Dream Girl

Dec 31, 2009 Steph Su rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

DREAM GIRL is an utterly delightful, entertaining, and real book, featuring sharp writing and amazing characters. I couldn’t put it down, and, considering how this is not my usual genre fare for reading, that’s saying something.

Lauren Mechling’s writing is pitch-perfect for the likable Claire. Claire has a tongue-in-cheek way of approaching and viewing the world, going along with all the eccentricities around her while simultaneously making her genuine mark on others. She sounds like a real 15-...more

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Jun 12, 2012 Liviania rated it 3 of 5 stars

Claire Voyante is clairvoyant, although her visions have never shown her anything useful. For her fifteenth birthday, her grandmother Kiki Merriman gives her a gorgeous cameo that should direct her powers and allow her to find adventures. Claire doesn’t seem to be finding any adventures – she’s stuck at her new school. She becomes friends with Becca, another new girl who is less than thrilled to be a student at Henry Hudson. As they get to know the other’s family, Claire discovers the first of h...more Claire Voyante is clairvoyant, although her visions have never shown her anything useful. For her fifteenth birthday, her grandmother Kiki Merriman gives her a gorgeous cameo that should direct her powers and allow her to find adventures. Claire doesn’t seem to be finding any adventures – she’s stuck at her new school. She becomes friends with Becca, another new girl who is less than thrilled to be a student at Henry Hudson. As they get to know the other’s family, Claire discovers the first of her grandmother’s promised adventures.

The adventure in DREAM GIRL is a fairly straightforward mystery, made frustrating by Claire’s inability to see the obvious direction of her visions. Rye and Andy’s relationship also seems underdone, as it’s never explained why he’s so devoted when she’s around and seems uninterested in her at other times. This seems like Claire should worry about it as she begins to fall for him since he could do the same to her. The other characters seem remarkably unconcerned about a possible romance between a fifteen-year-old girl and an eighteen-year-old in college. In fact, the characters who know about it encourage it.

It’s a shame that much of the book’s emphasis is put on these elements when Claire’s school and home life are far more interesting. Her father is a French professor and her parents hold a salon in their apartment, full of several colorful characters. Her school is full of them too. Ian carries a roller suitcase instead of a backpack and Eleanor effortlessly transcends the high school experience. Both of them are scene stealers who are tragically underused. Sheila, the queen bee, earns more screen time, which she deserves. She’s a nerd in popular girl clothing and her mom hints at even more hidden depths. Truly, all the characters are well-done and so are most of the relationships. I just don’t get Andy and Rye or Andy and Claire.

Becca, however, does deserve her screen time. She fully enjoys having a real friend and purposefully tells Claire little about herself at first. She's sweet and clever even if I get lost every time she starts waxing poetic about ketchup. (I do hate the stuff, since it's made from tomatoes. Blech.)

I enjoyed DREAM GIRL, but the A-plot doesn’t hold up to any of the subplots. The paranormal element feels extraneous and didn’t seem to add much to the book as a whole. I believe I prefer the 10th-Grade Social Climber books, which Lauren Mechling coauthored.(less)

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Aug 16, 2010 McKenzie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own

Claire Voyante is kind of psychic. She has some odd hunches, but they never turn into anything. Then, on her fifteenth birthday, her grandmother gives her a cameo and everything changes for the weirder. Her dreams are intensified, but Claire still doesn't know what to make of them. Will she be able to figure out what they mean before her or one of her new friends gets hurt?

Dream Girl was one of those odd novels that doesn't try to be anything other than what it is. It doesn't attempt to appeal t...more Claire Voyante is kind of psychic. She has some odd hunches, but they never turn into anything. Then, on her fifteenth birthday, her grandmother gives her a cameo and everything changes for the weirder. Her dreams are intensified, but Claire still doesn't know what to make of them. Will she be able to figure out what they mean before her or one of her new friends gets hurt?

Dream Girl was one of those odd novels that doesn't try to be anything other than what it is. It doesn't attempt to appeal to mass markets with cussing, drugs, and sex, but instead keeps it clean with some good psychic fun. It was rather quirky, but it wasn't one of those books that was trying to go mainstream by being extra odd. Do you understand what I'm saying? It often seems that nowadays, things have to be odd or out there in order to be cool. They have to be much too unique. Dream Girl is unique, but I never felt as though it were trying to be. -sigh- So hard to explain. The novel is best related to Kiki Strike, one of the best reads ever. They're both fun and feature odd elements, claiming to be absolutely nothing they aren't.

