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Pretenders #2
License to Spill
Three girls, two guys, five secret journals.
The five most popular students at Noble High have secrets to hide; secrets they wrote down in their journals. Now one of their own exposes the private entries...
When our parents were growing up they were encouraged to make mistakes. That's how they learned. But us? Our mistakes go viral. There is no delete button on the Internet. What kind of future do we have if we can't escape our embarrassing pasts? I must come off as quite the hypocrite; complaining about our overexposed lives in a book of secret journals I have leaked. But these pages hold proof of how this pressure affects the "best" of us... so until the heat's turned down, keep reading.
The five most popular students at Noble High have secrets to hide; secrets they wrote down in their journals. Now one of their own exposes the private entries...
When our parents were growing up they were encouraged to make mistakes. That's how they learned. But us? Our mistakes go viral. There is no delete button on the Internet. What kind of future do we have if we can't escape our embarrassing pasts? I must come off as quite the hypocrite; complaining about our overexposed lives in a book of secret journals I have leaked. But these pages hold proof of how this pressure affects the "best" of us... so until the heat's turned down, keep reading.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published June 24, 2014
39 people are currently reading
1029 people want to read
About the author
Lisi Harrison
95 books2,843 followersLisi Harrison is the author of the #1 New York Times best-selling series "The Clique", "Alphas", "Monster High," Pretenders," and her first adult novel: "The Dirty Book Club" out 10.10.17. Lisi was born in Toronto, Canada, and lived in NYC for 15 years while she worked at MTV. She now lives in Laguna Beach, CA and is a member or her own Dirty Book Club.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
July 24, 2014
GAHHHHH THAT ENDING DROVE ME CRAZY
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July 19, 2015Such a great sequel! Hope book 3 comes soon!
October 29, 2014
The journals continue and new lies and secrets are revealed... Jagger isn't at all what he seems... then again he never was, was he? Sheridan is still shooting to be a star at all costs and struggling to accept herself, Andrew is basking in the glory of basketball fame while trying to get Trandemic off his back, Vanessa is still Vanessa, and Lily is just trying to fit in one way or another.
My Thoughts:
This is my guilty pleasure series!! Is it Earth-shattering? Of course not. Is it going to change my life and have me thinking about it for years to come? Obviously not. But it is entertaining as can be! There's a lot going on in this book and most of it is spoilery and therefor hard to talk about.... but I'll try.
The characters in this book stayed true to who they were in the first book for the most part and I liked that consistency. Because of that though, a few did start to get on my nerves. Vanessa mainly. She hasn't really grown at all through the series. She's just the "overachiever" and that's it. Lily also isn't a favorite of mine, but I get her struggles. She was homeschooled and wants to fit in and she has issues with obsessions. Jagger, Sheridan, and Duffy are the ones who most entertained me. They come with the most drama and entertaining situations. But seriously there is a character for everyone in this series. And the way the author writes the characters, you can tell a distinct difference when the chapters switch. I love her ability to give all these people their own voice. The ending of course had to make me want to stab my eye out because of it's cliffhanger-ness, but it wasn't AS bad as the first books' ending.
I forgot how much I love to read books written in journal entry form. I get sucked in reading other people's thoughts, and I can't stop reading... only it doesn't even feel like I'm reading and before you know it I've finished the book. I love reading experiences like that, if that even makes any sense?
So if you haven't picked up this series yet, I say try it! It's super fun and a breeze to read. It's a little immature and maybe not for you if you're in the mood for YA that feels adultish... but for a true YA book, these two have been great.
OVERALL: Another fun book in a fun series!! Most of the characters changed and grew in this book, but of course still struggled with drama and mayhem. This is definitely suited for a younger YA audience, but light-hearted, young-at-heart people can enjoy it too!!
My Blog:
My Thoughts:
This is my guilty pleasure series!! Is it Earth-shattering? Of course not. Is it going to change my life and have me thinking about it for years to come? Obviously not. But it is entertaining as can be! There's a lot going on in this book and most of it is spoilery and therefor hard to talk about.... but I'll try.
