl naked; A mention of tampons; A couple mentions of the boys’ locker room; Mentions of eating disorders.

-Desiree Jeanette “DJ” Lane, age 16
P.O.V. of DJ
208 pages

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Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star
Early High School Teens- Two Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Two Stars (and a half)
{Add 1-2 stars for girls in Public & Private School}
While this one was cleaner than the last one (Sexual Content wise), I wasn’t a fan of all the mentions of the pig’s blood…that is just gross! This series definitely gets better as it continues, though, the thing is you just have to get there.


Link to review:
http://booksforchristiangirls.blogspo...


*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

More angst and drama, but I’m liking the characters a lot more. Except the grandmother, who seems like the worst guardian ever. She doesn’t really pay any attention to what the girls in her care are doing. Oh, and I don’t like Conner that much, especially in this one.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sooooo good! I can’t wait for #4

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like the back cover description is kind of deceiving. Sure, there was the homecoming queen thing, but I think the real focus of the story isn't even mentioned on the back cover. I also don't see the girls growing much closer, and I definitely don't remember anything paving the way for one girl to move closer to God.

I'm so annoyed with this series. I don't really like it very much, I'm annoyed with the characters, annoyed with the writing, but I'm interested enough to want to see where it all goes. Which makes me want to read more. But I don't want to want to read more! Why must authors torment me so? I'm tired of all the manufactured drama, but somehow I find myself still caring about what happens.

I do understand now how Melody Carlson can put out so many books so fast. The books aren't long, and there's not a lot to them. I'm not sure if I would recommend this series. On the one hand, I think teens and pre-teens might like the writing a lot, and be able to relate more to the characters, but on the other hand, I just don't think it's great writing. I'm torn!

[Sarah Odom · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the girls true colors are coming out. The fake fronts they put on are disappearing. Some things are just thrown in the book and make no sense at that point. Like Casey stealing DJ’s pills. The whole thing just popped up then did not show up for the rest of the book. The homecoming Queen was the last 10 pages meaning the whole book was about something else. I will say this book is definitely better than the first two.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the third book in the Carter House Girls, an entertaining series of Christian YA novels, which I actually bought for 2 dollars on Kindle because I enjoyed reading the first book so much. Like the first two novels, this one was also well written, and I enjoyed seeing how the characters were developing. I am so glad I started this cute series.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series. There are so many characters. There are girls you just love to hate, ones that you can really relate too, with situations that make you laugh and others that can break your heart. The way the series is written you get to the end of one book and can't wait to start the next one.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok it does get on my nerves how they treat Taylor but I’m really glad I found a series.

[Jessica (BookRockGoddess) Bolton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am still enjoying the series.

[Amanda Schwind · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read series, but enjoyable!

[Ajibola Adijat]

OMG it makes a lot of sense but I don't understand why Conner was not spoken about at the end.Atleast Conner is meant to explain himself .Is there going to be a book 4

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, but the characters don't seem to listen to each other and the main character always accuses the same person when something goes wrong...

[Kathleen Newton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taylor sure keeps us guessing! DJ is really growing.

[Kenya Liggons · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was not all that I expected it to be. I felt highly annoyed with all the characters in the book. The story is about a group of teenage girls living in the same household, but each go through an obstacles as the race of Homecoming queen heats up. The characters DJ, Eliza, Taylor, Kriti, Rhiannon, and Casey are all facing problems that they have to learn to deal about what is going on within their lives. This is all happening when the votes for Homecoming queen are taking place. I often saw throughout the book, that while the girls were learning and dealing with all what is going on with their lives, some just lived the same life and they didn't really learn from their mistakes. Later on reading in the book, I noticed that they grew with this close bonding relationship and it made all six of those girls a lot more closer. The whole story is surrounded by this whole spiritual theme. The girls are trying to get closer to god. That is what makes Melody Carlson a great writer because she makes her books towards a specific audience, and she connects it with spirituality.

DJ's life is going downhill. She saves a child from a car and suffers an injury. Her boyfriend interacts with an old "friend." That's not even all.. She is on the volleyball team and they continue the season without her.Taylor and Eliza are running for homecoming queen. Taylor feels like she needs to be in this dazzling spotlight. That is why I really liked her character the best. Casey is like Taylor's rival, but she is DJ's best friend. As each of the characters are displayed throughout this book, You end up seeing the character's moods and personality change as the plot starts revealing. The conflict and plot is changing all throughout this book, which led me to all this confusion. I was confused with the twist that happened in the book. This is my first book reading this series and I don't really feel comfortable with these girls. I don't really understand like why some of the girls are apathetic and indecisive about connecting with God.They are all worried about the wrong things, and God should be who they are really worried about. The ending was very ridiculous..... I felt like I was missing something while reading this book. Me being a teen, I don't really understand these character's motives. This book is surrounded by a whole bunch of drama, which is why the plot is moving very quickly. I didn't really like the ending, but this book wasn't really up to my expectations and I feel as if the author is a great author, she just needs to convey the message a lot more clearly than what she is writing. I think she should keep on the path of writing about teen audience and connecting it with spirituality. I wasn't really satisfied with the whole beginning of the book. I didn't like the book, but then again I did. That is why I want to keep reading more. I like books that give me annoyance. I feel as if it gives me a lot more curiosity and makes me want to keep reading those books. It was okay book, didn't really like it but I recommend others to read it.

[Brooke ♥booklife4life♥ · Rating 2 out of 5]

At A Glance

Genre: Young Adult; Christian
Love Triangle/Insta Love/Obsesion?: no
Cliff Hanger: No
Rating: 2 Stars

Score Sheet
All out of ten

Cover: 7
Plot: 6
Characters: 7
World Building: 7
Flow: 7
Series Congruity:8
Writing: 7
Ending: 5

Total: 6

In Dept

Best Part: Good intentions.
Worst Part: Too much fashion!
Thoughts Had: Shut up please!; Who cares!; Get over it!

