It's Not Easy Being Mean

The Clique #7

by Lisi Harrison

It's Not Easy Being Number 7 in Bk. 3 (Clique Novels) Harrison, Lisi

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Middle Grade, Fiction, Chick Lit, Realistic Fiction, Childrens

210 pages, Paperback

First published March 7, 2007

About the author

Lisi Harrison is the author of the #1 New York Times best-selling series "The Clique", "Alphas", "Monster High," Pretenders," and her first adult novel: "The Dirty Book Club" out 10.10.17. Lisi was born in Toronto, Canada, and lived in NYC for 15 years while she worked at MTV. She now lives in Laguna Beach, CA and is a member or her own Dirty Book Club.

Reviews

[Etta King · Rating 5 out of 5]

So having read seven Clique books, it's only fair that I leave a review! My first impression of this series was that it was a fun pseudo-gossip girl that I could enjoy while waiting for my ankle to heal. Well it was fun and it's grown on me.

The first book seemed like a very serious attempt at classifying every Westchesterite as either snobby and rich or snobby and pretentious, Massie being the worst of them all. But after a while, the stories focused less on the nose jobs and cars and more on the girls who actually have VERY rich characters. They are all equally well rounded and I would enjoy following their stories individually. And then I realized something that I can't believe I didn't notice at first; I lived this! Yes, while going to an all-girls prep school and worrying everyday about your outfit and the cost of your manicure, it was significantly less glamorous, it was also quite as real as Harrison describes it. And after I got over my initial upset at having my county described so flippantly (lol), I enjoyed the story which took me back to the days when LBR was in fact a classification that was feared like the plague and you were judged by the car your driver came to pick you up in. Such little bratlings we were, our biggest worry, where we would go away to that summer.

But the best part of these books would have to be Lisi Harrison's engaging rhetoric. It's real and funny and you feel like you're sitting in Massie's iPad with the girls and making lists about what to wear in the new school year. This was fun and I'm going to check out the movie since, apparently, I can't seem to get enough!

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this way better than the last book, but still, I wish the entire Pretty Committee had been working together! Ever since Claire officially joined, I hate when the other four make fun of her and exclude her. I feel like the story goes back to square one.

However, I’m so glad they made up, and I’m interested in what the room is, and how TPC will make it their own.

[Kristen Peppercorn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ordered a box of random mystery books and this was one of them. Something I'd never pick up on my own, but DAMN IT! It was fun! Reading sometimes is allowed to just be fun and stupid. No regrets.

*takes a deep breath and releases my battle cry:*
KUH-LAIREEEEEEE!!!!

[Andy · Rating 1 out of 5]

further delve into my middle school self, truly every bit as horrifying as the first one. was simply too sick to read a real book but could not stare at a screen any longer.

[Farrzana Sheriff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quotes that stood out to me
"Dylan and Kristen giggled while Massie contemplated her sudden need to make Claire cry. She wanted to hurt her feelings and crush her confidence and treat her like an unworthy, unimportant, and undesirable loser. Maybe then Claire would understand how Massie felt, being dumped for a stupid movie."
- wow I don't remember Massie's toxic behaviour & feelings being written out so clearly like this

"Massie's ears buzzed. No one had ever called her a Little Insignificant Seventh-grade Pee-on before. No one had ever dared! Standing there, trapped under the hateful gaze of OCD's eight-grade alpha, Massie didn't know whether to defend her honour or run."
- my little pathetic cringefail ❤️. love how her (& the pretty committee's) popularity's based on other people's opinions of her (what a lbr). then again they're all 12 years old (...scary...). love the random acronyms too, how do they remember all of that???

[Gabriellewilliams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Girls could be so mean sometimes, but this girls do it with style!! TWIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!! claire and layne found they key and not the PC

[m1 Lydia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dumb, just kind of dumb.

[Sarah Chadwick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I keep reading the books because I’m this far in already but this was one of the worst ones by far (the previous one might be the actual worst) because why is Massie so mean to Claire. I get toxic behavior, but all of their character growth over the last 6 books just went out the window.

