Buddy Review: Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg

After Wena and I had so much fun reviewing The Reece Malcolm List together, we decided to do a buddy review once a month. And so here is our March buddy review!

Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg
Published by Point in March 2013

Don't mess with a girl with a great personality!

Everybody loves Lexi. She's popular, smart, funny...but she's never been one of those girls, the pretty ones who get all the attention from guys. And on top of that, her seven-year-old sister, Mackenzie, is a terror in a tiara, and part of a pageant scene where she gets praised for her beauty (with the help of fake hair and tons of makeup).

Lexi's sick of it. She's sick of being the girl who hears about kisses instead of getting them. She's sick of being ignored by her longtime crush, Logan. She's sick of being taken for granted by her pageant-obsessed mom. And she's sick of having all her family's money wasted on a phony pursuit of perfection.

The time has come for Lexi to step out from the sidelines. Girls without great personalities aren't going to know what hit them. Because Lexi's going to play the beauty game - and she's in it to win it.

Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Series: n/a

The Story: Lexi is the girl with the great personality. She’s not ugly, but she’s definitely not one of the girls in the popular clique that are made up to the nines and goes out with a football player. She’s funny and smart and she’s also getting tired of overlooked. Her mom is living vicariously through her 7 year old sister Mackenzie, who does beauty pageants. Lexi helps out each weekend at the pageant and gets no recognition for it. Pageants are her mom’s life, and there’s no room for anything else. But when Lexi starts to dress like a girl (as opposed to a shapeless lump) it definitely has some repercussions at school and home.

There may be some minor spoilers.

Ames: All right sweet cheeks, what did you think of Revenge of the Girl?

I liked it but my beef is that I read it way too fast!!

Wena: I hear you, I was so mad at myself when I finished it last night. But I’m so glad that we chose to read this one. Eulberg always provides those delightful contemporary YA reads that always put me in a good mood…even when it’s 2am and I should be sleeping for work the next day. =)

What did you think about Lexi?

Ames: I liked Lexi but I also got annoyed with her too. I can understand why she puts so much emphasis on looks but her transformation annoyed me a bit. Even though it wasn't her choice, she really ran with it once she got going! LOL I did think this was balanced out by her toning it down in the end though. And I felt bad for her, with a mom like that, who needs bullies?

What did you think of her?

Wena: Yeah, she definitely annoyed me too but what annoyed me more was her treatment of Taylor. Her insistence that he only wanted her because of her transformation and the way that she thought what she thought and that was that. I mean, hell I thought that Taylor was going to punk her over too but I didn’t think that he deserved that instant brush off from Lexi. He was nothing but nice to her right from the jump and the way that she treated him was not cool.

Her mother got on my hot damn nerves too. When Lexi finally loses her shit (sorry) with her Mom while her Mom was at work, I couldn’t be mad at her for putting her Mom on blast like that because damn, that’s a lot of money and Moms are not supposed to do shit like that to their kids.

What did you think about Mac?

Ames: I agree with you over her treatment of Taylor. I loved how they were joking around and having fun when she was helping him shop. She wouldn't even listen to him at the end when he told her that's when he noticed her, not after her makeover. Stubborn wench! But remember when they started dating and she went gaga over Logan on their double date but went to chase Taylor down and they had their little moment alone? I liked that scene.

I'm sorry but when her mom pulled that stunt I wanted Lexi's dad to freaking call someone and have that woman committed!! Also, Lexi's dad should have opened an account up with her so that her mom wouldn't be able to pull that kind of stunt again. Her mom seriously needed some help.

But the people who kept Lexi sane in all of this were her great friends. I loved her friends and that's a great strength of Eulberg's writing - the way she can write friendships like that.

Mac was a spoiled brat but I like how her and Lexi opened up at the end. Have you ever watched Toddlers and Tiaras? I used to watch it and Mac was written perfectly. She definitely could have been on that show. LOL

Wena: You’re talking about the moment with Taylor, right? The one at the pizza place? I loved that scene, where he got jealous and she finally noticed him. He was such a cutie patootie, I swear.

Lexi sure did have a sucky parental unit. They were both such selfish pricks that now that I think about it, it makes sense that Lexi would react the way that she did. Most of the time. You’re right, she had a great support system in her friends. Both Cam and Benny were so good for Lexi and after the crap hits the fan with Lexi’s Mom, I was so glad when Benny and Cam came to be with her when she faces her Mom. Cam was the best friend of all. She’s the kind of friend that all girls should have in their lives. She’s a ride or die chick and how can you not love someone like that? She was always looking out for Lexi and the way that she had Benny’s back in the mall that one time? I loved it. Benny was pretty great too. I was so glad when him and Chris got together. I liked to see him find happiness before they went to New York.

I really liked the way that Lexi’s relationship with Mac evolved. They came a long way from that first part where Mac calls her ugly and Lexi responds back.

I kind of hoped that there would be more to the ending, more with Taylor but overall, I really liked this book.

Ames: Cam was a great friend! I also cracked up at the scene when she hit on Grant so Lexi would have a friendly face at that varsity dinner thing. She's definitely ride or die. And I thought Bennie was so cute.

I thought Mac was really cute and I'm glad Lexi stepped up as a big sister and helped her out the way she did. I kinda wish we had a picture of Lexi in her get-up at the end because it sounds hilarious too!

I wish there had been more with Taylor as well. But yes, overall I really enjoyed Revenge of the Girl. Eulberg always keeps it fresh! LOL

Wena: So I guess that was it with the Mom, huh? Things weren’t really resolved with her but Lexi was moving on from it, anyway. I mean, she had her friends and she had Mac so she wasn’t really worried much about how things ended up with her Mom, right? I kind of hoped there would be more resolved by the end of the book but I can’t say that I’m all that surprised. I just couldn’t believe how selfish and irresponsible the mother was with her money and with her kids. It really surprises me that there are women out there who are just like Lexi’s Mom. That makes me so sad for those kids.

Alright, be honest...who did you think was going to be the love interest at the beginning of the book?

Ames: I think that was it on the mom-front. I wish we had a more firm resolve in regards to their mom but I think it's safe to say that Mac and Lexi working together means no more crazy from their mom. And yes, watching Toddlers and Tiaras, with a lot of the parents, moms especially, it was like they were living through their kids, in an unhealthy way.

I honestly thought Logan was going to be the love interest. I mean, how often does the girl end up with her guy friend?

Wena: I’ve never been interested in watching Toddlers and Tiara’s but now? I’m curious. I mean, I’ve heard of Honey Boo Boo but I refused to watch that show because, well…it looks really dumb. I’m more of a Duck Dynasty kind of gal, anyway.

Same here, I thought that Logan was the love interest too because well…she didn’t immediately get with him the way that she did with Taylor. That was what threw me off and then the whole thing with him being there for her when all of that stuff went down with her Mom at the store? I was all kinds of confused.

Ames: I just wish that there was some way that her and Logan could have remained good friends, because he was there for her.

I like Duck Dynasty too. Was never into Honey Booboo. Lol.

Wena: You're right. I do wish that Logan and Lexi could have remained friends. I liked them in the beginning even if I didn't want them to end up together.

What grade would you give it? My grade would be a B.

Ames: I would give it the same, a B. A good quick read.