The characters in this book stayed true to who they were in the first book for the most part and I liked that consistency. Because of that though, a few did start to get on my nerves. Vanessa mainly. She hasn't really grown at all through the series. She's just the "overachiever" and that's it. Lily also isn't a favorite of mine, but I get her struggles. She was homeschooled and wants to fit in and she has issues with obsessions. Jagger, Sheridan, and Duffy are the ones who most entertained me. They come with the most drama and entertaining situations. But seriously there is a character for everyone in this series. And the way the author writes the characters, you can tell a distinct difference when the chapters switch. I love her ability to give all these people their own voice. The ending of course had to make me want to stab my eye out because of it's cliffhanger-ness, but it wasn't AS bad as the first books' ending.
I forgot how much I love to read books written in journal entry form. I get sucked in reading other people's thoughts, and I can't stop reading... only it doesn't even feel like I'm reading and before you know it I've finished the book. I love reading experiences like that, if that even makes any sense?
So if you haven't picked up this series yet, I say try it! It's super fun and a breeze to read. It's a little immature and maybe not for you if you're in the mood for YA that feels adultish... but for a true YA book, these two have been great.
OVERALL: Another fun book in a fun series!! Most of the characters changed and grew in this book, but of course still struggled with drama and mayhem. This is definitely suited for a younger YA audience, but light-hearted, young-at-heart people can enjoy it too!!
My Blog:
August 28, 2018
I WISH THAT THE 3RD BOOK WAS PUBLISHED!!! Oh my goodness guys... This book was just, wow! I loved it SO much! Both books are incredible! <3
April 28, 2017
Review de Licencia para contar de Lisi Harrison
En primer lugar, yo pensaba que estos libros eran una bilogía, de modo que esta sería la conclusión para la historia de los cinco de fénix. Pero no. Tiene un final, de nuevo, bastante abierto para una tercera parte. Así que tendré que esperar a su publicación.
Es un libro extremadamente ligero, con un ritmo rápido. Continuamente estamos cambiando de perspectiva y, por si esto no fuera suficiente, que todo sean entradas de diario lo convierte en algo todavía más dinámico. Aunque tengo que reconocer que a veces me daba la sensación de ir demasiado rápido.
Las tramas de todos los personajes avanzan paralelas entre sí, poco a poco y entrelazándose las unas con las otras. He disfrutado con cada una de ellas, especialmente con las de Sheridan y Jagger, que han sido mis favoritas. El elenco de personajes es muy diverso, cada uno con personalidades marcadas y evoluciones, en algunos casos muy grandes y en otros bastante pequeñas, a lo largo de la historia. Ha sido un libro entretenido, perfecto para pasar el rato.
3/5 estrellas
En primer lugar, yo pensaba que estos libros eran una bilogía, de modo que esta sería la conclusión para la historia de los cinco de fénix. Pero no. Tiene un final, de nuevo, bastante abierto para una tercera parte. Así que tendré que esperar a su publicación.
Es un libro extremadamente ligero, con un ritmo rápido. Continuamente estamos cambiando de perspectiva y, por si esto no fuera suficiente, que todo sean entradas de diario lo convierte en algo todavía más dinámico. Aunque tengo que reconocer que a veces me daba la sensación de ir demasiado rápido.
Las tramas de todos los personajes avanzan paralelas entre sí, poco a poco y entrelazándose las unas con las otras. He disfrutado con cada una de ellas, especialmente con las de Sheridan y Jagger, que han sido mis favoritas. El elenco de personajes es muy diverso, cada uno con personalidades marcadas y evoluciones, en algunos casos muy grandes y en otros bastante pequeñas, a lo largo de la historia. Ha sido un libro entretenido, perfecto para pasar el rato.
3/5 estrellas
July 19, 2017
...What?
This is the last book in the series. There is no indicator that a third is coming (this was written in 2014, as I write this it's 2017), and that ending was...
