Welcome to New York City's Upper East Side, where my friends and I live, go to school, play, and sleep--sometimes with each other.
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reviews
Mar 20, 2008
Madeline
rated it: 
The following is a public service announcement sponsored by The Committee For Teens Who Read Real Books:
Attention teenage girls! Looking for a book to read for your English class, but don't know where to start? I know what you're thinking: you want to read about fashion and celebrities, but Seventeen doesn't count as a book (like, how unfair is that?!). You want a book that doesn't have a plot (too confusing) but J.D. Salinger is too complicated. What to do?
Fear not, dear readers: Gossip Girl More...
Attention teenage girls! Looking for a book to read for your English class, but don't know where to start? I know what you're thinking: you want to read about fashion and celebrities, but Seventeen doesn't count as a book (like, how unfair is that?!). You want a book that doesn't have a plot (too confusing) but J.D. Salinger is too complicated. What to do?
Fear not, dear readers: Gossip Girl More...
13 comments
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Sep 24, 2007
Larissa
rated it: 
During the particularly bleak summer of my 11th year, I spent a month hiding from my wicked step-mother in the basement bedroom I shared with my sister. No TV, no movies, and very little radio reception meant I read more than usual, and when I went through my own summer reading, I started borrowing from my sister, whose taste ran mostly to Goosebumps and Choose Your Own Adventure books (which were, admittedly, totally awesome). But she did have some racier titles tucked away. The book I remember
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5 comments
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(19 people liked it)
Dec 17, 2009
Renee
rated it:
i thought about giving this book five stars, not because it's so great, but because i think everyone with daughters should at least look at it -- my 14 year old has devoured all eight or nine in the series (good god!) and i felt like i ought to know what she was reading. gossip girl is absolutely the biggest piece of crap i've ever slogged through, but, that said, i did finish it, mostly out of a horrified curiosity at what interests 9th graders these days. it really was absolute dreck -- by p
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2 comments
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(15 people liked it)
Sep 26, 2008
Look. I don't want to sound too much like Tipper Gore in the 80's, or too much like Maude Flanders of The Simpsons, tearing out my hair and screeching "WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN!?!?" ... but this book? Are you fucking kidding me? Have teenagers really grown up so much in the 9 years since I was one, when I was content with R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike, and scandalized by Sweet Valley High? I mean, COME ON.
Not only is this book written with the intelligence of a monkey on a More...
Not only is this book written with the intelligence of a monkey on a More...
3 comments
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(10 people liked it)
Aug 16, 2008
Tiny Pants
rated it: 
I don't seem to much like actual teenage girls. Then again, the Gossip Girl characters don't act much like actual teenage girls. Or actual humans really. They are all basically insane in their own individual ways. The main character, Blair, is probably the most insane. I think the reader is possibly intended to be sympathetic to her, but it's never been clear to me why. She's obsessed with Audrey Hepburn, throwing up all her food, and the fact that she is consistently outdone by Serena, her best
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May 26, 2008
Courtney
rated it:
This is very possibly the worst book I have ever read. The author clearly knows nothing about 16 year olds aside from what she's seen in horrible television shows (all the ones just like the show this series spawned). The characters are all 2 dimensional and predictable - all super hot, super trendy, super rich, super popular and few if any have any redeeming qualities. Even the kids who are supposed to be 'different' are cookie-cutter 'artsy kids' who spend all their time sitting in corners
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6 comments
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(7 people liked it)
Jan 16, 2008
Niki
rated it: 
The book Gossip Girl the first of the Gossip Girl series written by Cecily Von Ziegesar, was one of the best books i have ever read. The gossip girl series is already my favorite series, and ive only read the first book. The most important characters in the series so far are Blair, who is a down to earth teen, who loves to party and has a skater boyfriend. Blair's boyfriend's name is Nate. He is into drugs and he isnt the best in school, but blair still loves him. The book goes on about the peak
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6 comments
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(6 people liked it)
Jul 26, 2010
Kate
rated it:
I really wanted to like this book. In fact, I expected to devour it. I heard the author speak on a panel at ALA this year and found her articulate, charming, and thoughtful about her series. Many of my co-workers at a suburban library hated the Gossip Girl books because of their vapid influence on already spoiled readers, but I wanted to give the books a chance. I’m sorry to say that I have to agree with my colleagues, even as someone whose guilty pleasure is reading highly speculative celebrity
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(2 people liked it)
Dec 17, 2009
Merrin
rated it:
I can't remember the last time I was this horrified by a series of young adult novels. I mean, no, I'm not naive and stupid and yes, I do realize that there are teens out there like this (My Super Sweet Sixteen, anybody?) but honestly, just because they're out there doesn't mean they need to be immortalized in quite this fashion. They're selfish, self-centered, interested only in drinking and drugs and what the world can do for them, and there's nothing in the book that checks that lifestyle and
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(2 people liked it)
Mar 27, 2009
Molly
rated it:
I don't seem to much like actual teenage girls. Then again, the Gossip Girl characters don't act much like actual teenage girls. Or actual humans really. They are all basically insane in their own individual ways. The main character, Blair, is probably the most insane. I think the reader is possibly intended to be sympathetic to her, but it's never been clear to me why. She's obsessed with Audrey Hepburn, throwing up all her food, and the fact that she is consistently outdone by Serena, her best
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(1 person liked it)
Dec 30, 2010
Sara
rated it:
How can I love the show so much, but think the books are horribly written and duller than dishwasher? I don't know how that can be, but obviously Josh Schwartz is a better TV producer/whatever he does than Ceceily Von Ziegesar is an author. It's funny because before I read the GG, I read Stephen King's memoir "On Writing" and CVZ pretty much does everything SK says writer's shouldn't do. Over explosion of adjectives? Check. Unnecessary descriptions of non-entity characters and clothes?
