Beautiful Americans (Beautiful Americans, #1)

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Beautiful Americans (Beautiful Americans #1)

by Lucy Silag (Goodreads Author)

3.54 of 5 stars 3.54 · rating details · 375 ratings · 67 reviews

Pretty Little Liars meets My So-Called Life in this story of four American teens in Paris and the scandals that haunt each of them.

There's rich New York girl Alex; Cali-born dancer Olivia; closeted Memphis boy Zack; and fi nally PJ, an elusive beauty from Vermont who's hiding a dark past.

Studying abroad for their junior year of high school, they run wild in the Tuileries...more

Hardcover, 320 pages

Published January 8th 2009 by Razorbill

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Jan 02, 2009 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Honestly, when I started Beautiful Americans I was a little skeptical. I’d saw mixed reviews... the synopsis really didn’t completely catch my interest, but by the end of the novel I was ready for more!

I loved the set up of the novel. The chapters alternate between the four characters, so you get to see inside their head as well as how everyone else perceives them. That in itself really made the novel for me. The writing was also extraordinary, I loved Silag’s flow. It was easy to read and enter...more Honestly, when I started Beautiful Americans I was a little skeptical. I’d saw mixed reviews... the synopsis really didn’t completely catch my interest, but by the end of the novel I was ready for more!

I loved the set up of the novel. The chapters alternate between the four characters, so you get to see inside their head as well as how everyone else perceives them. That in itself really made the novel for me. The writing was also extraordinary, I loved Silag’s flow. It was easy to read and entertaining, with out being superfluous.

The characters are really what made this novel. It seems that all the reviews I’ve read had a problem with Alex, but I loved her. Yeah she was a bitch, but for some reason that attracted me to her character. The poor girl just wants someone to love her, sure she has a completely warped way of showing it, but that’s all she knows.

Zach, was by far my favorite. I just want to wrap him up in big hug and tell him everything is going to be okay and that he’s going to find the man of his dreams one day. Zach is by far the most honest character and has his moral compass set due north. I just wish the poor guy could have found a little love!

Olivia.... I thought I had her story pegged from the introduction, but I didn’t! I thought for sure Vince was going to be a cheating whore while his girlfriend was a whole continent away, but no he was a good boy. I guess Vince was different from all the those losers I dated. I will admit that I did like the outcome of Olivia’s story a lot better then the one I had thought up for her.

And then there is Penelope or PJ. Now this is the character that I found annoying. Cry me a freaggin river. Let me get out the worlds smallest violin and play PJ her little sob story song. The girl drove me freaggin insane. Here is some advice for you PJ, DEAL WITH IT. Obviously the girl went to Paris to “runaway” from all the bad stuff at home, but then she just dwells on it, instead of trying to forget it. Honestly, I didn’t expect her to just up and forget everything that happened to her, I mean what person would, but the girl really needs to deal with some issues. By the time to story got around to something really disturbing happening to her, I was beyond the capacity to care at that point. I really hope she doesn’t annoy me so much in the next novel.

Overall, it was better than I expected. I’m really looking forward to reading the next novel!
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Feb 26, 2009 Rachael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Four teens, Penelope Jane, better known as PJ, Olivia, Alex, and Zach, find themselves in Paris, the city of love, for a prestigious study abroad program. Alex is a spoiled snob used to living the high life and getting exactly what she wants. For Olivia, dance is everything. PJ’s trip to France is the result of fleeing from her embarrassing past. Zach, the adorable emo kid, is catching all the wrong eyes. But not all is well in this beautiful city: Alex’s out-of-control desires are setting her u...more Four teens, Penelope Jane, better known as PJ, Olivia, Alex, and Zach, find themselves in Paris, the city of love, for a prestigious study abroad program. Alex is a spoiled snob used to living the high life and getting exactly what she wants. For Olivia, dance is everything. PJ’s trip to France is the result of fleeing from her embarrassing past. Zach, the adorable emo kid, is catching all the wrong eyes. But not all is well in this beautiful city: Alex’s out-of-control desires are setting her up for a huge fall, Olivia’s torn between her love for this city and guilt for leaving home, there’s something dysfunctional about the family PJ’s staying with, and Zach can’t help but be shy about his sexual orientation. Together, these four quasi-friends will have to figure out how to survive the semester before one of them finally cracks.