Not representative of that. There really was no closure to this book/series at all, barring a third book being written.
This is the last book in the series. There is no indicator that a third is coming (this was written in 2014, as I write this it's 2017), and that ending was...
Not representative of that. There really was no closure to this book/series at all, barring a third book being written.
May 20, 2018
I only read this book bc the first one cut off so abruptly I was curious to see if Harrison was pulling a power move or just desperate to keep her readership by leaving them hanging, and it was definitely the latter. this is somehow even worse than Pretenders.
August 5, 2024
This one was much better than the first book, but I’m so bummed the series got cancelled💔
February 28, 2021
Not all that Pretendy
I'm going to link back to my last progress update* on this book, as I don't feel I have all that much to add to it, even twice+ as many pages later. The things that didn't make sense as of page 151 still didn't make sense on page 335, and the punning/wordplay only grew more obnoxious. The epilogue called back to the prologue by hoping that this middle installment had provided more resolution than it predecessor. Well, okay--I'll give it that.
I didn't hate the characters, for the most part. It was kind of interesting to read their perspectives on one another and see how many erroneous assumptions they made. But the whole conceit of the book--that one of the "Phoenix Five" (most outstanding freshmen of the year) leaked their private journals to reveal that they are all "pretenders"--didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Mostly, they didn't strike me as being more "pretenders" than the rest of the school population (with the exception of Jagger--see my linked update).
Anyway, I will most likely pick up the final book in the trilogy when it becomes available at my library, just to fulfill my own morbid curiosity as to how things turn out for the characters. (Although I had received the first book through NetGalley, this second book was just a loan through my public library.)
Update, 8/2/2019: The publisher apparently dropped the series, opting to not publish the third and final installment. The author posted her summary of the unpublished third book here.
Update 2, 2/28/2021:
*Since Booklikes appears to be in the midst of a prolonged death spiral, I will post the update here under spoiler tags:
I'm going to link back to my last progress update* on this book, as I don't feel I have all that much to add to it, even twice+ as many pages later. The things that didn't make sense as of page 151 still didn't make sense on page 335, and the punning/wordplay only grew more obnoxious. The epilogue called back to the prologue by hoping that this middle installment had provided more resolution than it predecessor. Well, okay--I'll give it that.
I didn't hate the characters, for the most part. It was kind of interesting to read their perspectives on one another and see how many erroneous assumptions they made. But the whole conceit of the book--that one of the "Phoenix Five" (most outstanding freshmen of the year) leaked their private journals to reveal that they are all "pretenders"--didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Mostly, they didn't strike me as being more "pretenders" than the rest of the school population (with the exception of Jagger--see my linked update).
Anyway, I will most likely pick up the final book in the trilogy when it becomes available at my library, just to fulfill my own morbid curiosity as to how things turn out for the characters. (Although I had received the first book through NetGalley, this second book was just a loan through my public library.)
Update, 8/2/2019: The publisher apparently dropped the series, opting to not publish the third and final installment. The author posted her summary of the unpublished third book here.
Update 2, 2/28/2021:
*Since Booklikes appears to be in the midst of a prolonged death spiral, I will post the update here under spoiler tags:
May 11, 2015
In the squeal to Lisi Harrison's first "Pretenders" novel, we follow our five main characters right where we left off. This novel is written to entertain and relate to teenagers going through awkward and stressful moments like Vanessa, "Jagger", Sheridan, Lily, and Duffy. No matter what kind of person you are, you can relate to one of these individuals. Whether you're a nerd, lire, actress, geek, or jock, you'll find someone to love. This book is great for any teen.
The theme of this book is that everybody makes mistakes. All of the characters in this story are dealing with their own problems that they got themselves into. We all have something we try to hide, or fix ourselves, just like these "pretenders". Lisi Harrison teaches us that nobody is perfect and we're not bad people for messing up once in a while.