[Erin Jochum · Rating 3 out of 5]

yes Claire, by all means quit your budding acting career for Massie and her never-ending bullsh*t ☠️ (reading this as an adult is a TRIP).

[Kyisha Walter · Rating 2 out of 5]

My main reason for continuing this series and for doing it so quickly is because I own some of the later books and want to get rid of them. Sometimes I enjoy this series and sometimes it is just disappointing. I felt that this book had potential, but the plot points didn't excite me in the same way as previous books. I wanted the girls to join their own clubs and branch out because they needed a club to come back to school but instead the joined the soccer team so they could go to Cam's house and look for the key? I also wanted Claire to continue pursuing her acting career but instead she quits? I understand that I cannot always get what I want as a reader, but these turns in the plot didn't make much sense and the stakes were very low. Even with the key searching which I found to be very boring for the most part. The stuff with Todd continues to be disgusting and I feel more and more discouraged every time I am forced to read about him. The expression of sexuality in this series is so weird to me because instead of learning when the right time is for expression or the dangers the author just uses it as a plot point. There is nothing wrong with sexual expression, but it needs to be handled correctly in a book for kids about kids. Also, the eBook format totally messed up the lists, so I had to skip some of the more interesting portions of the book. I am overall just disappointed and wanting to get my books read and gone.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably one of my favorite Clique installments. Maybe it's because I've taken a huge break from reading them and am just getting back into them, but this was the fun, quick and easy read I knew it would be. I really enjoyed the plotline in this one, it wasn't too far-fetched and the Pretty Committee was in perfect form. This also ended on the best cliff hanger! I want to read the next one immediately but I have other loans to get through, and I'm actually disappointed about it.

4-stars might be a little high for a Clique book, but this one just really reminded me how much I love this silly little series that I am definitely too old for.

[Paige Tipton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably my least favorite book so far in this re-read. Massie keeps getting worse - in previous books she at least outwardly pretended to care about anything other than herself. At this point, she's being openly nasty to not only others, but to her "best friends" as well - and clearly doesn't feel bad about it.

Who needs enemies when you have middle school classmates like these!? 😂

[Abby Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plots started getting silly (even for this series) at this point. The girls are back in school, Claire can't decide if she wants an acting career or friends (because how could she have both???), and a completely over the top scavenger hunt is going on.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

sorry i've only read this one like once because i didn't own it so i think it's boring. i think skye is boring. this bomb shelter key thing is boring. although i like that chris abeley came back and i think it's so funny that he's so depressed over his breakup with fawn LOL

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

how we are doing backflips and flipflops each book is wild to me

[michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

that derrington cleaning his room for massie is seen as a next-level romantic act is once again proof that this is dystopian femininity

wondering when massie will show any redeeming qualities again

[Tori Keefe · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's Not Easy Being Mean, by Lisi Harrison, is the seventh novel in the Clique series. The childish story is about the drama that is brought about when the Pretty Committee is one of the many cliques given the opportunity of a lifetime, by 8th grade Alpha, Skye. Being the leader of the Pretty Committee, Massie Block does everything in her extensive power to get the key to the "secret room," provided by Skye in a series of challenging riddles and rules. However, because Massie and the Pretty Committee are convinced that everything is in their power, she encounters a few dilemmas along the way. As a result, these problems are easily solved by their manipulative ways in style and domination.

While reading this book, I mentally made a text-to-self connection. In my own experience, I have encountered multiple girls who are convinced they can get exactly what they want, when they want it. Nevertheless, I have learned that these girls cannot get exactly what they want, because they are never satisfied. Once they are done bullying one person, they move on to the next, never letting the guilt phase them. Along with this, I've also discovered that although girls like the Pretty Committee members seem to have everything and a perfect life, they are always missing something, and that ten years from now, they're impeccable hairstyles and impertinent comebacks won't mean a thing.

After reading this book, I have chosen to give it two stars. I awarded this book with such a low rating because I found it immature and childish. Clearly, the low-level booked is meant for girls around the age of 12. Although I remember loving this particular book in the Clique series, perhaps my taste in literature has changed. On a lighter note, I did find this book mildly entertaining as I remembered it to be, and perhaps I just found it boring after reading it a second time. However, I would recommend this book to a younger crowd, or someone around my age who is looking for a very light read.