Claire was a fun character, as was the entire cast. I found every character to be interesting, each with their own fun traits. There was no lack of character development; I knew just enough about each primary and secondary character. I enjoyed them all.

The plot was rather cool, with Claire using her psychic powers to figure out how to do, well, she doesn't know what. That's the point really. Claire has to figure out what her visions are pointing her to. This isn't the paranormal kind of psychic powers that are often featured today, but more of an average teenager with an added bonus. I found, however, that in the middle of the book the plot fell flat. Just like Claire, we didn't know what her visions meant, so we were strung along just like her, not knowing where anything was going. For that reason, I often felt lost and a little disappointed. The ending was interesting - I need to find a new word to use! - and made me a bit happier with the overall storyline. I especially loved how the romantic connection turned out.

Dream Girl was not without flaws, but this first taste is definitely enough to get me to read the sequel.

Overall: Quirky. Kiki Strike-esque. Up and down plot. Good characters.(less)

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Jul 02, 2010 Samantha rated it 4 of 5 stars

The novel Dream Girl definitely relies on it's original, likeable characters to keep the story afloat. It's narrated by Claire Voyante, aptly named due to her psychic visions. Unfortunately all of those visions have never helped her in life and usually end up making her feel awkward. Claire is starting a new school, full of overly studious, unfriendly classmates and strict teachers. It's a far cry from her previous haven at her alternative private school. Then Claire's grandmother- Kiki, an etti...more

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Aug 29, 2009 Sophie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Dream Girl is part madcap mystery--complete with cartoonish characters and over-the-top family feuds about ketchup recipes--and part realistic comedy-drama, as its heroine (Claire Voyante--no, really) tries to fit in, make friends, and overcome bullying at a new school. The author tries to make a hybrid of the two genres--and doesn’t quite succeed--but Dream Girl is still an entertaining look at life in New York City for a schoolgirl and her wacky family.

Claire Voyante, of course, has intuitive...more

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May 05, 2009 cecilia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: pink-covers

Unfortunately, dream girl is a far cry from Agatha Christie's mysteries. The story is somewhat predictable, but you have to love the best friend's attractively adorable older brother! However, I really wanted to kick him for being an idiot and hopelessly stringing Claire along while he is already hopelessly tied around another girl's finger! Ack! What is wrong with these boys?

I enjoyed dream girl, but it did not make me hold my breath like WAKE. I think the story and characters could have been d...more

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Nov 22, 2008 Nian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2008

Having just finished Sight by Vrettos, I’m starting to see the many parallels between stories with a similar plot. It’s hard to be creative when you’re writing a story that’s been told way too many times to count. However, I do give Lauren Mechling props for making catchy phrases. She likes to play with her words, hence Dream Girl (which doesn’t mean Girl of Your Dreams, but literally a girl who has visions at night) and Claire Voyante (clairvoyant: someone who sees the future—get it?). Still, f...more

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Jan 21, 2010 Sarah BT rated it 4 of 5 stars

About the Book: Claire Voyante (it's French) has always been having strange visions that lead her nowhere. But when her grandmother gives her a cameo necklace, Claire starts to have dreams she can't explain. When the dreams start to lead her to a mystery involving her new best friend, Claire becomes a detective, piecing the clues together in order to save her friend's life.

GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I love Claire!! This book was so much fun. Claire was a blast to read about.

Dream Girl has some m...more About the Book: Claire Voyante (it's French) has always been having strange visions that lead her nowhere. But when her grandmother gives her a cameo necklace, Claire starts to have dreams she can't explain. When the dreams start to lead her to a mystery involving her new best friend, Claire becomes a detective, piecing the clues together in order to save her friend's life.

GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I love Claire!! This book was so much fun. Claire was a blast to read about.

Dream Girl has some mystery elements, but they come into play later in the story that I hesitate to call this one a true mystery. Instead it strikes me as chick lit with some mystery in it-which makes it a little more fun. Even though I was expecting more mystery, I was so caught up in reading about Claire, her new school, her new friend Becca, and her eccentric grandmother Kiki, that I kept reading and didn't care the mystery was lighter than I expected.

Claire is a great narrator. She's smart, she's shy and she's coming into her own throughout the novel. As a former shy girl in school, I've been really excited about the shy narrators I've been reading about lately. Let the shy girl shine!

