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37th out of 303 books
—
1,021 voters
Hidden Gem (Hidden Gem #1)
by
India Lee (Goodreads Author)
Lavishly disguised pop singer, Queen Bee, is known abroad for her high-fashion wardrobe and killer vocals. In the states, she's just Gemma Hunter - shy suburban teenager in her strange new role of high school junior.
Luckily, Gemma is taken under the wing of the fiery and popular Madison, who leads her into the high school life of the charmed. Her world as Gemma quickly be...more
Luckily, Gemma is taken under the wing of the fiery and popular Madison, who leads her into the high school life of the charmed. Her world as Gemma quickly be...more
Kindle Edition, 225 pages
Published
June 20th 2011
by India Lee Books
(first published February 23rd 2011)
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I absolutely with all my heart love this book! I want the second book! NO, I need the second book:)!
I'm a sucker for books with teen celebrites in them! And this book topped my list! I bought this book on my Ipad, then later on in my kindle because my Ipad had no battery left... :/ Anyways, I bought it because well... It was free and it seemed really interesting! And interesting it was! Her friend Leah is just awesome! I have a friend just like her and her name is Chloe--> http://www.goodread...more
I'm a sucker for books with teen celebrites in them! And this book topped my list! I bought this book on my Ipad, then later on in my kindle because my Ipad had no battery left... :/ Anyways, I bought it because well... It was free and it seemed really interesting! And interesting it was! Her friend Leah is just awesome! I have a friend just like her and her name is Chloe--> http://www.goodread...more
Read the rest at:
http://theread-a-holic.blogspot.com/2...
How excited was I about reading this?
5 out of 10
Meet Gemma. She looks like your average popular teen, but like every teen in a novel, she's hiding a secret. A big secret. What is it? She's the rising international teen pop sensation Queen Bee. She's just finished touring and is getting ready for her first time in high school though she's technically a junior when we meet her. But things start getting complicated with her falling for her...more
http://theread-a-holic.blogspot.com/2...
How excited was I about reading this?
5 out of 10
Meet Gemma. She looks like your average popular teen, but like every teen in a novel, she's hiding a secret. A big secret. What is it? She's the rising international teen pop sensation Queen Bee. She's just finished touring and is getting ready for her first time in high school though she's technically a junior when we meet her. But things start getting complicated with her falling for her...more
Wow!!! SO GOOD!
This was a freebie on Amazon that I downloaded one day but never really thought I would get around to reading. I am so glad that I ended up reading it. When I first started reading it I wasn't sure if I was going to keep going or just drop the book and pick up a different one, but I got hooked real quick let me tell ya.
Gemma is a pop sensation rapidly gaining fame and fans but has a secret identity so she can have a normal life. It really is a Hannah Montana type story, but more...more
This was a freebie on Amazon that I downloaded one day but never really thought I would get around to reading. I am so glad that I ended up reading it. When I first started reading it I wasn't sure if I was going to keep going or just drop the book and pick up a different one, but I got hooked real quick let me tell ya.
Gemma is a pop sensation rapidly gaining fame and fans but has a secret identity so she can have a normal life. It really is a Hannah Montana type story, but more...more
Aug 17, 2012
dontouchmychocolate
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
sort-of-read-did-not-complete
Oh, Lord, I think I'm too old to even attempt reading books like these.
Hidden Gem ceased to have any concrete storyline when it got to a point that I couldn't get through five pages without finding mention of a designer; it's as if the author's personality was leaking through the pages through the highlights of fashion labels!
To make the book even more uninteresting, the female protagonist is nothing special: she's a rich kid who's even richer from her alter-ego's "career" as an international mu...more
Hidden Gem ceased to have any concrete storyline when it got to a point that I couldn't get through five pages without finding mention of a designer; it's as if the author's personality was leaking through the pages through the highlights of fashion labels!
To make the book even more uninteresting, the female protagonist is nothing special: she's a rich kid who's even richer from her alter-ego's "career" as an international mu...more
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE REVIEWS AT READING, EATING AND DREAMING I WAS BLAIR WALDORF
Hidden Gem by India Lee is Hannah Montana meets Gossip Girl. Personally, I love both shows so this novel totally worked for me. One of the great things about this series is that there is so much potential for this series. At this point, India Lee could take this series multiple directions. There are many potential love interest for both Queen Bee and Gemma Hunter, and that in and of itself has the potential to mak...more
Hidden Gem by India Lee is Hannah Montana meets Gossip Girl. Personally, I love both shows so this novel totally worked for me. One of the great things about this series is that there is so much potential for this series. At this point, India Lee could take this series multiple directions. There are many potential love interest for both Queen Bee and Gemma Hunter, and that in and of itself has the potential to mak...more
The above summary of the book (via GoodReads) doesn’t really cover all the plot points, and it kind of makes a big deal out of one that isn’t all that important, so I went in expecting something a little different. That’s not good or bad, I just think the blurb could be written a little differently to describe the book better.