[Gabo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read.

Dial L for Loser 's ending left me wanting to read more. It was also a foreshadow on what this book is going to be about.

To start, this book starts off with the Pretty Committee being back in OCD, better than ever and ready to rock the halls once again. But maybe, just maybe not for long.

This book introduces eight grader Alpha, Skye Hamilton who sent off a scavenger hunt to the key which unlocks the ultimate paradise that the Pretty Committee must have to keep their popular status and rule eight grade.
I feel that this book is a badass one ever since Invasion of the Boy Snatchers . I just love when the Pretty Committee becomes this total badass popular girls who uses their brain, beauty and popularity to their advantages in putting the puzzle pieces together to solve the mystery.

As a total fan of this series, I understand and feel in my heart that the CLIQUE series is more than just them being this snobby, prep girls who cares more about their clothes, looks and popularity. They're seventh graders who goes to prep school, children of elites and rich people and lived in New York. They're like twelve, so they'll tend to be immature and childish. But judging from the first few books, the Pretty Committee and pretty much the whole characters are evolving and developing. They weren't one-dimensional.

The storyline was really great. The characters were definitely well-rounded and unique in their own ways. The pacing was just right. Like always, Lisi just made a great novel. It's the perfect combination of drama, secrecy, adventure and Totally Spies' mode.
I have to say that the book wasn't much focus on the characters' storyline. It was rather a sense of CSI in girl world. They had one goal. I have to say I'm really impressed. Every member of the PC was involved. No one was left out. There's even a room for Layne! The total LBR best friend of Claire.

This, by far the most focus on the story and not the characters yet.
Recommending this for sure! :)

[Angie Newman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about a group of seventh grade girls belonging to a clique called the Pretty Committee. They receive a challenge to go on a "scavenger hunt" to find a key to a secret room in the school that only the coolest eighth graders can use. The majority of the book revolves around the girls competing with other cliques to find the hidden key. They use clues from the riddle-like poem provided to them by the coolest 8th grade girl to go to different boys' bedrooms and look under their mattress for the key. Like most novels geared towards young teens, there is drama, fashion and boys. I didn't care for this book because of the whole notion of a clique. I was intrigued by the title thinking it was going to be similar to the movie Mean Girls where girls start out cliquey but then learn a lesson of acceptance. I think middle school is an important time for girls to begin discovering who they are and who they want to be. Unfortunately, the claws also being to come out as the same time when young girls begin judging each other for the clothes they wear, who they hang out with, how many friends you have, etc. I was hoping this book would send a better message to teenage girls regarding acceptance. Instead, I feel as if it fed into the idea of being in a clique with a leader that creates rules for their "friends". Thinking about a young naive girl reading this series of books, I feel as if they are guided in the wrong direction in socialization among their peers. I would only recommend it to read after discussing how hurtful cliques can be and to show MANY examples of how unaccepting young girls can be.

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the seventh book in the series. 8th grade alpha female, Skye, has the key to the secret room in OCD and the Pretty Committee needs to get it. The problem is that Skye won't tell them where it is hidden and any girl can find it. The Pretty Committee is off on a scavenger hunt on a race against time for this key, otherwise the PC will be ruined for the rest of their lives. More trouble and drama for the 7th grade girls

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars.