In the novel, we are experiencing the story as a narration. We are reading each of the five main characters journal entries put together by "X". The entries are put in order of events so we can easily understand the perspective of each character, while still being told in first person. Something that emphases this even more is Harrison's use of each character having their own writing style, making the whole reading experience more diverse and enjoyable.
I personally loved this book and can't wait for the third! We're left at a major cliff hanger, again, just like the first book. I love the entire set up of the novel, and I have fallen in love with all the characters! I have nothing I am not fond of. It's all perfect! I don't know any books like it, because it's so unique! I would recommend this series to anyone who's looking for a relatable read.
The theme of this book is that everybody makes mistakes. All of the characters in this story are dealing with their own problems that they got themselves into. We all have something we try to hide, or fix ourselves, just like these "pretenders". Lisi Harrison teaches us that nobody is perfect and we're not bad people for messing up once in a while.
In the novel, we are experiencing the story as a narration. We are reading each of the five main characters journal entries put together by "X". The entries are put in order of events so we can easily understand the perspective of each character, while still being told in first person. Something that emphases this even more is Harrison's use of each character having their own writing style, making the whole reading experience more diverse and enjoyable.
I personally loved this book and can't wait for the third! We're left at a major cliff hanger, again, just like the first book. I love the entire set up of the novel, and I have fallen in love with all the characters! I have nothing I am not fond of. It's all perfect! I don't know any books like it, because it's so unique! I would recommend this series to anyone who's looking for a relatable read.
September 11, 2014
Okay, the first book was terrible but surprisingly readable. This book, however, was beyond awful.
These 5 characters all have the exact same voice, and they're all incredibly dull. Also, Jagger's big secret was completely lame.
As with the first book, the events only covered something like one month, which proves that Lisi is trying to stretch this series out as long as possible. The first book at least had enough of a cliffhanger to get me to pick this one up, but I can safely say I will not be making that same mistake with the third book. Ugh, what a waste of time.
These 5 characters all have the exact same voice, and they're all incredibly dull. Also, Jagger's big secret was completely lame.
As with the first book, the events only covered something like one month, which proves that Lisi is trying to stretch this series out as long as possible. The first book at least had enough of a cliffhanger to get me to pick this one up, but I can safely say I will not be making that same mistake with the third book. Ugh, what a waste of time.
November 8, 2015
Book 2 - picks up right where 1 left off continuing the adventures of the Phoenix Five. I loved the twist at the very end for Jagger.
May 17, 2019
Better than the last book, but it’s been five years and I need to know where the conclusion is.
August 5, 2021
Everyone has their guilty pleasures reading books, and mine is picking up cheesy teen novels. License To Spill is a perfect example of what I would love to read in a drama infested, romance included book. License To Spill is following up the first book called Pretenders. Each chapter plays a different perspective of the Phoenix Five, also known as the five main characters. I think this concept is really clever because each chapter ends off differently, causing me to be excited for the next. This book shows how diverse an individual can really be, whether it's from their body type, looks, hobbies, or just overall personality. As the characters deal with their difficult teenaged lives, pressure builds up and eventually this book is left on yet another cliff hanger. I was thrilled to research if their was another book in this series, but to my disappointment Lisi Harrison discontinued it. Although I feel sad, I can't stay mad at that fact because I did enjoy this book. Honestly, I felt silly reading this at first because of how dramatic and cliché it sounded. However, later into the book Lisi Harrison includes common problems that occur amongst teenagers. For example, Sheridan. Sheridan is described as fat in the first book, and is extremely self conscious due to her realization of it. In the second book, her character develops and she takes advice from plus size celebrities and owns her look. I think this is important because it showcases how us as young people have insecurities, but we have role models to guide us as well. License To Spill has positive messages from the beginning to end. Yes, the book is cheesy, but with every chapter came tension and laughter.
May 5, 2023
What the actual f was this book? She said she read the online comments about her book being full of cliffhangers but wait no. The whole writing style was insufferable. Cliffhanger is something like everything wrapped up but for one plot twist that makes us ask what happened next!