Strangely titled but surprisingly well written, Beautiful Americans is a meaningful guilty pleasure with international flair. I was a little wary to read this book because I thought the whole group-of-kids-stuck-together situation had already been overdone, but the Parisian setting and engaging characters set this novel apart from others told in the same style. With alternating narratives from each of the four friends’ points of view, the reader is allowed insight into their dirty little secrets as well as how they’re perceived by others. This, I fell, really allows the reader to get a better understanding of who each character is. PJ, Olivia, Alex, and Zach are so likable and easy to sympathize with even when they annoy the reader. They face real problems anyone could have to deal with, but these issues seem magnified as the teens are so far from home. As with most novels told from multiple perspectives, all the little details of each character’s life are difficult to keep track of, but the reader eventually gets used to it. Beautiful Americans provides an interesting take on freedom and what it means especially to youth.

Fans of The Au Pairs by Melissa de la Cruz, The Upper Class series by Hobson Brown, Taylor Materne, and Caroline Says, The Alphabetical Hookup List by Phoebe McPhee, and Zeta or Omega? By Kate Harmon will also enjoy this romantically set novel.

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Dec 22, 2008 Lauren rated it 5 of 5 stars

Beautiful Americans had a mix of romance, friendship, and secrets. Lucy's writing in this book was extremely well done in the way the book just pulled you right in at the first chapter. Also, Lucy slowly told the secrets of Zack, PJ, Alex, and Olivia instead of just telling everything in the very first chapter. So, I was constantly wondering what was going to happen and guessing everyone's dirty little secrets.

Beautiful Americans characters where three-dimensional in the way that you could feel...more

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Sep 02, 2008 Lucy rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author) Recommends it for: everyone!

This is my book, coming out in January 2009! Please read and enjoy!

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Dec 03, 2008 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-gold-star-award-winner, trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Amber Gibson for TeensReadToo.com

BEAUTIFUL AMERICANS by Lucy Silag is the story of four very different American teenagers studying abroad for a year in Paris. For PJ, Olivia, Alex and Zack, Paris is a place to run away, reinvent oneself, find love, and discover what it really means to live. Like the Lost Generation of the 1920s, these Americans escape to the City of Lights with the hope that the joie de vivre of the city will rub off on them.

PJ is fleeing from an embarrassing family...more

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Jan 29, 2009 stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone, esp. those that want the gossip girl cast with more substance.

Recommended to stephanie by: Lucy

Shelves: 2009, would-rec, young-adult

this surpassed my expectations, and that's saying a lot, given how much i love Lucy Silag.

there were a lot of things i think that were done brilliantly, and a lot things that i've read review about that i don't agree with - the characterization of alex, for one. maybe you just have never met an alex, but i definitely have, and she's very, very believable. (also, from a psychological stand-point, it *completely* makes sense why she behaves the way she does.) i don't know if we are actually suppo...more

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May 04, 2010 YA Reader rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

'Beautiful Americans' is the story of four American teenagers, PJ, Olivia, Zack and Alex who are spending a year abroad in Paris, studying at the Lycée de Monceau. A prominent theme in the book is secrecy, with each character having a secret. These are revealed in turn as the story progresses.