REVIEW OF BOOK PLOT WITH SPOILERS BELOW: READ AT OWN RISK
Main plot in book: finding the key to the secret room at school. The book starts out with the girls planning their outfits for their first day back to school after getting their expulsion overturned. Claire is considering moving to California for acting and has an agent to meet with to discuss details. While at Massie's with the rest of the PC (Pretty Committee) Skye Hamilton, the 8th grade alpha shows up and gives Claire's brother an envelope. It turns out to be for the PC and is a CD with video directions on how they can obtain "the key." Thought to be rumored, Massie is trilled to realize "the room" is real. The rumor is that there is a room at the school that the staff forgot about and a student found a key to years ago. It has been transformed into a secret place for the current 8th grade clique to use while at school. At the end of their year, they pass the key onto the 7th grade alpha so she can have it for her clique's 8th grade year. This year, however, Skye decides to spice things up and sends CD directions to a bunch of smaller cliques in the 7th grade. She leaves all of the girls a poem to serve as a clue and says that the key is under the mattress of the guy the poem is about. Because Claire is meeting with her agent she doesn't have to go to soccer practice like Alicia, Dylan, and Massie do (they had to sign up for an extracurricular activity and chose soccer to impress boys and join Kristen). We see how this is where Kristen shines and is more popular than the other girls. At Claire's meeting with her agent she is told she has star potential and that a famous director wants her to star in his new film. For the role Claire would portray a runaway and they insist she changes her looks to show how dedicated she is for the role and for the audition. This includes choppy, black hair and overgrown eyebrows. (note: there is a lot of fat shaming, weight talk, glamorizing not eating, and promotion of skinniness in this book and previous others. Because Claire is supposed to be a runaway her agent keeps texting her that "runaways don't eat" and "runaways are skinny", etc. Additionally, there are mentions of "wanting to be depressed" so they lose their appetite, and the word "depressed" is thrown around quite a lot.) The girls continue to try to figure out the poem and it says that the key is under the mattress of a boys Skye has kissed. After compiling a list of all the boys (Alicia does this and doesn't reveal her sources) they split up the boys and spread out, finding ways to get into their houses and look. They continue to not have any luck and Massie learns that her boyfriend, Derrington is on the list as well as the older brother of Claire's boyfriend. Massie goes over to Derrington's house and when she goes into his room she is shocked to see and smell how dirty it is. This really turns her off and she tells the other girls that it's over between her and Derrington (after also not finding the key). Claire doesn't want the girls to go over to her BF's house without her so she makes an excuse why they can't saying Cam's uncle is visiting (when in actuality she had a meeting with her agent and couldn't be there). At a soccer practice, the girls see Harris Fisher (Cam's older brother) drive to pick up the boys after practice. Massie, Alicia, and Dylan quit the team (much to everyone's relief because they were horrible) and run over asking Harris if they can come over to get soccer tips from Cam. They end up going over to his house (without Claire) and Massie learns that there was no uncle and that Claire lied. Both boys' mattresses are checked and no key is found. When Claire gets back she calls Massie and is kicked out of the PC for interfering/ sabotage. Claire goes over to Layne's house and while they talk (Layne was also part of a tiny group that got the CD) Layne says something about Chris (Layne's older brother) having gotten hershey kisses from Skye when he drove her home one time. They run to his room and under his mattress is the key. Layne and Claire call Massie and say she can have the key if she follows their demands. They set up a meeting to hear the demands at Alicia's house where Claire can call in because she'll be gone meeting with her agent. Layne shows up to represent them both and the main points were that Claire would be reinstated into the PC as long as she's in Westchester and the PC will be nicer to Layne and not make fun of her or her outfits. They all agree and the key is officially the PC's. When Claire returns home, Massie shows up to have her sign the agreement and wonders if Claire is really moving to California and says she would miss her. Claire breaks the news that she isn't going and turned down the role, not wanting to leave, not wanting to look like a runaway with black hair and bushy eyebrows, not leave Cam, etc. the girls hug and make up. At the girls soccer finals, Kristen scores the winning goals and Massie receives word from Skye to meet her after the game. the PC join up after the game and find Skye and her clique. They blindfold the PC and take them to the room. End of book 7.

[theperksofbeingmarissa ;) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm too old to read these, I think. 😅 These girls are SOOOO mean! 😂

[laur gluchie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is where I lost interest in this series.

[Brielle🫶🏼 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hated it

[Robin Donahue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why anyone would turn down a lead role in a movie with Cole Sprouse to stay in the “cool friend group” is beyond me

[Princess Bunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Massie Block: Getting back into Octavian Country Day was a piece of sugar-free cake, compared to Massie's next goal-finding the key that unlocks an ah-mazing legendary secret room at OCD! Alpha eighth grader Skye Hamilton and her clique have stashed the key in the bedroom of one mystery Briarwood boy, but who? Whoever finds the key gets access to the secret room for an entire year and the prestige that comes along with it. But what happens when LBR Layne seems to be getting closer? This is way more than a matter of life or death, it's a matter of in or out!
Kristen Gregory: Always been a star on the soccer field, but her style gets majorly cramped when her friends are forced to join the team. They better start kicking those soccer balls or Kristen's going to start kicking some . . . !
Alicia Rivera: Uses her skills as a gossip reporter to scheme her way into the rooms of all the Briarwood hotties!
Dylan Marvil: Heard depression makes people lose weight. Is hoping for some sad news soon because she's popping donut holes the way some people pop Tic-Tacs.
Claire Lyons: Being famous isn't all it's cracked up to be! Her agent confiscates her gummies, and forces her to do some very bad things to make her more "edgy." Worst of all, her constant meetings with lawyers and movie execs are eating into her time with the P.C. and with Cam! Is being a Hollywood starlet worth the Gucci-high price tag?

[Emily Sklaver · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hold on tight, guys. It's going to be a wild ride.


I haven't figured out GIFs, so I'm going to stick with still pictures until I get this problem under control.

First of all, I personally think that this is the book that has the MOST bullying in the series. To give you an idea of what I’m talking about, here are the examples I can think of without reaching for the book for reference.

-“Yeah, I was praying this morning. But it didn’t work. You’re still ah-nnoying.”
-Massie flipped the ON switch and said into the microphone, “Kaya sneezed during synchronized swimming! And Penelope peed in her sleeping bag at my third-grade birthday party…”
-“Kuh-laire, scoot back—your eyebrows are blocking the view.”
-“Know what KEDS stands for? It means Kuh-laire, Enough Discussing Shoes!”
-Did Coach Davis not understand that the closest Massie came to playing soccer was the time she’d kicked Livvy Collins’s pencil case into the male teachers’ bathroom?
-“Quit talking!” Kori shouted from the bench. “Quit breathing!” Massie shouted back.
-“Make us lose and you’re dead,” Kori hissed as she zipped by kicking the ball. “Impossible. You’re already losers,” Massie snapped.
-“Great, Cathy, thanks so much for the visit.” Massie clapped her hands twice. “It’s Carrie,” she huffed. Massie double-clapped again.
-“How about you go all the way back to the LBR table?”
-“How is the rash, Olivia? Did you get the ointment or are you still itchy?”

Okay, I think that’s enough.
I said it before and I'll say it again: what doesn't sit right with me is how Massie DOES NOT GET IN TROUBLE!!! (I'm red-faced RN.) Nobody tattles on her. Nobody stands up for themselves. And what’s even WORSE is that they STILL worship her and they’re STILL glad to see her back at school!!!!!! WHY?!?!! (I will get into that shortly.) Like I mentioned in my previous rant-review, when Massie got expelled, I was acting out that scene from Wizard of Oz. “Ding-dong, the witch is dead!” (Still can't put a GIF here, but you get the idea.)
Yes, when Massie bullies people, there is an occasional burst-into-tears episode here and there, but it’s only temporary before they go back to their old ways of “I adore Massie.” SO frustrating. I remember the third book said “People worship Massie because they’re ‘afraid,’” or something like that, which I WISH I’d brought up at the time, but by NO means is that model behavior. Little kids, take note!

Whew, I think I wore myself out. Now it's time for me to bitch about the adoring public eager to welcome them back. Except for Kristen, that is. She’s the only one who doesn’t have girls thronging her asking for an autograph or a selfie. Massie, on the other hand, is positively BOMBARDED. If I remember correctly, someone displayed a banner above the row of lockers, followed by an avalanche of purple balloons. (“Ehmagawd, purple is my favorite color!” BLEEHHHH) Before that, someone else shouted “You guys! They’re back!” and THAT is what caused the stampede—and me to bang my head against the wall. Mind you, this was BEFORE the aforementioned bullying took place, but it still made me shake my head in utter disbelief and roll my eyes in profound disgust. I’ll admit that I felt RELIEVED when it was Kristen who got the “fandemonium” and everything on the soccer field and Massie didn’t.