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Feb 16, 2011
Christina
rated it:
Gossip Girl -- the television series more than the book -- has to be one of the most popular topics amongst my female classmates. Interested in finding out what all the chatter was about, I checked out the first book in this bestselling series from the library.
I should have just avoided it like I did in the first place. Gossip Girl is plain trash, and serves only as a glorification of a life few do and should lead. The main characters -- rich and beautiful Blair Waldorf and rich and More...
I should have just avoided it like I did in the first place. Gossip Girl is plain trash, and serves only as a glorification of a life few do and should lead. The main characters -- rich and beautiful Blair Waldorf and rich and More...
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(2 people liked it)
Apr 14, 2008
Meghan
rated it: 
Cecily Vonziegesar wrote the book Gossip Girl. It is a fictional book that is about a group of kids living in New York. Theses kids either go to an all girls school or an all boys school in the Upper East Side. They live in huge, fancy apartment buildings, buy expensive things, and do whatever they want. (As long as they don’t embarrass their family.) When Serena Vanderwoodsen came back from “boarding school” she quickly realizes things are not the same as they used to be. Her old best friend-B
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3 comments
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(2 people liked it)
Nov 20, 2007
Peds
rated it:
So my first review since my friend invited me to Goodreads is this book. It is my guilty pleasure, obviously. Before you judge me for reading the series (yes, I am addicted and I do have all the GG books), let's see what the book offers.
The series begins with this pilot edition. The main character, interestingly, remains anonymous. Going by the obvious name, Gossip Girl keeps the reader updated on what is going on in a New York clique of rich, beautiful people who think that the worl More...
The series begins with this pilot edition. The main character, interestingly, remains anonymous. Going by the obvious name, Gossip Girl keeps the reader updated on what is going on in a New York clique of rich, beautiful people who think that the worl More...
Jan 26, 2008
Amber
rated it:
Ugh. I read this in a few hours, and it's pretty horrendous. I found a few punctuation mistakes—without looking, which bothers me—like "...Cyrus Rose was a completely annoying, fat, loser." Honestly; that's one of the first things you learn about punctuation.
It's a book about a bunch of sixteen- and seventeen-year-old kids who are richer than rich, go to private school in New York, and are, of course, immensely popular. It's written like a cheap fantasy, complete with overt More...
It's a book about a bunch of sixteen- and seventeen-year-old kids who are richer than rich, go to private school in New York, and are, of course, immensely popular. It's written like a cheap fantasy, complete with overt More...
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(2 people liked it)
Sep 18, 2007
Rhiannon
rated it:
I sort of feel guilty rating this book so low because it fulfilled my expectations - it was a quick, trashy young adult read that gave me an idea of what the (probably) trashy teen CW show will be like.
But, this is really not a good book. The characters aren't really developed (although I did find myself oddly charmed by a couple of them), and there are major POV issues.
And this is the main issue with the book - it relies on a conceit that's really underdeveloped. The n More...
But, this is really not a good book. The characters aren't really developed (although I did find myself oddly charmed by a couple of them), and there are major POV issues.
And this is the main issue with the book - it relies on a conceit that's really underdeveloped. The n More...