To be honest, it took me a while to really get into this book. Despite the lovely opening which introduced two of the protagonists in the novel, PJ and Alex, there seemed to me to be just too many character...more

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Apr 05, 2009 T.V and Book Addict rated it 3 of 5 stars

Beautiful Americans was pretty good. I liked the story and the well-developed characters but I found myself having to take a break from this book every now and then. It is not really a page turner, more like a reality T.V show in writing, sometimes it can get slow.
Even though at times it bored me a bit, I still enjoyed it. I loved how Zack, Alex, Olivia, and P.J have their own secrets. It definitely made the book more interesting to read.
Zack-He's in Paris and he's there to make some friends and...more

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Nov 12, 2009 Kari rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-or-review-from-publisher-author, read-teen

The most defining feature of this book is the fact that it is American teenagers but set in Paris at the Lycee- a very nice twist on the high school setting. The four main characters all have vastly different but still strong personalities and althought some of them bothered me, I grew to love them all.

Alex is selfish, stuck up, and completely self centered but she still wants love and friendship. Even though many parts of her story were very obvious, it was in that way the reader is almost scre...more
The most defining feature of this book is the fact that it is American teenagers but set in Paris at the Lycee- a very nice twist on the high school setting. The four main characters all have vastly different but still strong personalities and althought some of them bothered me, I grew to love them all.

Alex is selfish, stuck up, and completely self centered but she still wants love and friendship. Even though many parts of her story were very obvious, it was in that way the reader is almost screaming at her to figure it out but knowing what lies ahead and wishing to protect her. Or maybe that was just me. Her vulnerable side came out in a great way and I certainly look forward to more from her in the next 2 books. She is the character I can see many people disliking the book because they don't like her but truthfully, for me, it made me like the book more because I could see it from her eyes.

Zack is adorable in so many ways- a completely loveable gay. His background and the family he left behind to come study in France lends more drama and angst to his sexual orientation but I really did think he was tastefully done. Not too much but it was still a defining thing about him- many things came back to it but it wasn't in a way where I felt Silag was just trying to remind readers he was gay. His orientation was a true stuggle for him and that came out well in the book.
PJ intrigued me the most and although I thought her character was kind of an idiot sometimes, her particular background grabbed at me. She very much was the girl just trying to put her past behind her, move on, and find her way in the world- and became too distracted by that to really notice much else in a way.

Olivia, finally, was the character I felt grew the most through this book. There was a noticeable difference between when she was first introduced to the girl that was at the close of this first book in the trilogy but it seemed very much like a smooth transition, not rushed and not forced. Although the story only spans the fall semester, that is still a lot of time, especially in a foreign country- and I felt like Olivia showed how big an impact that could have more than anyone.

The ending was a massive cliffhanger, setting things up perfectly for the next installment which comes out Christmas Eve and yes, I am definitely going to be getting it. I am very eager to find out what happens next and where things will go from here.

This is certainly an easy read- filled with drama but because it shifts between the different characters, the reader isn't stuck with one thing for too long and the French setting also makes it refreshing compared to typical high school drama. One thing I did really like about this story was the fact that although it shifts between 4 perspectives, only a few times did I have to stop to think of what the new chapter and new character were doing- the transitions were pretty seamless, overall, with very little backtracking within a character's story to earlier chapters. The four different story lines overlapped in a way to tell a story greater than just them- the reader could see the entire picture and not just one character's focus and view of it, helped along by how the characters interacted with each other within the chapters.

The writing was good- it didn't astound me and take my breath away, but it didn't bore me or turn me off and I actually really liked the cover. The next 2 covers are featured on the back of this one and they all follow the same overall look and fit together quite nicely. (less)

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Jan 04, 2009 Alea rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-for-review

Beautiful Americans was an engaging and exciting book. For anyone that has dreamed of studying abroad this book is for you and for anyone that wants to relive their study abroad experience this book is for you too! Told through 4 voices, everyone is bound to identify with one of the characters. I personally saw a little bit of myself in each of the four characters (PJ, Olivia, Alex, and Zack). Also, each of their 4 overlapping story lines fought for the spotlight, I couldn't pick a favorite!