I adore Claire's family. Her brother Henry is adorable (although she might not think so), and her parents are so quirky and fun. It seems that so many times there are negative family dynamics in YA, I get excited when I see a family that actually enjoys spending time with each other. Even Claire's best friend Becca's family is one I would love to hang out with for an afternoon. And I would love to adopt her grandmother Kiki, a former Broadway showgirl who now lives in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

The writing was fast paced and the dialouge was snappy. The cast of characters is well rounded and each character added something to the story. I'll be following this one up with the sequel Dream Life, which is good news, since I can't wait to read more about Claire.

Full Disclosure: Review copy provided by author (less)

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Dec 22, 2009 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own

Dream Girl mixes the eerie dream-filled suspense of Wake with the clue cracking mystery of Nancy Drew, and in result, brings you a totally new adventure that will have you flipping page after page.

I’ve heard a lot of so-so things about this one, but I’m one of the people who actually really enjoyed it. Claire, the main character and narrator, is probably one of the most amusing and likeable characters I’ve ever read about. She’s quirky, snarky, and sarcastic but Mechling writes her so incredibly...more

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Jul 22, 2010 Brianna rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 03, 2010 Brittni rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, teen

Dream Girl is about a girl named Claire Voyante (BEST NAME EVER, huh?) who's been having dreams. Sounds pretty ordinary enough, but in her dreams, she'll see symbols that eventually pop up in the near future. When her grandmother Kiki gives Claire a mysterious cameo necklace, these dreams begin to have even more importance, to the point where her "talent" can save her new friend's life.

I had this book on my want list for quite a while, and I got it for Christmas along with The Rise and Fall of a...more

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Jan 05, 2010 Bri Meets Books rated it 4 of 5 stars

With a name like Claire Voyante, it’s no surprise she has prophetic dreams. Such is the plot of Lauren Mechling’s novel Dream Girl. The dreams, while yielding helpful clues to real-life circumstances, are assembled bits and pieces, and Claire is left to sort through them for what’s meaningful. The hodgepodge nature mirrors Lauren Mechling’s novel with its mix of romance, mystery, and high-school story. Unlike the dreams, however, all the elements of Dream Girl are useful and noticable. It’s a de...more With a name like Claire Voyante, it’s no surprise she has prophetic dreams. Such is the plot of Lauren Mechling’s novel Dream Girl. The dreams, while yielding helpful clues to real-life circumstances, are assembled bits and pieces, and Claire is left to sort through them for what’s meaningful. The hodgepodge nature mirrors Lauren Mechling’s novel with its mix of romance, mystery, and high-school story. Unlike the dreams, however, all the elements of Dream Girl are useful and noticable. It’s a delightful pastiche.

Claire Voyante has a multitude of problems. The black and white dreams were just the beginning, but now the cameo necklace from her grandmother has amplified them, and she’s become like a detective running all over New York City, trying to piece things together. Add to that she’s been forced to leave to her nurturing “gifted and talent school” for a nerd school, where the only person she knows is friend-turned-enemy Sheila Vird.

When she makes a new friend, Becca Shuttleworth, Claire’s dreams start pointing her towards something dangerous awaiting them, and she must intervene.

When interviewing authors, I always ask “If you could live inside any children’s title, which would it be and why?” I’d have to say that one of my potential answers to that question would be Dream Girl. Mechling has created a fun world and I, for one, want to live in it. From Claire’s apartment building full of professors, to her former socialite grandmother, Kiki, there’s so much going on in this book. Claire herself was just as interesting, with typical teen worries mixed with a burdening paranormal issue. I particularly liked how Claire’s dreams didn’t just outright tell her what path to take, but were puzzles she must put together. With this tactic, the reader slowly learned how they all fit at the same pace as Claire.

Dream Girl buzzes with descriptions – fashion and decor, brilliantly pictured down to the last detail. Usually such lists of “who was wearing what” bore me, and tread into Gossip Girl territory, but I savored each word. The characters were so enjoyable, and well-developed, from their little quirks. It’s here in the description of the characters were Mechling’s writing shines, such as in this passage on Sheila Vird’s pack of “BDLs” (Best Dressed List..self-monikored, of course):

“There was no question about it – these girls were awful. I could just see it: they have been nerds all their lives and had only recently schooled themselves in the art of being popular by watching bad Disney Channel movies.”