Queen Bee is a singer (already plenty famous overseas) who wears such elaborate costumes that nobody knows who she really is. She is just coming on the scene in the States...more
Queen Bee is a singer (already plenty famous overseas) who wears such elaborate costumes that nobody knows who she really is. She is just coming on the scene in the States...more
This book reminded me of Jillian Dodd's Stalk Me.
Psychotic queen of the school "friend"? Check.
Famous heroine? Check.
Boy-hopping? Check.
16 year old teens trying to lose their virginity? Check.
Uncertainty as to whether this is actually a "romance"? And if so, with who? Check.
Saying that, this book is much better than Ms. Dodd's crazy high school rampage. It has a coherency that Stalk Me lacked. However, I'm not entirely happy with it's plot. Anyway, onto the review.
I love Ms. Lee's creativity i...more
Psychotic queen of the school "friend"? Check.
Famous heroine? Check.
Boy-hopping? Check.
16 year old teens trying to lose their virginity? Check.
Uncertainty as to whether this is actually a "romance"? And if so, with who? Check.
Saying that, this book is much better than Ms. Dodd's crazy high school rampage. It has a coherency that Stalk Me lacked. However, I'm not entirely happy with it's plot. Anyway, onto the review.
I love Ms. Lee's creativity i...more
2 likes · like · see review
A hidden gem is right! India Lee's first book in her Hidden Gem series was chock full of everything I love in a story.
International pop star, Queen Bee has just finished the last show of her summer tour and is headed home to the US to start her junior year at public school. Starting a new school and trying to make new friends as Gemma, the unknown girl behind the Queen Bee persona, leaves Gemma feeling a little insecure and very un-queen like.
Watching Gemma maneuver her way (while keeping her...more
International pop star, Queen Bee has just finished the last show of her summer tour and is headed home to the US to start her junior year at public school. Starting a new school and trying to make new friends as Gemma, the unknown girl behind the Queen Bee persona, leaves Gemma feeling a little insecure and very un-queen like.
Watching Gemma maneuver her way (while keeping her...more
For more reviews check out my blog!
So recently I have discovered something about myself: I loveeee books about celebrities! I'm not really sure why this is but I just do. So that being said, I really liked this book! I had heard of it a while back from a friend and it sounded interesting but I had just never gotten around to reading it. Now that I'm done with the book though, I'm sooo glad I did.
One of the things I really liked about the plot in this book was that it wasn't like Hannnah Mont...more
So recently I have discovered something about myself: I loveeee books about celebrities! I'm not really sure why this is but I just do. So that being said, I really liked this book! I had heard of it a while back from a friend and it sounded interesting but I had just never gotten around to reading it. Now that I'm done with the book though, I'm sooo glad I did.
One of the things I really liked about the plot in this book was that it wasn't like Hannnah Mont...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Take Lady Gaga's outlandish fashion, talent, and quick sky-rocket to super stardom. Combine it with the Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana double-life story line. Add in fantastic writing, lovable and realistic characters, and much more maturity than you'd probably expect, and you have Hidden Gem.
I was really surprised by this book! I started reading it one night randomly, and then the next thing I knew I couldn't stop! It's so different from everything else I've read lately--no supernatural elements, n...more
I was really surprised by this book! I started reading it one night randomly, and then the next thing I knew I couldn't stop! It's so different from everything else I've read lately--no supernatural elements, n...more
This was a good YA book. I downloaded it for a change of pace, and I found myself not being able to put the book down until I finished it. Gemma/QB is a very good character and I think she would be a good role model. From the beginning I knew Monica was going to be a shady character, but I have some additional ideas about her and can't wait to see if some of my ideas come to be true when I read more of the series. The one thing that I was pretty disappointed in was the loss of Damian at the end...more
For a more in-depth review, and more, click here: http://vivaladolcevita14.blogspot.com/
I liked this book a lot. It was a nice, quick and enjoyable book. Reminiscent of Hannah Montana, but better, with more Mean Girls style HS drama.
I loved Gemma as a character. Seeing her dual personas was a treat. I loved the scenes when she was Queen Bee, her celebrity persona. I could relate to her, well at least her as Gemma. I was rooting for her to succeed at regular life, and was mad when those who mist...more
I liked this book a lot. It was a nice, quick and enjoyable book. Reminiscent of Hannah Montana, but better, with more Mean Girls style HS drama.