We h...more

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Jan 11, 2009 Phoebe rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: france

Beautiful Americans is an absorbing, compulsively readable, and very funny book, even if you are no longer a young adult and have instead recently entered your 30s. The characters are well-drawn and relatable, and the excitement of living in Paris comes through in each chapter. I look forward to the second and third books!

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Jun 17, 2012 Ariana S. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Beautiful Americans is about four teenagers who go to Paris, France to study for a year. However, each one has a secret that he or she does not want the others to discover. The more these teens lie to keep their secrets safe, the harder it is to stay out of trouble.
I liked this book very much. It has a very engaging plot and mysteries that made me not want to put the book down. Also, I really liked the way the author split up the chapters-- each chapter was written from one of the teen's perspec...more

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Feb 19, 2013 iiLov3Yuhh!! rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: series, teenagers, teenage-probs, wtf, could-ve-been-better, triology, library-bookz, secrets, high-school

I give it a 2.5 because of the constant ups & downs I've had with this book. I can't believe I'm finally over with this thing! :D

Ok, so let's start with the basics. I really liked the picture on the cover & the inside info that was written on the jacket; it interested me and I especially liked that it was written with info on all the characters. I also really liked the different POVs of the chapters and that each character had a different personality.

"Four high school students on a stud...more

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Feb 01, 2012 BookChic Club rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was really excited to read this book, and it was not a disappointment. My favorite character is Zach, but I'm biased since, as a gay man, I enjoy reading about gay characters. The other three were really interesting to read about, and I enjoyed the interlocking stories. Silag did a good job going between the characters and giving them their own voices. I was a bit sad that Zach's storyline was really short- all of his chapters didn't seem to be as long as the others. I liked reading about the...more

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Mar 17, 2009 Connie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-reads, ya-lit

Too put it shortly, Beautiful Americans is the first of a trilogy about four teenagers studying abroad in Paris.

There is Alex — the Brooklyn fashionista who is the girl that everyone loves to hate, or like me, just plain hates. She’s spoiled, proud and out of control. Out of the four teenagers, she’s definitely the most dramatic but Lucy Silag’s construction of Alex’s background gives the reader an understanding to why she acts the way she does.

Olivia is the good girl of the bunch - at least in...more Too put it shortly, Beautiful Americans is the first of a trilogy about four teenagers studying abroad in Paris.

There is Alex — the Brooklyn fashionista who is the girl that everyone loves to hate, or like me, just plain hates. She’s spoiled, proud and out of control. Out of the four teenagers, she’s definitely the most dramatic but Lucy Silag’s construction of Alex’s background gives the reader an understanding to why she acts the way she does.

Olivia is the good girl of the bunch - at least in the beginning. Her motivation in Paris is to study ballet and get a good enough scholarship to UCLA. I liked that she wasn’t the stereotypical Californian girl - blonde, ditsy and boy-obsessed.

Zack’s the only boy of the four. He’s from the South - Memphis to be exact. And in Paris, he comes out of the closet for the first time. He’s trendy and hangs out with Alex - but has a semi-cool head on his shoulders that he doesn’t always agree with Alex’s antics.

Penelope Jane or PJ as she’s know in the story is the one with the mysterious past. She comes from Vermont and is quiet, kinda keeps to herself and doesn’t always approve of Alex.

The story is multi-voiced with each character getting to voice their perspective story. It’s very much like Gossip Girl, at times. But there are differences as well - the characters are more likable, the story more well-plotted, less focus on the brand name dropping, etc. Even the still improvement of this being better than Gossip Girl, I honestly have to say I didn’t exactly love it. I felt the whole story was a predictable soap opera. There were times the characters felt like stock characters and not as three-dimensional as I liked.

But, I did love some of the antics going on with the characters especially Alex’s crazy moments. I did also like the character of PJ, despite her brooding moments. It was pure entertainment for me and I’m still going to read the next two books because I want to know if my hunches about PJ’s family is correct. Also, I want to read more about Jay, who I adored because he seem to be the more mature one of the bunch, even though he is a minor character.

Wanderlust is the title of the next novel and it’s coming out Dec 2009.(less)

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Oct 14, 2008 Doug rated it 5 of 5 stars

One of my all time favorites!

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Dec 18, 2012 Sydney rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: involve-traveling, contemporary, multiple-pov

I think it only started out slow for me was because I was still focusing on my classes when I started reading the book. But once my classes were over and I'd taken my exams I flew through it!! I did like some of the characters and their stories more than others.. like Olivia and Zack. I love the little romance stuff that went on in Olivia's story that's why hers was my favorite. Zack's just because although he was the snooty guy with Alex he still cared about other things. Alex made me mad, just...more

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Mar 04, 2013 Joana (The Boundless Book List) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-on-blog

FOR MORE REVIEWS GO TO: www.best-of-ya.blogspot.com

My Thoughts:
The book follows four American teens as they study abroad in Paris for their junior year of high school. There’s Alex, a pretty, rich New Yorker who just wants someone to love her, Olivia, a San Diego native who loves dancing and ballet more than anything, Zach, a closeted Memphis boy, and gorgeous PJ, who seems to be running from something back home in Vermont. Let loose in the City of Love, they get themselves into quite a few mes...more FOR MORE REVIEWS GO TO: www.best-of-ya.blogspot.com

My Thoughts:
The book follows four American teens as they study abroad in Paris for their junior year of high school. There’s Alex, a pretty, rich New Yorker who just wants someone to love her, Olivia, a San Diego native who loves dancing and ballet more than anything, Zach, a closeted Memphis boy, and gorgeous PJ, who seems to be running from something back home in Vermont. Let loose in the City of Love, they get themselves into quite a few messy situations.

I really liked that each chapter alternated between the four teens. Not only do we get an inside look into what they are thinking, we also see how they feel about each other. I loved that extra insight! The book is very easy to follow, everything flowed together despite the constant shift in perspective. Unfortunately, the plot wasn’t that great and it didn’t pick up for quite a while. It took me some time to get into the story, but by the end I couldn’t put the book down. That ending left me craving more!

Luckily, the characters made up for the not so great plot. My favorite would definitely have to be Olivia--though I wouldn’t have said so in the beginning. She was the most surprising of the four and I was really shocked at how much she changes (in a good way) over the short period of time she spends in France. I thought I had her completely figured out at the start which made her a bit boring to me, but boy was I wrong! I was SO glad with her decision at the end.

The other three are all great and complex in their own ways. I found Zach to be really honest and a great friend. He starts his junior year terrified to come out to anyone but Alex, but by the end of the novel, he seems to be much more comfortable with who he is. I wish he had found the love he was looking for. Alex is a very difficult character to like. She is a bit annoying and bitchy at times, but it is obvious that it is all just for show. She is extremely vulnerable and has a hard time being honest and showing people who she really is. She goes to Paris with the hopes of finding someone who will finally love her, but ends up with even more heartache. And last but not least, is Penelope Jane, better known as PJ. PJ spends the majority of her time keeping people at arms length and worrying about what is happening to her parents back home. Although she does have reason to fret, it really makes it difficult for her to enjoy her time in Paris. I don’t think she has fun once which is a real waste in my opinion. You’re young, gorgeous, and in Paris (with basically no supervision), go out and do something crazy!(less)

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May 13, 2013 Becky rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: bought, read-for-myself

Beautiful Americans is a contemporary young adult novel exploring the lives of four teenagers who spend a year studying in Paris.

Alex, Olivia, PJ and Zack leave their families behind in the US and arrive in Paris to study the Programme Americain at the exclusive Lycée de Monceau. Each of them has a different reason for leaving their homes behind. Alex expects to find a wonderful romance in Paris. Olivia wants to audition for the Opera ballet school to help her achieve a scholarship. PJ wants to...more Beautiful Americans is a contemporary young adult novel exploring the lives of four teenagers who spend a year studying in Paris.