Neither your first book nor this is a cliffhanger, they are books that you bailed on writing halfway through. And you call that closure? Um, nope, there wasn't enough story to warrant an open ending. And what about the prologue ib the first book that all the journals were taped to the notice board? Where's the mention of it?
It's a cheap and disgusting tastic to sell books cos ofcourse if you gonna only give 10% of the plot in every book, then people are definitely gonna scourge for the next 20-30%.
This baffles me, like how did it get past the editing stage and make it to publishing? If something like this can give you the author status, I have more confident that I can do a better job with my writing abilities.
The references suck, characters are 1 dimensional, there is more character detriment than development. Just know if you keep pulling this stint calling it closure, most of us will go to sparknotes to know what the next book is about if there is one ( there should be! But also in an environmental pov, it's a waste on trees), instead of buying another book of yours.
Hilar...not!
Actual Rating: 0.25 stars
Neither your first book nor this is a cliffhanger, they are books that you bailed on writing halfway through. And you call that closure? Um, nope, there wasn't enough story to warrant an open ending. And what about the prologue ib the first book that all the journals were taped to the notice board? Where's the mention of it?
It's a cheap and disgusting tastic to sell books cos ofcourse if you gonna only give 10% of the plot in every book, then people are definitely gonna scourge for the next 20-30%.
This baffles me, like how did it get past the editing stage and make it to publishing? If something like this can give you the author status, I have more confident that I can do a better job with my writing abilities.
The references suck, characters are 1 dimensional, there is more character detriment than development. Just know if you keep pulling this stint calling it closure, most of us will go to sparknotes to know what the next book is about if there is one ( there should be! But also in an environmental pov, it's a waste on trees), instead of buying another book of yours.
Hilar...not!
Actual Rating: 0.25 stars
September 29, 2021
terrible terrible terrible
yes 4 stars but no it ends awfully and there isn't a third book because its now 2021 and its 7 years later so ...probably no third book.
very very brief description that is more like me saying what we should know but won't because there isnt a third book.
sheridan and duffy have to make up they were so good together and now they are not really talking... so i'm glad lily got over her crazy - little bit stalkerish - obsession with duffy. I'm glad Vanessa can stop going after Blake because she knows his secret. I hope lily and vanessa will find other boys. BUT I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WITH JAGGER. he was lying all along. and what about that little affair with audri's mom and jagger's dad.....????? what.
i am awful at writing reviews . i deeply apologize to anyone who is putting themselves thru reading this.
basically i just wanted to say how afwul it is that there is not third book and i know what happens to ..lets see... oh yeah ZERO of the characters. thanks lisi .
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. :(
excuse my evident instability.
yes 4 stars but no it ends awfully and there isn't a third book because its now 2021 and its 7 years later so ...probably no third book.
very very brief description that is more like me saying what we should know but won't because there isnt a third book.
sheridan and duffy have to make up they were so good together and now they are not really talking... so i'm glad lily got over her crazy - little bit stalkerish - obsession with duffy. I'm glad Vanessa can stop going after Blake because she knows his secret. I hope lily and vanessa will find other boys. BUT I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WITH JAGGER. he was lying all along. and what about that little affair with audri's mom and jagger's dad.....????? what.
i am awful at writing reviews . i deeply apologize to anyone who is putting themselves thru reading this.
basically i just wanted to say how afwul it is that there is not third book and i know what happens to ..lets see... oh yeah ZERO of the characters. thanks lisi .
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. :(
excuse my evident instability.
Read
June 2, 2020Three girls, two guys, five secret journals.
The five most popular students at Noble High have secrets to hide; secrets they wrote down in their journals. Now one of their own exposes the private entries...
When our parents were growing up they were encouraged to make mistakes. That's how they learned. But us? Our mistakes go viral. There is no delete button on the Internet. What kind of future do we have if we can't escape our embarrassing pasts? I must come off as quite the hypocrite; complaining about our overexposed lives in a book of secret journals I have leaked. But these pages hold proof of how this pressure affects the "best" of us... so until the heat's turned down, keep reading.
