Massie

The Clique Summer Collection #1

by Lisi Harrison

Massie gets After Massie Block gets kicked off her high horse and out of her ultra exclusive Westchester riding camp, her parents force her to do the unthinkable-find a summer job. Not one for dog-walking or brat-sitting, Massie comes up with the ah-bvious She'll be a sales rep for the cosmetics brand Be Pretty. Massie fully hearts her new role as fairy gawdmother of makeup-until she discovers transforming LBRs into glam-girls takes more than a swish of her royal purple mascara wand.

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

123 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2008

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

[Anna Schroeder · Rating 2 out of 5]

I used to love the Clique series, but after reading this book I honestly can't remember the reason. Here is my long lists of rants:

1. This coming from the person who types everything out fully on IM: when you type a word, do it right. I got so tired of the "Gawd", "ah-dorable", and "ehmygods" that filled this book.

2. It was only 120 pages and I didn't feel like there was really any plot or plot devolpment or anything. It was just very boring.

3. Massie comes off as such a spoiled rich kid I just wanted to throw the book against a wall. I mean, I get why her parents want her to get a summer job, but it wasn't even really a job. She was getting paid for telling people how ugly they looked and what make-up would make them look better.

I guess you could say that you learned more about the character Massie and how she is away from the Pretty Commitee, but this book just didn't really cut it for me. I would recommend the Gossip Girl or It Girl series if you are looking for books about the life of spoiled rich kids.

[Hristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, I love how it's short and cute and gives a glimpse of the way the brain of this character works. I love Lisi Harrison's writing, it's witty and entertaining and I honestly look forward to reading more of her works.

Now let me complain about something else, something that has nothing to do with the author.

I bought Massie as well as Dylan and Alicia, the next two books in the Clique Summer Collection few years ago at a discount sale at one of the biggest publishing companies here in Macedonia. I usually don't buy book series unless I can get all the books at once, but the last two books weren't (actually, aren't) translated, but this time I did.

I tried reading them back when I first bought them, but I stumbled onto a problem that infuriates me, always. And that is, drum roll, the translation.

Most publishing houses here do not have people in charge of proofreading the translations. Or if they do, those people don't do a very good job. That's why a lot of slang and dialect words that are allowed in the everyday communication but are not accepted in the standard language slip into the translation. And instead of us, the readers broadening our vocabulary and practicing the standard language, we get more slang, we get more dialects that often include words from the languages of our neighboring countries and we slowly forget the standard language, the clean and real language we're supposed to cherish.

And this is why I prefer buying books in English, this is why I prefer Kindle.

Rant over. I'm off to reading Dylan.

[Nora Suntken · Rating 2 out of 5]

Massie is a literal nightmare. In most of the books she has some sort of redemption after being an all-around bad person, but she was just so nasty in this one that I didn’t even want to root for her. There were some funny moments, as always, but without the other members of the PC, she was just horrible.

[Rachel]

DO NOT AND I REPEAT DO NOT READ THIS BOOK...ITS BORING AND IT SUCKS!


ok so it is very dumb! it has no point what so ever... i mean Massie is a rich and spoiled brat who gets kicked out horse camp for cheating. so her parents make her pay them back and so she gets a job at Be Pretty cosmetics! its a very cheesy name... anyways the top seller of the company gets a purple streak died into there hair... and guess whos the top seller... Massie and so she tells everyone how ugly they are and the owner of be pretty gets mad at her for it so no purple streak... then what happens you ask? well massie steals the purple streak pen and dies her hair anyways! she then gets everything she wants... including these 'ungettable' pair of sunglasses!
Its just very dumb and i dont hate rich people but it makes u dispise the wealthy very much! Shes just a plain down right Brat and the book makes you fell horrible inside!And at the end i found myself wondering y i ever wrote it and wished i had never read it before! WARNING: do not read this book unless you like going brain dead! I gave this book 0 stars!!!

[Kelly Z!(: · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing!!! I absolutely love this author and all of her series. I can not wait to read about Dylan, Alicia, Claire, and Kristen!
I really liked all the twists and turns in this book. Massie is so devious when it comes to selling things and getting a job. Or what she calls a "jobby". This book was amazing. I also really liked how it was only about her. She was the center of attention, like she always wants! I also really like how Massie always gets what she wants and never lets those chances get away from her, but in this book she walked away from the TV interview and her jobby!
I honestly didnt dislike anything about this book. It was wonderful. It explained Massie's summer life, in a nutshell.
This entire book surprised me! I never even thought half of the stuff that happene happned in the book, would have happened! It really surprised me in the beginning with all of the stuff that happened with the horse! Wow that shocked me!
Overall, this book was great!

[Kyisha Walter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was not expecting much from this book considering its length and it definitely lived up to that expectation. The length is a one of the few things that worked and the fact that things tied up nicely. That being said, I feel that things came way too easily for Massie even though she is supposed to be at a social low. I also felt that what happened here did not have much connection to the rest of the series and was overall a bore. A watered-down version of a Clique book with no good lessons and no cute friendships.

[Cecily Black · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't mind this novel, it was a nice quick read but I could not stand Massie and she learned nothing by the end of it. Kinda superficial and annoying.

[meg marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

She is so out of it in this, it’s almost comical. Girl needs to touch grass and a major world life reality check

[Maire · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars may seem dramatic but the summer series is so fun. Massie is the it girl of the hamptons. Get her on summer house asap.

[Rosie · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Massie Block gets kicked out of the expensive Galwaugh riding camp she doesn’t know what to do. When she goes to reunite with her parents at their summer home in Southampton, Massie expects to get a warm welcome, but instead, her rich parents force her to get her first summer job in order to pay them back for the riding camp. Since Massie wants to have fun while working she decides to get a jobby (job-hobby). The job that she ends up getting is being a Be Pretty saleswoman. The Be Pretty brand has a beauty-on -the-inside motto that Massie decides to ignore. Her way of making quick money is to tell everyone how ugly they are so they will have to buy the products. Because Massie’s philosophy of sales is working so well, she becomes the top seller in Be Pretty cosmetics in just one week. Surprisingly, the owner of the make-up line is horrified with her philosophy, and decides that she should say sorry to everyone for what she’s done, but instead Massie decides to retire from the jobby and take the purple hair streak dye. (When you become a top seller you get a purple streak in your hair, which gives you exclusive access to all stores and restaurants.)

I think that the book was very well written because it was easy to fallow, and unlike the other Clique books, there was only one plot and one main character. I like how the author (Lisi Harrison) talked about Massie’s other friends summer experiences, but did not go into great detail with them.

(264 words)

[Carol Tran · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alright, I'm done with the entire Clique Summer Series. I didn't go in order though. :) Either way, I definitely had fun reading the series. Massie's story is probably one of the ones that I hated the most next to Claire's. Maybe it's because of the lack of romance (but I doubt it). Massie was being a MAJOR bee-yotch, and I couldn't really tolerate that. She was EXTREMELY shallow that I couldn't even register all of it until I finished the book. Her hard-hitting, tough-love, I'm-being-honest-with-you approach was okay. And honestly, I would've done it as well if I had gotten desperate. But no, I wouldn't have been so cruel as to lie and pretend and all that stuff. Is that REALLY what it takes to be an alpha? I don't think so. Either way, it's 2 stars or 2.5 stars. This book doesn't deserve any more than that.

[Juliet Minerva Swift · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never read the Clique when I was young, this series never made it to Italy (or if it did, it never crossed my path), but I heard about it and when my library offered the summer collection, I decided to try a couple just to know what the story was about.

To start off, Massie is horrible. The kind of horrible that you end up rooting for, sort of Regina George/Blair Waldorf horrible. She treats everyone terribly, but you wish for her to succeed. I liked the way it started off, with a misfortune that causes the story to move forward.
As an audiobook, I found it fun that the actress was talking as Massie would, with a lot of sass and a spoiled attitude.

I would not say it is high literature, this is pure fun without any sort of message or moral, but it was an enjoyable couple hours of listening on my way to school and back.

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is part of the Clique Series, yet it is the first book of the Clique Summer Collection where it is about the girl's summer and what happened before the very last book that came out for the Clique Series. I enjoyed this book, yet it was really short so it felt like as if the story of Massie's summer was kind of rushed and that is one thing I don't like about this book. I was kind of expecting certain things that might happen and I was basically correct because from all the books, I know how she would deal with things. This book is pretty good and I would recommend it for people who like short reads yet they need to read the previous books in the Clique Series in order to understand this book.

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was not as long, nor as good as the others. Pluses, it was cheaper than the others, Massie was still a schemeing brat, and it all worked out well, for Massie at least. Minuses, SUPER short, kind of a weak plotline, not as much detail as normal, and Massie was A LOT meaner in this one. Well, hope the rest of the summer collection is better, TTYL.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Massie is such a manipulative, scheming brat that you almost have to admire her for it. There were actually some really funny parts in this book. I treat them as sort of a satire. I do find it hard to believe that Be Pretty cosmetics would let an 8th grade girl simply call up and begin peddling their wares. That's why I look at it as a satire.

[Mckenzie Tonngies]

I think that Massie's book out of the summer collection. But it didn't really get me interested. After Massie gets kicked out of the expensive Galwaugh farm she doesn't just lose her horseback riding friends but she also loses her summer. When she goes to reunite with her family she is expecting to a warm welcome home, but instead Massie is forced to find a summer job.

[Joanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was incredibly immature and not a read for anyone who is over the age of 13. I wish I could say there was anything, and I do mean ANYTHING redeeming about the main character of Massie, and I cannot find one single quality. She is quite a horrible character, and I have zero sympathy throughout her story for her.

[Zoe G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this book was good but not great. There wasn't very much action or suspense in this book. I did like how the tone changed so many times though. I would recommend this book to people who are into books with drama and fashion.

[Lynnaea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Watching Massie act like a spoiled diva is always fun. There's a lot of scheming in this short little book and watching Massie rise to the top, fall quickly, and rise again was engaging. Unfortunately this book really lacks heart and some of the other redeeming qualities of the series.

3.5/5

[maddie terrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books were not as good as I remember them. It was still entertaining and fun, but not as good. I will still read the next book because I still generally enjoy these books. The next one I believe Dylan goes to Hawaii ( I might be wrong) but that should be more fun!

[Shayla · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book stunk. It made no sense and it wasn't as good as the regular Clique series.

[the louver · Rating 2 out of 5]

i didn't like it as much as other Cliwue books and it didn't really have a good message. But I still liked it a bit.

[Paulina · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book was not my favorite because it had basically no plot and it was really cheesy.

[Nyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

after the movie and other books its good to see different perspectives

[ktheland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Please grow up, Massie. If these girls don't get some character development soon, I am going to be pissed.

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

comfort reread idk

[Ellis Billington · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short novella kicks off when the main character and spoiled little rich girl, Massie Block, gets kicked out of horse camp for cheating in a riding competition by gluing a girl on her team to a saddle to prevent her from falling off her horse. It is truly an iconic event. As punishment, Massie's parents cancel her credit card--the horror--and will not allow her to have it again until she pays them back for the cost of sending her to horse camp. So Massie is forced to get a summer job--again, the horror. Most of the novella follows her actions at this summer job, in which she bullies insecure, not conventionally attractive girls into buying expensive beauty products and faces minimal consequences for her actions.

This might make Massie sound like an awful protagonist, but I actually quite liked reading about her. Her lack of basic emotional self-awareness and empathy made for some good satire, and the narration was really funny. I laughed at this book more than I've laughed at a book in awhile. I also think it's pretty clear that the way Massie is comes from her emotional needs not being met. Reading this book, it always felt like her parents held her at arm's length, never acting particularly loving toward her but also apparently never disciplining her until the events of this book. (And even then, like I mentioned before, Massie faces minimal consequences for her actions aside from the initial cancellation of her credit card.) This makes for an interesting character study of an emotionally troubled little girl. I don't know if that is what the author intended, but it's definitely how I experienced the story.

Had the plot of this book been a bit stronger, I might have given it four stars because it was such an enjoyable read. However, I found that the book dragged a bit in the middle, with the most exciting bits definitely being at the very beginning and very end of the story.

[Paige Tipton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, I genuinely wish I never would have read this 😤

I don't get what the point of this novella was. I thought a few times Massie might actually be held accountable for something in her damn life, but no. After JOINING AN MLM, she spends the rest of the book scamming young girls by telling them they're ugly, then intimidating them into buying her shitty makeup products to "fix" themselves. And then, in the end, it's acknowledged that this was super messed up - and guess what? She still ends up getting a STANDING OVATION at a conference about "real beauty," all while her inner monologue goes on and on about how smart she is to keep getting away with lies and how everyone else should love her for it.

Also, Lisi - the Diddy references aged worse than anything I've ever seen before, and I'm convinced either you knew something or stumbled on the most messed up coincidence in the world 😂

"And then I said. 'Puffy or Puff Daddy, or P. Diddy, or whatever your name is, why don't you just admit it?'"

They were referencing stealing party themes... or were they 🤔😳 Diddy also was said to have recommend a "hawt" Swedish massuse to the 13 year old main character - do with that information what you will.

[Zoë]

Rereading this nostalgic middle-school series is introspectively interesting, a great satirical escape, and overall just silly fun. It makes for easy reading on a lunch break. Maybe this is why I'm enjoying "Emily in Pairs," even though I also agree with the criticisms of the show. If I remember correctly, this volume is the only one from the summer collection I'd read, and despite it still being the most absurd presence, Massie is the best (and most despicable) character in the crew. You can tell, too, from Harrison's writing that Massie is her favorite. It's hard not to root for this awful 13-year-old villain when her life is so goddamn glamorous. Anyway, if this isn't a reread for you, don't bother, but if you had fun reading the books in middle school or enjoy the series to this day, I thought this first summer interlude delivered more of the same fun and satire.