Alex, Olivia, PJ and Zack leave their families behind in the US and arrive in Paris to study the Programme Americain at the exclusive Lycée de Monceau. Each of them has a different reason for leaving their homes behind. Alex expects to find a wonderful romance in Paris. Olivia wants to audition for the Opera ballet school to help her achieve a scholarship. PJ wants to escape her past and find her sister. Zach wants to be himself and find a boyfriend away from the watchful eye of his small town community. As the weeks at the Lycée go by, each of the students tries to find their way through this new world. They experience the highs and lows of friendship, the agony of love and the wonders of learning in a new culture.

Although I found this book easy to read, I didn’t find it particularly engaging. None of the characters are especially likeable. Alex is a selfish, self-obsessed, whiner. PJ doesn’t let anyone get close to her – even the reader is kept at arm’s length. Zach doesn’t seem to have any unique character traits. Olivia is the most likeable but even her love of dance doesn’t make her stand out.

I think there are two main problems with this novel. The first is that the character voices don’t sound different from each other. What they say and think is different, but the way they say it is the same. There were none of the idiosyncrasies of dialogue that you experience with the different way people speak. As each chapter alternates between the four perspectives, they needed to sound clearly different from each other.

The second problem is that this is a character driven novel where not all that much happens. There is the wonder of Paris but there isn’t a sweeping romance or a thrilling plot. So when the characters don’t leap off the page, you’re not left with enough to feel connected to as the reader. This is just my opinion. I know other people have loved this book. Personally, I much preferred Party by Tom Leveen which succeeds in telling a story from multiple viewpoints.

Overall, Beautiful Americans was a disappointing read for me. A contemporary novel set in Paris. The setting was wonderful but the story fell flat. Perhaps a worthy beach read but not something you can really sink your teeth into. (less)

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Nov 17, 2009 Wendy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Beautiful Americans is the story of four teenagers in Paris and how their paths crossed. I wasn't so sure I was going to like it but I was definitely surprised. Each one - PJ, Olivia, Zack, and Alex - has their own individual characteristics, flaws and of course, secrets they're trying to keep hidden. While I enjoyed reading about PJ's insecurities, Zack's difficulty coming to terms with himself or Alex's attention-grabbing antics, I think Olivia, the ballet dancer from California stole my heart...more

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Jan 03, 2010 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Beautiful Americans is the first of what promises to be an exciting trilogy. It's the story of four Americans and their wild adventures in Paris for 9 months. This book is just the beginning of some crazy nights and even crazier teens.

Beautiful Americans is told from the points-of-view of Penelope Jane(PJ), Olivia, Zack, and Alex. I don't think there could be any four people as different as these. PJ is a Vermont hippie who is running from quite a past. Olivia is a dancer who is in Paris to try...more

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Apr 03, 2009 Stephanie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

To be honest, I was a bit hesitant to read this book because I don’t really like books that come in multiple perspectives. However, Beautiful Americans made me rethink that thought and now, I’m definitely ready to read the sequel.

What I loved about this book was the plot, the very idea of following four teens to the most romantic city in the world and following them as they as they spend their first semester in the prestigious Lycee de Monceau. I loved the secrets and the scandals involved and h...more To be honest, I was a bit hesitant to read this book because I don’t really like books that come in multiple perspectives. However, Beautiful Americans made me rethink that thought and now, I’m definitely ready to read the sequel.

What I loved about this book was the plot, the very idea of following four teens to the most romantic city in the world and following them as they as they spend their first semester in the prestigious Lycee de Monceau. I loved the secrets and the scandals involved and how the four teens, despite their differences and the past they have left behind, somehow bond to form a somewhat awesome friendship.

The writing was wonderful as well. It had a nice flow and rhythm to it without hurrying or slowing down. Lucy did an awesome job with making the words interesting and entertaining.