I loved Gemma as a character. Seeing her dual personas was a treat. I loved the scenes when she was Queen Bee, her celebrity persona. I could relate to her, well at least her as Gemma. I was rooting for her to succeed at regular life, and was mad when those who mist...more
There were major eye rolling moments when I was going through this book, there were times that I just wanted to stop reading all together.
The protagonist is like a mash up between Hannah Montana and Lady Gaga, I have nothing against the two but I'm not a fan, so that put a negative mark on the book for me.
Gemma's woes with the boysss did not endear me. Yeah, I get it that she's living a double life but for Pete's sake, the girl is making my head hurt!
Anyways, what got me going with the book was...more
The protagonist is like a mash up between Hannah Montana and Lady Gaga, I have nothing against the two but I'm not a fan, so that put a negative mark on the book for me.
Gemma's woes with the boysss did not endear me. Yeah, I get it that she's living a double life but for Pete's sake, the girl is making my head hurt!
Anyways, what got me going with the book was...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Of all the books I've read in recent note about teens working within stardom and juggling their normal lives with their famous ones, "Hidden Gem" by India Lee impressed me the most, not only for its identifiable leading character, but for its realistic handling of media issues alongside teenage struggles with identity. It's a fluid read and intriguing, though it revisits some common threads that can be found in YA literature, but it's familiarity is sweet, while standing firmly on its own. The t...more
For the most part, a light contemporary read. Gemma Hunter is actually European pop sensation Queen Bee. Now her parents and aunt / manager have decided that she needs to live a normal teenage life too. Now entering public high school...
It was like Hannah Montana meets Mean Girls. Actually most of her friends weren't bad, but the mean ones are really mean. Gemma is like able enough, and the glimpses into her popster life were fun.
For me there was too much focus on sex for the main character bei...more
It was like Hannah Montana meets Mean Girls. Actually most of her friends weren't bad, but the mean ones are really mean. Gemma is like able enough, and the glimpses into her popster life were fun.
For me there was too much focus on sex for the main character bei...more
I really enjoyed this. Kind of a Lady Gaga meets Hanna Montana. Fun read and likeable characters. The only person I didn't really like was, well, Madison, and she's not supposed to be someone you like. Looking forward to the next few books and, most importantly, looking forward to the October 3-years later. Lee's writing is fun, down to earth, and she doesn't try to get too over the top with the human relationships. Sure, things are a little far fetched (why would a pop superstar fall for someon...more
If I had to sum this book up in a single word, it would be forgettable. Basically, it’s like Hannah Montana meets The Clique.
Gemma is filthy rich thanks to her I’m-not-quite-sure-what-they-do-and-they’re-never-around-anyway parents, and so is her aunt, who she’s going to be living with. Her parents and aunt are really hung up on her hiding out and being “normal”, I don’t really get why either. Her aunt is her manager and even when Gemma misses a month of school to “go to London to stay with her...more
Gemma is filthy rich thanks to her I’m-not-quite-sure-what-they-do-and-they’re-never-around-anyway parents, and so is her aunt, who she’s going to be living with. Her parents and aunt are really hung up on her hiding out and being “normal”, I don’t really get why either. Her aunt is her manager and even when Gemma misses a month of school to “go to London to stay with her...more
Read the full review at Witchmag's Boekenplank
This book was a very pleasant surprise! The idea behind the story appealed to me from the beginning. Otherwise I wouldn’t have chosen it of course , but the blurb doesn’t really tell what the story is about. There were also some perplexing turns in the story. I didn’t see them coming at all! But it was great to read it ^^
At first I thought this story would be about Gemma’s double life as Queen Bee. Surprisingly that doesn’t get much attention, there...more
This book was a very pleasant surprise! The idea behind the story appealed to me from the beginning. Otherwise I wouldn’t have chosen it of course , but the blurb doesn’t really tell what the story is about. There were also some perplexing turns in the story. I didn’t see them coming at all! But it was great to read it ^^
At first I thought this story would be about Gemma’s double life as Queen Bee. Surprisingly that doesn’t get much attention, there...more
Wow, I hope the author got paid for all the product placement in this book, it was waaaaay over the the top. There were certainly a lot of Paris Hilton types attending this public high school. Gemma's first day of school outfit, chosen because she didn't want to "flaunt" it was a silk t-shirt by the row, hudson jeans and jimmy choo boots. Oh and let's not forget the vintage leather jacket and stella mccartney tote. That's a $3000 outfit, hey but don't flaunt it. I'm not quite sure how the poor b...more
1 like · like · see review
Ok, so first thing I will say is, that cover is totally cool. I loved it from first glance, totally. Yes, I know, you all knew I was going to say that, right? ( I’m a bit on edge, slept very little in the last 24 hours, so if I’m ranting, well more then usual I mean, don’t say I didn’t warn you. )
So, considering my zombie-mode while reading it, this (e)book was actually surprisingly entertaining. When you haven’t slept much, you tend to be agitated, very, very, very easily lose focus and interes...more
So, considering my zombie-mode while reading it, this (e)book was actually surprisingly entertaining. When you haven’t slept much, you tend to be agitated, very, very, very easily lose focus and interes...more
Might be a great story...I don't know, because I stopped reading pretty early... I couldn't get through the repetitive and ongoing descriptions of how expensive and fabulous everything was and the designer labels attached to EVERY description. We get it... she's rich. We could have gotten that same information without so much designer name dropping and over-the-top detail of every outfit she wears, every piece of her aunt's home, every trip her parents took, etc.