There’s a lot of other passages I could highlight, but I urge you to read the book. And tell me you don’t covet Claire’s life just a little bit ..whether it’s her haute fashion collection or her eccentric company of friends and family.

This review was originally posted on BriMeetsBooks.com(less)

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Jan 25, 2010 Suzanne rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: peach-consideration

Icky-poo. A 3/10 on the Peach-worthiness scale for me, at best. It tries so hard to be hip that it reads like a sequel, as if there's some insider knowlesge SOMEWHERE that would make this character's life and circumstances make better sense. Okay, I get that she has intense dreams and that somehow the cameo given to her by a Waldorf-dwelling grandmere makes those dreams somewhat prophetic, but the suspense of her wealthy new friend's ketchup fortune's safety just doesn't involve me. I don't real...more

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Jan 25, 2010 Brooke rated it 3 of 5 stars

Claire Voyante has always had strange dreams and visions for as long as she can remember. Although, her parents bestowing her the name "Claire Voyante" is definitely coincidental - they know nothing of her visions. She's in the middle of switching schools, and her lack of friends is obvious. She's on the outside of the popular girl group (which contains her best friend from childhood), and her new school is overwhelmingly dull. Up until her 15th birthday Claire thought the dreams and visions wer...more Claire Voyante has always had strange dreams and visions for as long as she can remember. Although, her parents bestowing her the name "Claire Voyante" is definitely coincidental - they know nothing of her visions. She's in the middle of switching schools, and her lack of friends is obvious. She's on the outside of the popular girl group (which contains her best friend from childhood), and her new school is overwhelmingly dull. Up until her 15th birthday Claire thought the dreams and visions were useless, but when her Grandmother Kiki gives her a cameo and tells her to only take it off for showers, she begins to question the meaning behind the necklace. Her visions begin to take hold and she's seeing flashes of them in her waking life. With little help from Kiki, Claire realizes what must be done, she must follow the clues she sees to find out where they take her and what they really mean.

Dream Girl is a good Young Adult Mystery book. I was disappointed in Claire's visions. There wasn't a lot of them and they were pretty short. The mystery needing to be solved involves Claire's new friend Becca and her family. Claire getting in the middle of a family battle is very dangerous and the steps it takes to solve the mystery are kind of unbelievable. But the characters ARE believable and original, and Claire is a likable protagonist. I think my favorite part was Claire's family and other people who live in her apartment building. They are quirky and fun, and even though Claire spends most of her time being embarrassed by them I still enjoyed them. Kiki is also an interesting part of the story, and I think it shows a lot of maturity in Claire that she can hang around and have dinner parties with Kiki's fashionable friends. The back drop for the story is New York City which always allows characters more freedom in their activities and places to visit.

This one was kind of a slow start for me, it took a while for me to really get into Claire's voice. I also felt like the writing got better the further into the book. Once Claire figures out how to use her visions the story really picks up pace and gets exciting. I think Dream Girl is a good read for fans of mysteries and young adult novels.(less)

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May 12, 2010 Helen rated it 5 of 5 stars

3/30/10

In the book "Dream Girl" by Lauren Mechling. Claire is moving to Hudson High school and she met Sheila a long time ago but they're not friends anymore so they don't talk to each other anymore. She regretted going to go that school. She got in by mistake.

4/6/10

In the book "Dream Girl" by Lauren Mechling.This girl named Clarie. She realized that she has alot of dreams some of her dreams could be dangerous some could be as simple as seeing the same lock. She recently got transfered to He...more

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Jan 16, 2010 Lenore Appelhans rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: met-the-author

Claire falls into her first “case” which involves her new best friend Becca, heiress to a ketchup empire, and Becca’s family’s sworn enemies.

First off, let me just say that I adore Claire. Her wry narration had me in stitches throughout. One of my favorite instances being when she’s trying to figure out how to tell Becca that she can’t ski while headed out to the slopes in Aspen: “If I didn’t speak up fast, I’d end up communicating it via my full body cast.” (p 175)

Both Claire and her friend Be...more

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Apr 04, 2013 Baillie rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Mystery-Lovers

Recommended to Baillie by: The Library Shelf

This book is really cute. It had me thinking about ketchup for the LONGEST time. Claire is--a girl of a family who is French. But goes far out of their way to act "french". Claire sees visions, but it isn't until she receives a cameo necklace from her grandmother do the visions mean anything.