The five most popular students at Noble High have secrets to hide; secrets they wrote down in their journals. Now one of their own exposes the private entries...
When our parents were growing up they were encouraged to make mistakes. That's how they learned. But us? Our mistakes go viral. There is no delete button on the Internet. What kind of future do we have if we can't escape our embarrassing pasts? I must come off as quite the hypocrite; complaining about our overexposed lives in a book of secret journals I have leaked. But these pages hold proof of how this pressure affects the "best" of us... so until the heat's turned down, keep reading.
July 2, 2017
I thought this book was an alright follow up to The Pretenders. I read this book in a short two days because it's easy to get sucked into, but I didn't love it as much as the first. It might've been because I haven't read the first one since December, but I think it was because they're wasn't as much mystery around the book. It's comforting to see that Jagger isn't who we really think he is and that everyone's trying to figure out how to make their freshman year great, but it gets a little repetitive and boring in the middle. Overall, I don't think it's terrible, but I probably won't be dying to read it again.
March 27, 2023
Gonna be totally honest, I didn't realize this was a second book until I came to write a review. As in I read the whole thing and didn't realize I was missing so much information. I was confused at the start, of course, but I figured it was the strange writing style and the fact that, because they are journal entries, we don't get any background info. But I could have! There was just no way for me to tell it was part of a series! Kind of laughing at myself now.
Anyways, the plot was mid. I was really routing for Duffy and Sheridan and I thought the ending was lack luster. I didn't understand the plot, the characters, the motivation, etc. Overall confusing and half-hearted.
Anyways, the plot was mid. I was really routing for Duffy and Sheridan and I thought the ending was lack luster. I didn't understand the plot, the characters, the motivation, etc. Overall confusing and half-hearted.
June 14, 2017
Just like with the first book of the Pretenders series, this one was full of high school drama. Very "90210", but more PG. I enjoyed the switch in POVs, and it was an easy read. It does end on a cliff-hanger, however, so be ready with the third book (I haven't gotten that far... and I don't think I will be looking around desperately for it).
December 20, 2018
I liked this book a lot because i love to see the different perspectives of all the characters because if one thing happens then every character can say how they feel about that one thing. i also love the characters a lot and my favorite characters were Duffy and Sheridan and i loved their relationship with each other.
September 11, 2019
Nicely done book. Each character has a voice and a mystery that adds to the story while offering insight piecemeal, teasing and enlightening their interactions with each other. Very nicely written. I am a little worried we will never find out who "X" is, since I still haven't heard anything about part 3.
October 24, 2019
License to spill is a great book if you like teen dramas. You have to read the first book, because this is the second one in the series. I gave it a 3/5 because it wasn't my style of book. It is almost like reading peoples journal entries, which is very entertaining. But I would definetly recommend to others who need a different type of book to read.
February 16, 2023
Another stop in the middle of the plot book and there isn’t another to follow, so that sucks. I thought I’d have the conclusion to the story from book one but that was not the case. That’s the main reason this gets 2 stars, to have a series be incomplete is infuriating, and it literally drops off in the middle of the story. Ugh.
November 2, 2023
Knowing the author never finished this series definitely put a damper on my enjoyment of this book that like the first offers no resolution. I also felt like some of the characters lost their likability in this book. I would suggest that anyone who really wanted to read these stop after the first one. Either way, you won't get any closure, and the first one was definitely the high point.
December 16, 2017
I liked it but was very disappointed with the ending as it lacked closure on a lot of story lines. All will be forgiven if a sequel comes out though so fingers crossed for a 3rd book in the series!! 🤞
March 9, 2017
Pushed through it
August 1, 2017
Wow, a much needed follow up of book one. Still, the ending is a bit of a cliff hanger...
August 15, 2017
Pretty good! Hope there will be another otherwise this was a pretty decent cliffhanger too
October 10, 2017
I liked this book, it had great suspense but sometimes it was hard to follow all the characters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews