The Pretty Committee Strikes Back

The Clique #5

by Lisi Harrison

The girls of Octavian Country Day pack up their warmest cashmere coats and their tiniest iPods and board the bus for a President’s Day class trip to Lake Placid. But bears aren’t the only scary thing out in those woods. The Briarwood Boys are staying in a cabin just a few yards away, which means the girls in Massie’s Underground Clinic for Kissing (M.U.C.K) might have to find the guts to put their money where their well-glossed mouths are. Kristen can’t afford to go on the trip, but that’s not about to stop her. Dylan’s mom is smooching her history teacher. Alicia’s crush Josh has his eye on someone else. And Claire is about to do whatever it takes to get Cam back.

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

265 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2006

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

[MAGGIE=) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makes your inner badgirl want to come out!

-Maggie

[704alexandria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It was very girly, cute and fun! I liked the idea of how the girls go on the trip with the guys!

At the beginning of the book, I was a little confused with the Pretty Committee’s relationship with Claire. They were treating her like a friend but they seemed weird about it. They seemed kind of shaky and like they didn’t open of the door to their clique fully, so to say. Why were they treating her that way? I thought they were cool.

I know that Massie loves her friends; I learned that in the first book. But if she loves them so much, then why she treat them like her little followers or dogs? She leads them and doesn’t treat them so fairly. She treats them like she doesn’t care about them or love them. I wouldn’t want to start a problem or drama but I wouldn’t take it! I would NOT be treated like a background dog! Speaking of dogs, she treats her dog, Bean better than she does her so called, “friends.”

I thought Alicia was acting unfair on the trip and was distancing herself from the Pretty Committee. I thought that Alicia was playing “nice girl” for a little bit so she could get revenge on Claire without Claire realizing it/ knowing it. So she won’t see it coming. In the end, I was right!

Again, another Massie topic came up amongst my post its. I thought Massie was very selfish! She was caring way too much about herself than her close friend who’s been lying on a wood floor for two days. She doesn’t care because she is way too obsessed with herself. She is supposed to be a friend but she is not! Everyone us obsessed with themselves a little bit, but Massie is a little too much! That is what makes her a real character.

But, towards the end, I was impressed with Massie because she made everyone apologize to each other (out of her friends) so they would stop fighting and all be friends again. I have to give her credit for that!

I really thought this book was great! I like all the cute names for thing like lip glosses and stuff! It was interesting and I enjoyed the cliffhanger ending. It made you want to read the next book and I am! I also learned how important and fun lip gloss is! 

[Taryn Shanes]

no critiques, just vibes

[Massie Block · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun book with a L-O-T of drama. See my book review from below:

DRAMA! When Octavian Country Day (OCD) school goes on a class trip, each member of the Pretty Committee (PC), the coolest girls at OCD, has a secret or some personal drama. Massie, the PC's head alpha, lied about having kissing experience to hold a kissing clinic to raise money for her friend, Kristen, a member of the PC; no one except the PC knows Kristen's family couldn't afford the school's trip fees. Will the girls of the clinic believe Massie or ask for refunds? Alicia, the second command of the PC, has a crush on Josh Hotz but knows he has his eyes on someone else.... but who? Will this reveal Claire's, another one of Massie's friends, terrible secret of her kissing Josh in book #4 "Invasion of the Boy Snatchers"? And last but not least Dylan, PC's diet obsessed diva, is dieing of embarrasment. Her famous mother, Merri-Lee, and her teacher are flirting openly in front of the whole school. What will come of this? Will all the PC members be able to resolve the drama? FIND OUT IN THE BOOK

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read, honestly! It’s set in Lake Placid, a place I’ve vacationed at a lot, and while my vacations were never as glamorous as it was in the book, it was still fun trying to picture everything.

The drama was fun, too. Not that I’d ever wish to be that age again, but I couldn’t stop smiling, recalling all my petty fights with friends, the nervousness with boys I had crushes on, etc. Massie was especially funny in this book, and though I wish Alicia had been more a part of this story, I did enjoy it.

On to the next one!

[Janel · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are two wolves in me: one who wants to write a flippant one liner review of this book. And the other who wants to write a nuanced and heartfelt review about how Lisi Harrison might be the greatest satirical writer of our time and there are some really insightful things here about sexuality, status, and self-esteem when it comes to young girls on the cusp of adolescence. 4.5 stars

[Brittany]

The Clique Gone Wild...
Massie Block: The girls of Octavian Day Country pack up their warmest cashmere coats and their tiniest iPods and board the bus for a President's Day class trip to Lake Placid. But bears aren't the only scary thing out in those woods. The Briarwood Boys are staying in a cabin just a few yards away, which meansthe girls in Massie's Underground Clinic for Kissing (M.U.C.K) might have to find the guts to put their money where their well-glossed mouthes are.

Kristen Gregory: Can't afford to go on the trip. Will she rot in Westchester all alone? Not likely!

Dylan Marvil: Finally skinny after a bad bout of the flu. Will she stay skinny when she sees her mom smooching it up with her history teacher. Cause that's enough to make anyone yak!

Alicia Rivera: Knows her crush, Josh Hotz, has his eye on someone. But who? Alicia's the hottest girl at OCD. So he must like her...right?

Claire Lyons: Gets a crazy haircut and a bloodthirsty new enemy, but none of this matters since Cam has taken his heart (and his gummies) away from her. She'll do whatever it takes to get him back...

[Emma Kriho]

Me 🤝 planes 🤝 these books

My 2025 resolution is to stop reading children’s books

[Elizabeth]

Did I read five of the Clique books in December just to reach my 2025 annual reading challenge? Or did I actually have a great time? Hmmmmm

[Jazmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

After Alicia’s sassy cousin Nina, who stole everyone’s heart, was proven for the devious thief she really was, Massie expected all to adore her once again. Yet, she overhears some of her fans planning to get in touch with Nina for some boy advice. Massie can’t have her admirers thinking she hasn’t any experience with boys, so she starts “Massie’s Underground Clinic for Kissing (M.U.C.K.) even though she’s never kissed a boy herself. The Pretty Committee (Massie, Alicia, Claire, Dylan) with the exception of Kristen, who couldn’t afford it, are off to Lake Placid for their school trip. Massie hopes to get some real experience there. Massie rides with Derrington on the bus, but fakes motion sickness so she won’t have to talk to him. She always gets nervous and embarrassed when she’s around him. When Derrington tells the M.U.C.K. girls that they’ve never kissed they feel taken advantage of and cheated. Massie cooks a plan with Claire that lets the M.U.C.K. girl s catch her and Derrington kissing to prove them wrong. Cam is still upset about Claire and her kiss with Josh, but then Massie comes up with a plan for Claire to go to Cam’s cabin, in disguise as a boy, to fix things. Claire tells him that she didn’t know he was avoiding her because of Alicia’s fake Spanish soccer spell and that she thought he dumped her, so they promise to meet each other the next day to kiss (Cam’s first time.) Claire thinks Alicia, who has a crush on Josh, overhear that she kissed him. They cannot talk that day as if it were their wedding day, so when Massie’s plan for the M.U.C.K. girls to catch her and Derrington kissing interferes with her meeting with Cam she asks Alicia to give him her note saying she’ll be late. When Claire arrives she finds Alicia flirting with Cam in revenge for Claire kissing Josh. Claire is heartbroken. Massie suggests Cam dresses as a girl and apologizes to Claire for he had never gotten Claire’s note and had felt betrayed. They kiss. A pair of Claire’s underwear is found outdoors, but instead of telling them that Layne, who borrowed them, did she blames it on Alicia for revenge. Everyone believes it because she really had taken some Claire offered and they tease her. All the girls run out, but then Dylan catches her famous TV show host mom snuggling up with her geography teacher. She is so upset she reveals that Kristen is on the trip and hands her breakfast under Massie’s bed where she’s hiding. Dylan runs out, Kristen runs out, and then Massie, Alicia, and Claire run to their friends to support them. They end up lost and have to sit still for hours so a mysterious creature won’t hurt them until Claire shoos it away with a gummy worm. Soon, they finally meet up with Mr. Myner, their geo teacher, and Dylan’s mom. Everyone is horrified when the Pretty Committee is expelled.
I found the girl’s tactics to get their crushes unique and fun. The camping trip was so planned out and vividly described that I felt as if I were experiencing it with the girls, too. I was also surprised that Kristen came, and loved that all was right with Derrington and Massie and Cam and Claire in the end. I can’t believe that they were expelled though since there are usually happy endings in this series.

[Saharrah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this book because how Dylan,Alicia,and Massie want to pay for the trip but Kristen wouldn't let them. It's time to leave for the trip. And Dylan's mom is coming. This was the time for Dylan to get the guy that she wanted. Massie is teaching girls how to kiss. But some of the girls are going overboard about it. Claire helps Massie with kissing only if Massie helps Claire get Cam back. Massie helps Claire get Cam back. By dressing Claire up in Kristen's soccer clothes. Claire sneaks in the boys cabin is begging for him back. Claire tells him to meet at the log at seven. Massie has a plan to get Derrick back. But Claire has to put it off to 7:30. After Massie's plan worked, Claire goes to meet Cam. Cam thought it was Claire but it really was Alicia. Alicia did this to get back for kissing Josh. Next moring, Cam dresses like a girl named Camilla. He sneaks into the girls cabin. Cam and Claire are back together after all. Dylan acciently let out that Kristen was here. Dylan got mad and ran out into the woods. Massie,Claire,Alicia, and Kristen followed. Massie refused to go forward until they would make up. Once they got back to camp,they got in trouble they got suspended since they went out into the woods. The reason I like this book is how Massie is actually asking Claire for help with boy trouble. Usually Massie would ignore her.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book ALicia, Claire, Massie, Dylan go on a trip to a camp with their geography teacher. Kristen can't afford it so she has to sneak to the camp without her mom knowing so when she gets there only Massie knows that she is there and she hides under Massie's bed and eats the leftover food. Plus she studies all of the maps and trail routes so when they get lost she sort of knows where to take them. Only amazingly Dylan somehow gets them back to camp. After that their geography teacher gets mad at them and he talks with the principal and their mothers and in the end they get expelled from school for the rest of the school they were in. So now they can't go back to school until 8th grade is over. Also they don't get to see their boy friends that they had just made up with it was sad for them. At least they can go shopping all the time now!

I learned that you have to follow directions to not get in trouble and do what you are told and if you are poor you should just stay back at home.

[Devin Boehmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a lot of fun to see the girls outside the campus/Massie Block estate bubble that the books tend to center on. Outside of her home turf, Clique leader Massie shows a lot more insecurity and vulnerability when it comes to developing her first romantic relationship and it’s interesting to see her scramble to balance her refined public persona with her normal teenage anxieties. As always, the book involves the usual back stabbing wrapping with the inevitable friendship make-ups but added an amusing layer of adult romance this time around. The giant cliffhanger at the end makes me excited to see the girls likely in another new setting in the next book!

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still one of my favorites out of the series

[Julia Rose · Rating 1 out of 5]

so so bad but so nostalgic😭 i just needed to read the quickest most junk food book i could think of to overcome a reading slump lmaoo