In the midst of this, Claire is transferring to *gasp* pubic school. She meets Becca, a best friend with a secret. She's the daughter of Ketchup Mogul. Essentially, Becca is the Ketchup Princess. Regardless...more

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Apr 06, 2011 Christine rated it 4 of 5 stars

So. I picked this up, not because of the gross pink cover, but because her name was Claire Voyante, and she actually was one. Plus her dad was French. Beastin!

So anyway.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. It made me laugh that she was best friends with her grandma. Claire herself cracked me up.
To be honest, though, I hated that she liked Andy, who was so obviously ambiguous. Any time a guy focuses on you--in a romantic way--instead of his girlfriend, there is clearly a problem...more

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Jun 12, 2010 Kim rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, young-adult

Two Sentence Summary: Since she was a little girl, Claire Voyante has had dreams that have connections to her real life. Will Claire learn to use these dreams in time to help protect a new friend while trying to find her place in a totally new school?

One Sentence Review: Claire is a sweet narrator you can’t help but root for and want to know more about, even though the plot occasionally feels confused and the minor characters sometimes slip into the background.

Read the rest of my review at my bl ...more

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Jan 22, 2010 Yan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Dream Life is a charming read that combines the best of both worlds: Nancy Drew and Gossip Girls. Okay so I ran out of analogies. At any rate Dream Life is a mesh of high socialite without all the snarky backstabbing and a mystery that has the decency to don on a gorgeous yet sensible pair of boots before running around New York.

One of the best things I found refreshing from Dream Life was the family relationship. I was pleasantly surprised how much effect Mechling put in to the mother, the fath...more Dream Life is a charming read that combines the best of both worlds: Nancy Drew and Gossip Girls. Okay so I ran out of analogies. At any rate Dream Life is a mesh of high socialite without all the snarky backstabbing and a mystery that has the decency to don on a gorgeous yet sensible pair of boots before running around New York.

One of the best things I found refreshing from Dream Life was the family relationship. I was pleasantly surprised how much effect Mechling put in to the mother, the father, and the little brother. A majority of books I’ve read have yet to include any mentions of neither siblings nor parents and if they had, it was not to par to his family. Each member is as whimsical as Claire and as every bit as lovable.

Mechling does a wonderful job at foreshadowing as well as not foreshadowing. See the readers go on this roller coaster of random dreams with Claire. So if she’s lost, we’re also pretty much lost. And by that, I mean we get off topic. While I do appreciate the attempt at making things realistic in an otherwise fantasy-like genre it seems as though the story strays from the plot at various moments only to center itself once again like a speeding bullet. Ouch. It is towards the end does much make sense, but by then I had forgotten the dreams and clues all the way from the beginning. That said, it might be me; I mean I’m pretty forgetful and dense rolled into one.

The other main issue would have to be the friendship between Becca and Claire. I had a really hard time accepting this friendship as just that. It seemed more of a follower and leader rather then each of equal footing. Claire is constantly looking up to Becca sometimes letting a bit of her sense be clouded and reducing her to a puppy state of nature aiming to please the master. But then again I began to warm up to the duo and found it a nice partnership. Oh! Just a small little shout-out to Ian for his kick-butt evil radish comic. I can only imagine how awesome it would be if a comic book artist drew a small section of it and somehow manage to weave it in the book.

Overall: Dream Life needed a bit of kick start, but once it started moving it was a wholesome enjoyable read.(less)

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Jan 24, 2010 Paula rated it 4 of 5 stars

It's a bit Nancy Drew but more Veronica Mars . . . Mechling presents an above average teen chic lit series that is up to date without the raunchiness of some in the genre.

I was just talking to my friends about the need for another young female heroine in the TV market . . . maybe they'll pick Claire.