One more thing: PLEASE tell me I'm not the only one who screamed "WTF?!" at the part where it says "Massie imagined herself at a torchlight ceremony where the team presented her with a charm of a cleat or a soccer ball for her bracelet. Something deep inside her shifted. Maybe she could learn to love a sport." That's just selfish. Conceited. Egotistical. Taking up an extracurricular activity for the sole purpose of adding decoration to your jewelry? WHAM!!! I banged my head against the wall again. And as if THAT weren't enough, here's one more passage that made me facepalm as I read it: "Forget the platinum ball and the tiny cleat! Soccer, Massie suddenly decided, was for people who couldn't afford to shop." I'm going to go outside and scream until I startle the neighbors. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I feel better.

Are you still there, guys? Hopefully I didn’t blow you out of your seat. So now I want to talk about (or rather, RANT about) one more thing that made me throw the book at my bedroom door, then crawl out of bed to fetch it.

And it’s the key. DUN-DUN-DUN!


I tried to attach a picture of Aragog the giant spider, but no luck.

Anyway, to Massie, the key to the “secret room” is such a big deal because it means “more popularity” and a “status upgrade” or whatever bullshit. As a result, she goes to war over it with Claire, who has a movie audition that same weekend. I found myself thinking on multiple occasions, “It’s just a key, for crying out loud!” If I gotta be honest, I thought it was BEYOND irritating to see how self-centered Massie was about it, completely disregarding Claire and her problems—and the rest of the world, for that matter. But the tipping point for me was Massie “kicking Claire out of the Pretty Committee because Claire was getting in the way of Massie and the key.” After Massie invalidly gives Claire the boot, Claire goes over to Layne’s house and tearfully spills her guts, and Layne helps Claire find the key in [SPOILER!!!] and Layne accidentally butt-dials Massie and that’s when Massie finds out that Claire has the key and forces her to hand it over or she's going to die and rot in hell. Excuse me while I go play a violent round of video game Quidditch to let my feelings out. And yes, I WILL scream.
Later, after spending an afternoon with cutthroat lawyers, Claire finds it in her to stand up to Massie, which made me go “Woo-hoo!” So cheesy, I know, but that's the way the cookie crumbles.

Holy cannoli. I feel EXHAUSTED! Now that I'm through beating you over the head, I'm going to save writing and uploading my next entry for tomorrow and rest up tonight. Just remember: you heard it here first.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok I have read a few of her books out of order but done that before lol with other series..anyways this one is where Massie,Alicia,Kristian and Dylan & Claire when she can r looking for a very important key that will make them the ultimate 8th grade Alphas once they leave the 7th grade..Claire is dealing with a possiabilty of leaving her friends to go to Hollywood to become an actress(sorry for any misspellings) so before end of book u will know her decsion :)..in meanttime it is a fight between different girl groups trying to discover from a poem Skye wrote who the lucky or maybe not so lucky guy is with the key hiding under their mattress...hhhmm who will win the game and what becomes of the pretty committee if they don't win etc..drama, drama,drama

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

while rereading these, i’m realizing i most enjoy the books that are set at OCD, when not too much happens plot wise, but we get a deeper dive into the girl’s everyday lives. this was a really fun one, seeing the girls joining the soccer team, busting into random boy’s home (cam’s mom was real for kicking them out), and kristen having her game winning moment at the end (massie too). alicia being the main operative and having her lawyer moment was iconic. layne in her george washington wig cracked me up! i forgot how wild skye was… also disappointed that claire ditched acting so quick, girl was a natural. this book truly showed how when massie gets hyper-focused on something, she doesn’t quit till she wins!

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the Pretty Committee has come back to OCD after a long month of Hollywood, things will never be the same; especially for Claire. Since she was just in the new movie, Dial L for Loser, everyone's focus is now on her, not her popular friends. But soon after their arrival, Skye Hamilton, the most popular girl in 8th grade, has announced a contest: whoever finds the key to a secret room is crowned a "true alpha" by Skye and gets the room for their year as an 8th grader. However, there are more girls who have gotten the message. Will Massie be the first to the key or will an LBR become OCD's new alpha?