Olivia, the notorious good girl, with her boyfriend, Vince, in the States. When I first read about her in the description, I assumed that she would be this girl who gets her heart broken by Vince who would cheat off of her. And when she first called Vince and I heard – read – his voice, I assumed the worst that he had cheated and that’s why he sounded so groggy. However, he turned out to be the opposite. Olivia, on the other hand, did not end up the way I had thought. Instead of being the good girl and staying in love with her boyfriend, she did all these things such as dancing on a table even when she was sober and falling in love with a different boy. Though her actions weren’t that great, I still liked her because it showed that she had different sides and different personalities and that she wasn’t the perfect girl that everyone had dubbed her for.

Alex, on the hand, kind of annoyed me. All she wanted was to get things her way and when she didn’t, she stole to get them. She got PJ in trouble with her homestay owners and she even stole from this religious place. She was slightly redeemed when I found out that all she really wanted for a guy to truly love her. She wanted to feel loved instead of the useless girl that her ex-boyfriend had made her feel.

Zach was so cute. If he didn’t have a different sexual preference, I would totally make him mine. He’s honest, definitely, and, like Alex, was looking for some love. Though he didn’t find it in this book, I hope that he will in the sequel…or eventually! He’s a bit shy about his orientation, however, with the help of Alex, became more outspoken about it and even confessed to the guy he liked. He’s probably my favorite out of the four.

Sigh. PJ. What should I say? Well, she had this secret that was never really revealed throughout the book. There were snippets about it but no real information. What I didn’t like about her was the fact that she kept going back to think about her past. It was obvious that she came to Paris to escape her past, yet, she kept dwelling in it. She was by far my least favorite character.

Overall, this book was great and I can’t wait until the next book. :)
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Dec 27, 2008 Yan rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Summary: Penelope Jane or PJ as she likes to be called is an enigma to everyone from the start. But what is she really hiding behind that gorgeous face?

Olivia, a born dancer, is aiming for a scholarship in this stunning city. Dancing is her passion and dream but what is she willing to give up as the result?

Alex has what all the girls want—beauty, wealth, passion and strive. But can this cool calm and collected fashionista survive in this bustling city?

Zack, a regular boy from Memphis, has captur...more Summary: Penelope Jane or PJ as she likes to be called is an enigma to everyone from the start. But what is she really hiding behind that gorgeous face?

Olivia, a born dancer, is aiming for a scholarship in this stunning city. Dancing is her passion and dream but what is she willing to give up as the result?

Alex has what all the girls want—beauty, wealth, passion and strive. But can this cool calm and collected fashionista survive in this bustling city?

Zack, a regular boy from Memphis, has captured the eyes and hearts of many girls but who really is his type?

Review: Told in four different points of view, this novel showcases Lucy Silag’s versatility in manipulating her characters. Each one has their own unique personalities that will never get you confused on who’s who.

Olivia: She was definitely not one of the stronger characters. Gave no real lasting impression whatsoever but I did quite enjoy reading her relationships. It gave a little scandal and excitement to the book. I also like her determination, I think she may be the only one who gave an actually reason to be in France!

Alex: Okay so I DID NOT like reading about her. I had to force myself to just read her, a real pain in the butt. From her thievery to her whiny/bitchy attitude to almost everything in general, I wanted to just rip the pages from the book. That’s how much I didn’t like reading about her.

At the very beginning she wanted to find love that was understandable. But as it progressed, I got all the feeling that all she wanted was sex. It was plainly obvious that he held no interest in her emotional but her conceitedness blind sighted her and she resorted to thievery of clothing. So I felt no pity towards her when she got dumped.

PJ: Annoying. That’s all I can sum her up as. As self-dependent as she tried to be I find her needing more help than anyone else. Her constant want for her sister, her sister’s boyfriend, and to be liked gave me another character that I had to force myself to read. I also thought that the mystery aspect of her, in her sister’s disappearance and her parent’s arrest, were both unneeded. I guess it gave PJ depth and reason to be in France but after reading the entire book, we’re still stuck with the same information from the very beginning of the novel!