I think most teenage girls would enjoy this. It's mainstream enough for the girly girl with the supernatural twist that will appeal to the alternative sort. And for those living in NYC or just obses...more

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Jul 04, 2012 Lillian rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've had this book for quite awhile so I felt kind of lame FINALLY picking it up but... I'm glad I did! This was actually a VERY good read! The characters were awesome and so were the settings. (I know, settings... But still!) It took a FEW pages before I was able to comfortably read the story but once I was in, I WAS IN. ANNND. I was actually concerned for a moment that the conflict wouldn't be resolved but.. it was. (So maybe a SLIGHT problem with pacing? I don't know.) Nonetheless Lauren Mech...more

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Oct 03, 2012 Emong rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own-in-hardcover

Dream Girl is about a young woman having this sort of eerie dreams that intends her to do unexplainable things because the messages of her dream were kind of indistinct. Claire Voyante is putting herself to awkward situations because of her nonsense dreams and is making her life miserable since she can’t seem to point out the real message of her bizarre dreams. Not until her sophisticated and alluring grandmother Kiki, gave her a cameo as a present which finally leads her to a clearer type of dr...more

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May 22, 2010 Kelsey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: finished-copies-review, signed

Dream Girl was a witty, original, and well developed read. Claire, the main character, was awesome. She was smart, interesting, and kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next. Mechling also has a great writing style, it's expressive and funny. The twists in the plot kept me wondering how things would end up, and the variety of interesting characters added a lot to the story.

Claire was a main character that just shone off the pages. At fifteen, she'd been through a lot and was a lot mo...more

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May 06, 2010 Shera (Book Whispers) rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-paranormal-uf, amazon-lists-ya

Thoughts:

From the gorgeous cover to the enticing words, “Dreaming just got Dangerous.” How could I not be crazy about it. Plus there were some pretty positive reviews floating around on some blogs.

My excitement-bubble popped after about page 30. That's about the point when I realized this book didn't have anything else to offer me. It was slow going, and the main character, Claire, felt like just another character. She didn't stand out, in fact she felt like she should being fading into the bac...more

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Jan 11, 2010 Jenna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, read-in-2010

This book was insanely adorable! It was a lot of fun to read. The characters are eccentric, but in a delightful way. They were all characters I wanted to know more about. I really liked Claire. Her sense of humor was fantastic! I liked a lot of supporting characters too - Becca, Louis, Kiki, Henry... all of them... Claire's dreams were really fun to read and it was a cool to see how they tied into the story.

It took me a little while to get into the book and for the mystery to come about, but I'm...more

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Jan 03, 2010 Yan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dream Life is a charming read that combines the best of both worlds: Nancy Drew and Gossip Girls. Okay so I ran out of analogies. At any rate Dream Life is a mesh of high socialite without all the snarky backstabbing and a mystery that has the decency to don on a gorgeous yet sensible pair of boots before running around New York.

One of the best things I found refreshing from Dream Life was the family relationship. I was pleasantly surprised how much effect Mechling put in to the mother, the fath...more Dream Life is a charming read that combines the best of both worlds: Nancy Drew and Gossip Girls. Okay so I ran out of analogies. At any rate Dream Life is a mesh of high socialite without all the snarky backstabbing and a mystery that has the decency to don on a gorgeous yet sensible pair of boots before running around New York.

One of the best things I found refreshing from Dream Life was the family relationship. I was pleasantly surprised how much effect Mechling put in to the mother, the father, and the little brother. A majority of books I’ve read have yet to include any mentions of neither siblings nor parents and if they had, it was not to par to his family. Each member is as whimsical as Claire and as every bit as lovable.

Mechling does a wonderful job at foreshadowing as well as not foreshadowing. See the readers go on this roller coaster of random dreams with Claire. So if she’s lost, we’re also pretty much lost. And by that, I mean we get off topic. While I do appreciate the attempt at making things realistic in an otherwise fantasy-like genre it seems as though the story strays from the plot at various moments only to center itself once again like a speeding bullet. Ouch. It is towards the end does much make sense, but by then I had forgotten the dreams and clues all the way from the beginning. That said, it might be me; I mean I’m pretty forgetful and dense rolled into one.

The other main issue would have to be the friendship between Becca and Claire. I had a really hard time accepting this friendship as just that. It seemed more of a follower and leader rather then each of equal footing. Claire is constantly looking up to Becca sometimes letting a bit of her sense be clouded and reducing her to a puppy state of nature aiming to please the master. But then again I began to warm up to the duo and found it a nice partnership. Oh! Just a small little shout-out to Ian for his kick-butt evil radish comic. I can only imagine how awesome it would be if a comic book artist drew a small section of it and somehow manage to weave it in the book.