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(1 person liked it)
Jul 20, 2008
Chelsea
rated it:
I picked this up at a book sale, determined to give it another chance. I was disgusted by it when I first read it in 2004, but I got drawn in to the television show based on the series, and wondered if I had just been in one of my "anti-fluff" phases. Maybe it was more entertaining than I remembered.
Well, it wasn't by much. For a book where the whole point is that it's all SCANDAL and OMG and DRAMA, not much happened. There was plenty of rehashing of previous events, bu More...
Well, it wasn't by much. For a book where the whole point is that it's all SCANDAL and OMG and DRAMA, not much happened. There was plenty of rehashing of previous events, bu More...
2 comments
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(2 people liked it)
Dec 10, 2007
Vief
rated it:
I had wanted to read the books before but never really found them in English. Then I got hooked on the TV show so I just HAD to get them, got them from all over the place.. I started and felt that the TV-screenplay-writers had done a real good job with a lot of things.
What I didn't like about the book itself
a] that it's set in the UES yet the web address is .co.uk = doesn't make sense
b] that it's kind of slow
c] that some of the characters aren't really worked out
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What I didn't like about the book itself
a] that it's set in the UES yet the web address is .co.uk = doesn't make sense
b] that it's kind of slow
c] that some of the characters aren't really worked out
More...
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(1 person liked it)
Nov 12, 2007
Stephan
rated it:
I read this book in my local Raleys grocery store.
(a) It was available in a Raleys
(b) I could quickly read it (and I'm usually not a particularly fast reader) during the course of shopping
I thought it was utter garbage.
However, I realize I am not the target market. If you are addicted to spicing up your pathetic life by living vicariously through others' titillating encounters whilst simultaneously feeling smug about your perceived moral superiority, so m More...
(a) It was available in a Raleys
(b) I could quickly read it (and I'm usually not a particularly fast reader) during the course of shopping
I thought it was utter garbage.
However, I realize I am not the target market. If you are addicted to spicing up your pathetic life by living vicariously through others' titillating encounters whilst simultaneously feeling smug about your perceived moral superiority, so m More...
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(3 people liked it)
Apr 08, 2008
Tim
rated it:
A student left a copy of this book in my room, and one afternoon I picked it up and read it. While I'm sad to say that I probably stuck with it for 100 pages or more, I couldn't have been less thrilled. The way this book glamourizes drugs,sex and alcohol makes me realize why TV is getting as bad as it is. I don't know why young women would want to read about such shallow, tawdry lives. Perhaps I just don't get it because I'm not "in the demo", but unless the point is to show how sa
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(3 people liked it)
Aug 25, 2007
Kel
rated it:
I've been wanting to read the Gossip Girl series because I'm interested in the television series that is coming out this fall... Then I found out that my local library now has eBooks and Audio Books that can be checked out online. I have discovered now what a joy an Audio Book can be in the life of a knitter. I sat and listened to this entire book and knitted the whole time... bliss!
The book itself was cute, very short but a great introduction to the series and I'm definitely hoo More...
The book itself was cute, very short but a great introduction to the series and I'm definitely hoo More...
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May 10, 2011
Sonia
rated it:
Ok, lo so. E' una cavolata. Mi vergognavo di averlo comprato e di averlo letto. ho fatto tutto di nascosto! ma ora lo ammetto pubblicamente: ho letto e continuerei a leggere gossip girl! e non perchè questo libro sia chissà cosa (anzi...) ma perchè la serie tv mi è piaciuta (nonostante la mia non adolescenziale età) ed ero curiosa di leggere le storie da cui era tratta.
Credevo che il telefilm fosse stato fedelissimo, mentre ci sono davvero un bel po' di discrepanze e non ne capisco il motivo: p More...
Credevo che il telefilm fosse stato fedelissimo, mentre ci sono davvero un bel po' di discrepanze e non ne capisco il motivo: p More...
Oct 11, 2010
Erica -
rated it:
May 2008 What a fun read. It's totally a guilty-pleasure read that's a bit more involved than the tv show Gossip Girl. I had to find out why this book was hardly ever on the shelves when I worked at the public library. Now I know. It's a romance novel with training wheels for teenagers. Product placement is definitely present and a bit obvious at times. If you're a fan of the show or just like a good romance novel, this is definitely for you. I'd heard once that Gossip Girl is the Sex & The City
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Jan 22, 2009
Jamea
rated it:
I could not finish reading this book. My interest was never really captured in the first few pages I've tried to read. I tried, but evidently this book isn't at all as good as it's hyped up to be. The premise seemed interesting enough from what I heard, but like I said it wasn't as good as I thought it to be.
One thing that really bothered me was the writing. I honestly don't mean this to sound rude but, it wasn't that good. That's the reason as to why Io struggled to read through th More...