Conclusion

Continuing the Series: yes
Recommending: no

Short Review: Okay, i'm not 100% there was a solid plot to this book. This series is for sure meant for maybe 13yr olds going into middle school. I still can't handle the southern accent. All the mainly talked about for awhile was clothes. Gag.

Review in GIF Form:

[Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars! The third book in the carter house series! This series is getting better and better with each book. I love being along for the ride in the carter house! I never know what is going to happen. This book is continuing from the last book when Taylor returns to the carter house in the middle of the night. This books continues following the girls lives at school and the events and drama that happens with that. A certain event really affects DJ and the whole carter house. Also, their homecoming weekend is coming up and the whole talk is about the homecoming queen and who is going to win and campaign. Friendships are growing stronger. I am really liking Taylor and DJ as friends. They are becoming great friends! This was such a quick read and I can not wait to read the next book. 5 stars!

[Pamela Hubbard · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story of the Carter House girls continues as the school year goes on and the girls struggle in their relationships with each other. The main drama in this book centers around homecoming. Both Eliza and Taylor are running for Homecoming Queen so the house is split in their loyalties. DJ and Taylor continue to room together and DJ starts to see Taylor's true colours and not just the tough exterior she portrays. In this book, the focus is back on DJ. She becomes a hero because of her split second reflexes, but pays the price with a broken leg and ribs. As she struggles to come back from her injuries, she questions her trust in Connor and also suspects one of the girls in the house is stealing her painkillers.
This was lighthearted, with Christian values. DJ learns more about living out her faith and trusting in God.

[$hanel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh finally it is homecoming for the carter house girls and there seems like there is plenty to do! Most girls are talking about the High School party`s and others are focused on grades. For D.J. nothing is going on for her. That is until she pays more attention to homecoming and her boyfriend Conner. Only D.J. has never wanted to be homecoming Queen but most of her roommates think she should... all except for Taylor that is. D.J. dosen`t really care about who is homecoming and who`s not. She just wants the madness to stop! On homecoming someone special gets crowned Queen and D.J. is in total shock! Even Taylor! Who will it be... read the third book Homecoming Queen by Melody Carlson to find out!

[Kiersten]

This is a great series so far - really good story, great characters with a lot of variety in the personality department; and good development (I'm starting to find myself really liking the "wrong" characters!). The only thing that irritates me is DJ and Rhiannon's (love that name!) passivity in their relationships with God. It just seems to me that He should be more of a focus in their lives. But that's not a huge issue; just something that kind of niggles at me, probably because of some of the other books i've been reading recently.



All in all, a good book in a great series. Melody Carlson is an amazing Christian author. I am looking forward to the rest of them!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series has done a marvelous job of keeping me entertained and reaching for the next book. I find some of the characters annoying, but not so much that they spoil the rest of the story for me. I just wish they could look at themselves in the mirror and see how negative and selfish their actions are. This book was just as exciting as the others and there is always some sort of drama to keep all the girls on their toes. I'd recommend.

*Taken from my book reviews blog: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2010...

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually, when reviewing a book in the middle of a series such as Carter House Girls, I would say that you'll like this if you liked the previous outings, but if you didn't, then this isn't worth reading. That's true for this novel, but I have more to say than just that: For one, this novel tackles the issue of misuse of prescription drugs, and does it quite well. One complaint I do have is that the ending was a bit Disney-fied; it seemed too unrealistic to me. It was still an enjoyable read, and I look forward to the next few volumes in the series.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

These get better with each book, but I'm just not sure how I feel about these girls yet. DJ being friends with Conner's ex was a bit ridiculous, especially after it became clear she wanted Conner back. Girls just don't do that. The whole pill thing was interesting, though, mainly because it gave Casey some background. I wish the books would focus more on Kriti, someone who has barely been mentioned at all, instead of Taylor.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot, and the only raeason it took more than one day to read is because I've been busy! The plot moved quickly and I didn't think it was too obvious, but then again, nothing seems too obvious to me. I tend to be easy to please.

A fun fast read with an ending I was pleased with.

[Melissa Anderson]

This book wasn't what I expected it to be. I figured it would be more about the homecoming dance and the fights between Eliza and Taylor. I'm kind of disappointed in the way Eliza's character shaped out. I know it becomes a better story with a mean girl, but why not make it Madison or someone on the outside. I really enjoy the way Melody incorporates Jesus and Christianity in the books.

[Brit · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is ok, but it wasn't better then the second one. I felt that DJ was very whiny about her life which was very annoying because that was about the majority of the book. Her grandmother still irritates me. The fact that everyone still hates Taylor is getting old. I also felt like the ending was very rushed. Which I didn't like when the rest of the book was very slow.

[Kendall · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn't my favorite. DJ was very whiney in this book and it still sends the message that if you just pray you will get what you want. Any Christian knows that this is not true. I am not a huge fan of this aspect of the book, but like all the other books the end pulled me back in and made me want to read the next book in the series.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The carter house experiences a shake-up as one of its own returns home after an unnerving disappearing act. Dj, Eliza , Taylor , Kriti , Rhiannon, and Casey show that they have plenty of lessons to learn as the homecoming queen votes roll in. Some grow closer to God, others make the same mistakes over again.

[Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abrupt ending, but pretty good, These girls are starting to grow on me, could I like DJ more than Caitlin, there needs to be some more character development though, maybe theres just too many girls In the house though

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

it's good...

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because DJ tries to save a little boy and teaches the other girls not to be sos selfish.