[Kyisha Walter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very pleased with this book compared to the last one! This book features minimal Todd, no Nina and gets closer to the childish nature that I enjoy reading with this series. Even with the girly and childish nature throughout, I was invested in the drama and going-ons of the characters. While I did enjoy this book greatly it still has its problems and they have been on-going throughout the series. We see Massie not eat because of nerves and while she eventually does begin to eat again, there is really no consequence besides her clothes not fitting the way she would like. I feel that this is extremely dangerous to feature and especially in a Junior book. The only thing saving this for me is that it was not a main part of the plot but rather a few comments here and there. My problem with Dylan on the other hand is a major part of the plot and something that I have disliked since the introduction of the character. In this book she has lost substantial weight after having the flu and people ask her for tips on weight loss. She is suddenly described by the author in a more flattering way like the other main girls and is constantly making remarks about how much better she looks. I can understand young girls having thoughts like this or acting a certain way when it comes to their weight but the author controls the story. If she wanted to she could teach the characters and readers that they are wrong in these beliefs and create a better arc for Dylan in terms of making healthy choices and becoming comfortable in her body. Luckily her friends try to make her feel better and they are always telling her that she is not fat. This is not something that I would want to see in books made more recently but for the time I would much prefer this to some of the alternatives. Overall very pleased with this book and hoping for more improvements in the next!

[Mady White · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual the Clique series is way too entertaining than necessary. This book takes a different turn when the girls from OCD and the boys from Briarwood go on a school camping trip. I instantly knew things would go down and it did and this book did not disappoint.

I may get some hate from this, but Claire’s first kiss was probably one of the most romantic kisses I’ve ever witnessed. It starts off when Alicia gets back at Claire by kissing Cam, then Cam realizes the situation and feels guilt. Then later that night, Cam cross dresses to sneak into the girls dorm to talk to Claire. From there, they make up and have their first kiss. Goals 😍😍

Lastly, the ending had me shook. I was totally not expecting that. It had a major cliff hanger that surprised me. Now, I have to read the sixth book to find out what happens. 🙄🙄 I read the first book as a joke and now here I am on the fifth 😂😂

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably my favorite Clique installment so far. I really liked the change of setting. The whole MUCK plotline further humanized Massie. I waited with baited breath of her and Claire to finally kiss their crushes. I was rooting for Claire and Cam the entire time. Alicia was a mischievous little double-crosser. Kristen made an appearance against all odds.

The only thing I did not understand was Layne's inclination to leave her underwear literally everywhere? Just throw it out? Don't know how Harrison thought she was channeling pre-teen girls with that one. Dylan literally peeing her pants was weird as hell but also kind of hilarious, especially when she was chasing her friends out of the woods calling herself the pee pee monster. Juvenile but it got a chuckle out of me.

[Abby Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

The clique goes camping.

Dylan's mom tries to film the whole thing like its "the Amazing Race" for kids. Claire tries to win back Cam. Massie wants her first kiss with Derrick but is trying to teach a class on kissing (called MUCK) at the same time; a dead moose ends up with a lot of lip gloss on his lips. Kristen couldn't afford the camping trip but sneaks in.

They all get expelled.

[Samantha Lemke]

These books are so goofy and they’re honestly such a comfort read. I forgot about this book but i enjoyed reading about their school camping trip & freaking out about being with the guys.

I loved school field trips, especially the overnight ones. I had my first silly little kiss on one of those school field trips. Think back on it, I read the first clique book on that trip too.

[Christina Arce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Folks this is the one I’d been waiting for and it did not disappoint. Nothing was more thrilling as a pre-teen than a sleep-away camp with boys and Lisi just nailed it. Also the packing list has forever lived rent-free in my head

[Kristen M · Rating 3 out of 5]

As far as Clique books go, this is a readable one. More believable than #4, but still insane

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why are the longer ones my favorites so far?

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

2024 reread

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

CLIFF HANGER

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every time one the girls trusts another with some vital information I roll my eyes. How have you not learned? This book was ingrained on the backs of my eyelids as a kid. Love a camping novel.

[jules ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ · Rating 4 out of 5]

peak comedy

[Meaghen B · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars:)

[meg marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

somehow the entitlement is more rampent in this than the rest? not to mention the blasé attitude about rule braking too

[Bitchin’]

read as a kid