One thing that really bothered me was the writing. I honestly don't mean this to sound rude but, it wasn't that good. That's the reason as to why Io struggled to read through th More...
Jan 17, 2009
Lee
rated it:
I picked this up after reading a critical analysis of three series: Gossip Girl, The A List, and The Insiders (Glenn, 2008. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 52:1). I hadn't heard of these series or the Gossip Girl television series.
Glenn doesn't look very favorably on these three series. They all take a look at the lives of the rich and privileged. I have a somewhat different take, at least on the first of the Gossip Girl books. I didn't read this as an endorsement of th More...
Glenn doesn't look very favorably on these three series. They all take a look at the lives of the rich and privileged. I have a somewhat different take, at least on the first of the Gossip Girl books. I didn't read this as an endorsement of th More...
Jan 25, 2012
Liz
rated it:
Rumor has it that Nate, who’s dating Blair, is really in love with Serena, but then again, who isn’t? Serena, the “It” Girl of the whole Upper East Side of Manhattan, is more or less perfect (maybe too perfect, some say). According to Blair, (the jealous, ex-best-friend of Serena), she got kicked out of her European boarding school for cutting class, peddling drugs, sleeping around, you name it. Some say she had a baby in France and left it to be raised by an au pair, says Chuck, one of NYC’s ad
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Jan 04, 2012
Ms.
rated it:
This is the first book in the Gossip Girl series. The books follow the lives of high school New York socialites. Blair Waldorf and Nate Archibald have been happily dating while their long-time good friend Serena van der Woodsen was away at boarding school, but Serena has mysteriously reappeared in New York after being kicked out of her boarding school and the rumor mill is a buzzing. Serena is described as naturally goregous and the epitome of cool. Every girl wants to be her and every boy wants
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Dec 30, 2011
Lily
rated it:
I've been reading and re-reading this book ever since I first stole it from my older cousin five years ago. Needless to say, I love it and for different reasons every time.
When I was twelve and first read it, I saw it as a kind of bible of the naughty kind, something cool and sexy and a little illicit. I bragged about it to my friends in primary school and soon I had a whole circle of friends reading my little gem. They thought I was the coolest girl in sixth grade. I hated Serena's More...
When I was twelve and first read it, I saw it as a kind of bible of the naughty kind, something cool and sexy and a little illicit. I bragged about it to my friends in primary school and soon I had a whole circle of friends reading my little gem. They thought I was the coolest girl in sixth grade. I hated Serena's More...
Nov 08, 2011
Ana
rated it:
Also posted on http://whatyareading.com
Maybe it’s the fact that Gossip Girl was turned into a hit TV series. Maybe it’s the fact that I read Cecily von Ziegesar’s other series, The It Girl, and loved it. It may even be the fact that Gossip Girl is mentioned in other YA books, such as The Clique. Either way, this book really disappointed me.
Blair Waldorf, the main character, has a very unattractive personality. She is an ignorant, cowardly, selfish control freak, and I couldn’ More...
Maybe it’s the fact that Gossip Girl was turned into a hit TV series. Maybe it’s the fact that I read Cecily von Ziegesar’s other series, The It Girl, and loved it. It may even be the fact that Gossip Girl is mentioned in other YA books, such as The Clique. Either way, this book really disappointed me.
Blair Waldorf, the main character, has a very unattractive personality. She is an ignorant, cowardly, selfish control freak, and I couldn’ More...
Jul 27, 2011
Brina
rated it:
Willkommen in der Welt von Gossip Girl!
Als anonyme Bloggerin berichtet sie über das Leben der Schönen und Reichen von der Upper East Side.
Und es gibt einiges zu berichten, denn keine geringere als Serena van der Woodsen ist wieder in der Stadt – und das passt ihrer besten Freundin Blair überhaupt nicht. Zusammen mit ihren Freunden Chuck, Nate und dem Rest der Clique setzen sie einige Gerüchte über Seren in die Welt und versuchen sie gut es geht von anderen fernzuhalten.
Hier sind I More...
Als anonyme Bloggerin berichtet sie über das Leben der Schönen und Reichen von der Upper East Side.
Und es gibt einiges zu berichten, denn keine geringere als Serena van der Woodsen ist wieder in der Stadt – und das passt ihrer besten Freundin Blair überhaupt nicht. Zusammen mit ihren Freunden Chuck, Nate und dem Rest der Clique setzen sie einige Gerüchte über Seren in die Welt und versuchen sie gut es geht von anderen fernzuhalten.
Hier sind I More...
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