Really, really enjoyed this. I love Gemma! And Damian and Lucas. When it comes down to it, I just really loved the characters. The were so real, so lifelike. And so damn likeable! (Except for the requisite mean girl of course). I loved Gemma's brother Gavin, he was a source of much hilarity. And I loved the plot. Teen girl living a double life, partly as another national popstar and partly as a regular teenage high schooler. I was so suckered into the plot! Loved this so much.
Hidden Gem is a fun quick YA read. It's like the reader's version of chocolate. Once you start reading it - you just want to keep reading because it is so much fun. Who wouldn't want to be young, rich and have an alter ego that was a singing superstar sought out by other gorgeous young superstars? The surprising thing about this book is that every time I thought it would zig it zagged instead - I like that.
Hidden Gem was good. It reminded me of Hannah Montana. I actually love Hannah Montana LOL. Anyway...cute book about a singing sensation with a secret identity. Gemma will be attending high school for the first time, and no one knows she is Queen Bee, the new teen mysterious idol. This is about her trying to live two lives. There are some great guys in it: Gavin, Damian, and of course Lucas. Lucas' are always hotties;-) I was annoyed my gorgeous high school girl that likes to be jealous and seek...more
2.5 stars
The name-brand "name dropping" was waaayyy too much, a bit over the top and got quite annoying. The characters were boring and I don't know how this girl (Gemma) changed her mind about the gys in her life so quickly. One minute she likes Lucas, and she's best friends with Damian. But then all of a sudden she's in love with Damian. But in between that she is kissing Taylor? I don't get it.
While reading this book, my thoughts were that the author was trying too hard.
The name-brand "name dropping" was waaayyy too much, a bit over the top and got quite annoying. The characters were boring and I don't know how this girl (Gemma) changed her mind about the gys in her life so quickly. One minute she likes Lucas, and she's best friends with Damian. But then all of a sudden she's in love with Damian. But in between that she is kissing Taylor? I don't get it.
While reading this book, my thoughts were that the author was trying too hard.
Liked the story line, hated how adult they made this book. It's supposed to be for teenagers and there are several extremely inappropriate parts. Way too mature for that audience. It always bums me out to find out that a book I'm mostly enjoying is ruined by smutty scenes.
I liked the plot of this book, it was very interesting.
Queen Bee just wanted to be a normal girl in a normal town without a million's of fans bugging her furiously, or paparazzi following her every move. She fell in love with Lucas who was dating her new best friend, Madison.
The reason I'm so fond with this book is because it's nice and mysterious and she finds her life very challenging. Well one of them, she lives double lives.
One famous,
and one just normal.
Which one will she choose?
FJFmbnfe...more
Queen Bee just wanted to be a normal girl in a normal town without a million's of fans bugging her furiously, or paparazzi following her every move. She fell in love with Lucas who was dating her new best friend, Madison.
The reason I'm so fond with this book is because it's nice and mysterious and she finds her life very challenging. Well one of them, she lives double lives.
One famous,
and one just normal.
Which one will she choose?
FJFmbnfe...more
Jun 30, 2012
Catherine
marked it as to-read
This book sounds crazy cool, with all the drama and confusion. And who doesn't love a story about someone leading a double life? It's so funny how they always get in a jam, not being able to handle both. I'd like to see how this turns out.
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YA author & lover of fashion, entertainment, shoes, good food, coffee, jetsetting, luxury, mild debauchery, and dogs
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Mar 06, 2013 05:01am