Hot Mess: Summer in the City
by Julie Kraut & Shallon Lester
by Julie Kraut & Shallon Lester
HOT MESS: SUMMER IN THE CITY by Julie Kraut & Shallon Lester
Category: Contemporary
Age Recommendation: Grades 9+
Release Date: 5/13/08
Publisher: Delacorte
Reviewed by: JodiG.
Rating: 5 Stars
Emma Freeman is about to break free from her quiet suburban life and usual summer job as a lifeguard. She is also making
the break from Brian, her boyfriend of nine months who, as it turns out, is a rotten, no-good cheat.
So, where is a girl to go when she wants to get away from it all? How about New York City?
Emma lands a summer internship in the city and even talks her BFF, Rachel, into coming along. The girls head to New
York with a moderate budget and big plans for a glamorous summer in the city. The reality of living in the city soon hits
them. What seemed like a sizeable budget in the suburbs doesn’t measure up to the cost of living in NYC. And the kind of
housing you can rent for the price Emma and Rachel have to pay usually has some very creepy terms in the deal.
Just when they are about to give up, Emma and Rachel answer an ad and find themselves rooming with a real life socialite.
Jayla is beautiful, rich, and lives an exciting life full of nightclubs and late-night make-out sessions with the hottest guys in
town.
Although the housing situation is looking brighter, the internship turns out to be almost unbearable. Emma’s boss is a
nightmarish mix of 90’s rap revival, bad jokes, and an overblown self-image. Then there is that one cute guy that works for
the company, and the one lie that Emma told him. Will she be able to keep the lie going all summer long?
HOT MESS: SUMMER IN THE CITY is a really fun read that is full of current references to popular culture and
believable dialogue. This is a must-have for your summer reading list!
Category: Contemporary
Age Recommendation: Grades 9+
Release Date: 5/13/08
Publisher: Delacorte
Reviewed by: JodiG.
Rating: 5 Stars
Emma Freeman is about to break free from her quiet suburban life and usual summer job as a lifeguard. She is also making
the break from Brian, her boyfriend of nine months who, as it turns out, is a rotten, no-good cheat.
So, where is a girl to go when she wants to get away from it all? How about New York City?
Emma lands a summer internship in the city and even talks her BFF, Rachel, into coming along. The girls head to New
York with a moderate budget and big plans for a glamorous summer in the city. The reality of living in the city soon hits
them. What seemed like a sizeable budget in the suburbs doesn’t measure up to the cost of living in NYC. And the kind of
housing you can rent for the price Emma and Rachel have to pay usually has some very creepy terms in the deal.
Just when they are about to give up, Emma and Rachel answer an ad and find themselves rooming with a real life socialite.
Jayla is beautiful, rich, and lives an exciting life full of nightclubs and late-night make-out sessions with the hottest guys in
town.
Although the housing situation is looking brighter, the internship turns out to be almost unbearable. Emma’s boss is a
nightmarish mix of 90’s rap revival, bad jokes, and an overblown self-image. Then there is that one cute guy that works for
the company, and the one lie that Emma told him. Will she be able to keep the lie going all summer long?
HOT MESS: SUMMER IN THE CITY is a really fun read that is full of current references to popular culture and
believable dialogue. This is a must-have for your summer reading list!