Overall: Dream Life needed a bit of kick start, but once it started moving it was a wholesome enjoyable read.(less)

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Feb 27, 2010 Allison rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed, gave-away

Dream Girl was an entertaining read filled with tons of memorable characters--both those you'll love and those you'll hate. Claire is a fabulous protagonist with a very amusing sense of humor and a unique ability. Her family was so cool also! Whether it was her parents or little brother or grandmother Kiki, they made the book so much better just by being there.

The beginning of the book felt slow and the details of the book's mystery wasn't even shared until late in the game. Once it picked up an...more

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Jan 25, 2012 Brittany rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, special-powers, part-of-a-series, books-i-own

Claire has dreams, not like everyone else does though. The things she sees in her dreams she witnesses again in real life. She's not sure why she sees them though and after her grandmother, Kiki, gives her a cameo necklace she begins to dream more often, and in black and white. On top of all this Claire is starting at a new school, and doesn't really have any friends going into it. One day she sees an airplane ring and decides she wants to know the girl who's hand it's on. The girl's name is Bec...more

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Nov 12, 2008 Lucy rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of Veronica Mars, Maureen Johnson

Shelves: fantasy, teen

Claire Voyant has always had visions. Pointless, annoying visions--and when she follows up on them, she usually ends up trying awkwardly to explain herself. But when her fabulous grandmother Kiki gives her a cameo broach on a chain for her birthday, suddenly the visions get a lot clearer, a lot sharper, and a lot more black and white. Oh, and more accurate, too. Suddenly, Claire is having visions that may actually be useful--and as she starts following up on her hunches, she realizes that her vi...more Claire Voyant has always had visions. Pointless, annoying visions--and when she follows up on them, she usually ends up trying awkwardly to explain herself. But when her fabulous grandmother Kiki gives her a cameo broach on a chain for her birthday, suddenly the visions get a lot clearer, a lot sharper, and a lot more black and white. Oh, and more accurate, too. Suddenly, Claire is having visions that may actually be useful--and as she starts following up on her hunches, she realizes that her visions may mean the difference between life and death for some of the people she cares about the most.

This book is sooooooo good. Claire is my new favorite fictional teenager. She's up there with Veronica Mars and characters in Maureen Johnson novels.

Let me tell you why this book is awesome. Mostly it boils down to character and voice, like everything that's ever awesome about a book, but I want to be specific, because I want you to read this review and run out and buy yourself a copy of this book and then read it right away so you can love it too.

First of all, Claire. Claire is hilarious. She's sarcastic and funny, but she's not unreasonably or irritatingly smart or wisecracky. She's utterly and completely believable and real. I feel like we could be friends, Claire and I. She's crabby and loves her little brother, and her parents are sometimes annoying, and she's a good friend. And that brings me to the next thing I like about this book: friendship. Claire's friendship with Becca is so honest and natural and real. They work as friends. They're not just friends because the author wants them to be friends as a plot device--the friendship grows and develops and works, and it's a pleasure to read.

The rest of the supporting characters are great too, from Claire's fabulous grandmother Kiki who lives in the Waldorf Astoria, to her little brother Henry who likes to take long walks, to her French professor father and her wishes-she-was-French mother, to her neighbors, to her school friends, talented Ian and Silent Eleanor. They sound madcap and crazy, but they're not. They're just colorful and interesting, the way real people are, and they interact with each other naturally, comfortably. All of the supporting characters, no matter how minor, feel real and realized and interesting.

Even if nothing happened in this book at all, it would be fun to read about them hanging out with each other.

Oh, and let's talk about the plot. Claire is a fantastic crack detective! She's not as all-knowing and all-seeing as, say, Nancy Drew or Veronica Mars, but she's smart and determined, and willing to stick her nose into things, especially when a friend is at risk. It's fun to read about a girl detective who's realistic (aside from the whole vision thing.) She puts the pieces together, and you can see the thought process.

And another thing. Her name is Claire Voyant, and she has visions. Claire Voyant. Get it? Get it? Of course you do. But here's the thing--instead of being lame, the author calls it out right at the beginning--Claire acknowledges that her name is lame, and quotes the fact that her grandmother doesn't think that a child with the last name Voyant should have ever been named Claire, but them are the breaks. And then it's not mentioned again for the rest of the book. Which somehow makes this cheesy name totally cool.

Rock on, Lauren Mechling. I am impressed. Impressed and entertained and totally recommending this (pretty clean) book to all the teenagers I know.(less)

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avg rating	preview: Dream Girl Goodreads rating: 3.57 (345 ratings)
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