Zack: I LOVE Zack. If any of you have ever watched Project Runway season 4, he is so much like Christian Siriano! And I adore him! From his snarky/spunky attitude and his critiques to all that is fashion to his emotional baggage of his sexuality, I wanted more! I even enjoyed reading Alex more through his point of view, that is how much I love him! He alone made reading this book so worthwhile.

Overall: I was expecting fireworks in the skies of the night but instead I got sparklers in the glow of the afternoon. Very disappointed with the book since I had such high expectations. I’ll be looking forward to the sequel but I probably won’t rush out to get it once it’s been released.(less)

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Jun 16, 2009 Abby rated it 4 of 5 stars

I liked this book. It was a pretty good YA, and was fairly well written. I think that one problem a lot of YA authors have is the whole teenage dialogue thing. I think they overthink it a little. We really don't say dude THAT much. But I liked the four characters and was interested in their problems. I always like when books are written in different voices, it's fun to see things from different people's perspectives. I look forward to the next one since this book ended with a cliffhanger!

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Feb 26, 2009 Hayley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2007-current

Beautiful Americans feels very real and modern (in an up-to-the-minute "now" kind of way). There are many references to current popular culture, and it is obvious that the author has first had knowledge of what life is REALLY like for teens today.
The fact that it's told as a first person narrative, and in the present tense, makes it all the more believable and engaging. I'm looking forward to the rest of this trilogy. This isn't your standard "goody-goody" Young Adult fiction novel.

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Oct 07, 2011 Janina rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: so-so

I was really stoked for this book for several reasons. I finally got a chance to read it, in my uncle's Kindle for $9.

But after taking the Kindle with me everywhere I go and reading the book, I was kinda disappointed. I didn't like the characters. Alex was too bitchy. Zack had this split personality: whenever he was with Alex and when he was narrating. Olivia was tolerable but I didn't find anything fantastic about her. George and Drew were a bunch of douchebags. And PJ...she irked me.

The book...more

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Aug 15, 2010 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-teen-fiction

Picked this up because it was on a Pretty Little Liars read-alike list.

I can see the resemblance - 4 rich teens, all have secrets, plenty of relationship drama. And this time it's set in a Paris boarding school instead of suburbia.

However, it didn't have the campy, soapy silliness of PLL.

Still, a nice brain candy read.

*First in a trilogy.

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Jan 17, 2012 Benedict Reid rated it 2 of 5 stars

Like a soap opera on the page. A high budget soap opera. But still a soap opera. This book does not really end... it sort of sets you up to be interested in what happens next. But for me, not interested enought to read the next in the series. Page for page it is well written but as a whole it doesn't add up to much.

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Jun 22, 2009 Sammi Wolf rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: summer-2009

I loved this book. Especially how it kept the rotation of every chapter being the perspective of four different characters. Olivia = my favorite! I can't help but to believe that Lucy better be coming out with a sequel. Otherwise my stars might have to go down! There are so many things I need to know about!

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Jan 09, 2013 Salome' the Unearthly and Magestic Shakespearian Pamplemousse added it

A mysterious story of four teenagers that are spending a year at the prestigious Lycee de Moneau in beautiful Paris. But when the secrets that they all left behind catch up with them... everything could be ruined. It's interesting to read the stories of love and deciet. How far someone will go to be socially accepted. Can't wait to read the sequel!

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About Lucy Silag

Lucy Silag is the author of the Beautiful Americans novels for young adults (Razorbill/Penguin) and has written for many publications including Salon, Allure, New York magazine, Real Simple Travel, The Iowa Review, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Globe and Mail in Canada, and the Independent on Sunday magazine in the UK. She is a graduate of the Women’s Studies program at UC Santa Cruz and holds...more

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