Spotted: Your One and Only Unofficial Guide to Gossip Girl

by Crissy Calhoun

Best friends, boyfriends, high school and haute couture — Gossip Girl has gone from a guilty pleasure to becoming the show everyone is talking about, from Rolling Stone to Vanity Fair, from gossip columnists to President Obama. From its not-so-humble beginnings as a bestselling book series set in the posh Upper East Side private schools of New York City, this show the Boston Herald deemed “every parent’s nightmare” has catapulted into the pop culture stratosphere. In the first two seasons Gossip Girl has proved itself a popular and critical darling, influencing the culture it critiques and setting trends while providing biting social commentary on this generation of entitled, tech-savvy youth. In Spotted: Your One and Only Unofficial Guide to Gossip Girl, you’ll find: * an episode-by-episode exploration of seasons 1 and 2, tracing the development of the characters and storylines * bios of the cast and the show’s creators, Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage * comparisons to the show’s teen soap and literary predecessors, including how the Gossip Girl books were adapted * summaries of the movies that inspire each episode’s title * sidebars of fun trivia * all the details on the music, the fashion, and the NYC locations where Gossip Girl films (complete with exclusive photos!) Chuck Bass. (And he’s wearing purple.) Second only to a Blair Waldorf–inspired hair band, Spotted is the must-have accessory for any fan who says, “Not enough!” when the end credits roll.

Genres: Nonfiction

349 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2009

About the author

I'm a freelance editor and the author of books on TV & pop culture (both as Crissy Calhoun and co-authored with Jen Knoch, as Liv Spencer).

Recommendations welcome!

Reviews

[Sabi · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's so much info about the series, its locations, actors, production, and more!




It's just that some more images aside from the 10-15 given would've elevated the book even more.

-3.5 Stars

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

An indispensible companion for fans of Gossip Girl, it's written in a friendly, conversational tone. Very enjoyable.

[Harley · Rating 2 out of 5]

As just a recap of the first two seasons this was fine but I’ve read more in-depth unofficial show guides that just really stood out and complimented the shows they were about. I also didn’t realize this was only for the first two seasons, I thought it was going to be for the entire series. I did learn a couple new things but most of the information I skimmed because it wasn’t interesting.

[Cristina Soaita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think Spotted-Gossip Girl works perfectly as a coffee table book. It's filled with photos and you can flip through in any order. You don't need to read it chronologically, it's more about the vibe and nostalgia. I'd recommend it to those who still miss the original series.
I also made a short video about it, in case you'd like a closer look - the link is in my profile.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once upon a time, Cecily Von Ziegesar started a series for teen girls that had all the label-dropping of Sex and the City and all the snarky gossipiness of any celeb-filled tabloid and every shocking thing you've ever heard about it is probably all true. The show that came after didn't hesitate to capitalize on the shock value and guilty allure of watching beautiful people behave badly, but because Josh Schwartz was at the helm (of The O.C.) somewhere along the line Von Ziegesar's characters got an upgrade. While the glam veneer is familiar, the characters in the books tend to boyfriend-and-girlfriend swap, scheme, and shop almost in an ennui-induced haze, Schwartz introduced more depth in both the family dynamics and the characters themselves. The pretty people might still be over the top as ever, but now they're complex and...INTERESTING. Viewing might be a pleasure, but with smart writing and finess there's less to be guilty about. Spotted nails this on the head, spotlighting everything that makes the show addictive: fashion taken beyond just label-dropping and turned into not only a work of art, but a reflection of the characters themselves; the eclectic music; the repartee; the oh-so-good will-they-or-won't they twists. Calhoun's play-by-play is savvy, funny, and doesn't miss a beat. Though she herself admits she was slow to warm to Gossip Girl-as-concept, she faithfully and consistently calls back to the original book series, the similarities and the deviations objectively, leaving the readers/viewers to make up their own mind about which is better. It's clear her true love though, is the nitty gritty of the TV series. She highlights with a true fan's eye the most riveting scenes, the most satisfying lines with a relish, and knowing that there's only so much fashion you can satisfactorily capture in print, she touches on only the most key pieces featured (although there are some few color photos included--and well-chosen, nicely representative ones at that) and spares us a . I doubt even the most die-hard fans of the show could find much to nitpick about here.