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Hotlanta #1
Hotlanta
Designer clothes. Gorgeous boys. Family secrets. Major drama. Welcome to Atlanta and the lives of the Duke twins, Sydney and Lauren. They don't call it Hotlanta for nothing!
The Duke twins, Sydney and Lauren, live the life: They attend the fanciest school in Atlanta, they live in Buckhead, the most exclusive neighborhood, and they only date the hottest guys. And their secrets? Are the darkest of all. When their estranged father is released from prison and a murder is committed, their lives are plunged into a whirlwind of tabloid scrutiny, vicious gossip, and shocking revelation. Lauren, always such a party girl, and Sydney, bent on perfection by way of the Ivy League, can't trust anyone. Not their mother, not their rich stepfather. Maybe not even each other.
The Duke twins, Sydney and Lauren, live the life: They attend the fanciest school in Atlanta, they live in Buckhead, the most exclusive neighborhood, and they only date the hottest guys. And their secrets? Are the darkest of all. When their estranged father is released from prison and a murder is committed, their lives are plunged into a whirlwind of tabloid scrutiny, vicious gossip, and shocking revelation. Lauren, always such a party girl, and Sydney, bent on perfection by way of the Ivy League, can't trust anyone. Not their mother, not their rich stepfather. Maybe not even each other.
288 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 2008
18 people are currently reading
1312 people want to read
About the author
Denene Millner
38 books277 followersDenene Millner is a six-time New York Times best-selling author, Emmy Award-nominated TV show host and award-winning journalist and book publisher who has written more than 30 books, among them: Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, co-written with Steve Harvey; Around the Way Girl, a memoir with actress Taraji P. Henson; the Fresh Princess picture books, with Will Smith; and, The Vow, the novel on which the hit Lifetime movie, “With This Ring,” was based. The writer and editor is also the editorial director and publisher of Denene Millner Books, an award-winning imprint that publishes stories featuring Black children and families, by Black authors and illustrators. The DMB list includes two Caldecott Honor books, a Kirkus Prize for Children’s Literature, two Society for Illustrator honors, a Southern Book Award, an instant New York Times bestseller and three NAACP nominations. Denene also co-hosts the nationally syndicated PBS show, A Seat at the Table, and is the host of “Speakeasy with Denene,” a podcast exploring Black culture. Denene’s upcoming novel, One Blood, a multi-generational epic about motherhood, adoption and race, is slated to be published in eight countries when it debuts in 2023. A MacDowell fellow, Denene lives in Atlanta with her two daughters and their goldendoodle, Franklin.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 48 reviews
January 30, 2009
M Twins Sydney and Lauren Duke have all the right clothes, the right cars, they go to the right school and live in an exclusive Atlanta neighborhood. Their mother is all about appearnaces too and their step-dad doesn't have a problem supplying the money for their expensive tastes. The only ting the girls are not allowed to do is keep in touch with their biological father who is in prison. Sydney defies hre parents rule though and reaches out to him. When she does she uncovers a secret that forces her to question everything she knows about her family. This is the first book in what is to be the Hotlanta series. It is urban fiction light: loaded with bling, but devoid of rated r sexual and criminal situations that may force similar fiction into the adult section. Readers of the Blueford and Drama High series' should enjoy this book, if anything, for the conflict between the two sisters who are polar opposites.
November 20, 2011
Date: 11/11/11
Pages : 95 - 108
What happens in this chapter is lauren and this boy named jermaine she met when she acciendently crashed her car into his. They decide to go on a date to the movies at the mall and he's 15 minutes late , she barks at him about him being late but she doesn't know the reason why he's late . Jermaine's brother comes home from jail and comes out of the blue asking jermaine if he can use his car , after jermaine and his brother goes back and forth he finally gives up and hands him the car keys. Lauren and Jermaine is walking through the mall burning time when one of jermaine's friends holla at him and jermaine throws up a hand gesture and lauren , high class as she is already thinks jermaine is a thug the way he dresses , pants sagging T shirt wearing and now she thinks he might be a gang member. After the silence breaks they go into the movie theatre and that's when it sparks Jermaine kisses lauren and she couldn't help herself but to kiss back.
Pages : 95 - 108
What happens in this chapter is lauren and this boy named jermaine she met when she acciendently crashed her car into his. They decide to go on a date to the movies at the mall and he's 15 minutes late , she barks at him about him being late but she doesn't know the reason why he's late . Jermaine's brother comes home from jail and comes out of the blue asking jermaine if he can use his car , after jermaine and his brother goes back and forth he finally gives up and hands him the car keys. Lauren and Jermaine is walking through the mall burning time when one of jermaine's friends holla at him and jermaine throws up a hand gesture and lauren , high class as she is already thinks jermaine is a thug the way he dresses , pants sagging T shirt wearing and now she thinks he might be a gang member. After the silence breaks they go into the movie theatre and that's when it sparks Jermaine kisses lauren and she couldn't help herself but to kiss back.
September 8, 2008
I did not think that I would like this book, but it was very good. Sydney and Lauren are twins from the rich side of the tracks. They go to the most exclusive school and live in the most exclusive neighborhood. Sydney is the goodie girl, involved on lots of school committee, has a steady boyfriend as is determined to go to an Ivy League college. Lauren is the party girl, who wants nothing more than to star in a rap video. They are living the life--until their father, Dice, calls. He is out of prison and wants to be a part of their lives. What are they going to do?
I thought this would be just another urban novel, but it was very clean and obviously intended for 8th-10th graders. And it was a good story, once I got into it, I couldn't put it down.
I thought this would be just another urban novel, but it was very clean and obviously intended for 8th-10th graders. And it was a good story, once I got into it, I couldn't put it down.
February 5, 2011
Hotlanta was a great novel. The drama within the plot kept me entertained as I continued to read. Most books that I read take me a couple days to a couple of weeks to finish. However, Hotlanta was so good that I was able to read it nonstop and finish it in three days. Denene Millner did a great job capturing the lives of the characters with the excellent descriptions and imagery. She also talked about a lot of the real issues that teens go through today. I would recommend this book to all teenagers, especially the females.
January 4, 2009
I'm not sure why I finished this. It was neither good nor bad.
I just like that it's exists.
I just like that it's exists.
December 4, 2023
Denene Millner and Mitzi Miller's first book, Hotlanta, is nothing short of a hot mess. This is the story of twins, Sydney and Lauren, who are navigating their high school life. Their family has many problems, their dad is in jail their mom is obsessed with money, and the girls will do anything to escape their to-good-to-be-true lives. This book was extremely disappointing. It is missing almost all of the elements that make a good story. The writing and storytelling were that of a younger audience reading level, but it also managed to fit in extremely vulgar language that added little to the story. The absence of complex writing was the main reason for my lack of interest in this story. This author also failed to create a complex plot. Throughout the whole book, I could not figure out where the author wanted to go. New characters and ideas kept being introduced and others were randomly left behind, never to be talked about again. Even at the end, I had not picked up on the main plot of the story. The author decided to end the book on a cliffhanger which works sometimes, but there was no suspense built up, like in mystery books, so it felt like it was just missing an ending. One other choice that the authors made was to switch perspectives between the twin sisters, which was interesting because it showed how people can be viewed the same, but have completely different thoughts, feelings, and emotions, but this was also the cause for major confusion and overall took away from the story. I would not recommend this to anyone for a few reasons. First, it doesn't fit well into any age group, and second, there are so many other books out there with similar stories that are of a higher quality.
November 27, 2023
“Lauren leaned her head on Sydney’s shoulder. And right then, at that moment, she knew that the only person on this earth that she could trust and hold on to was Sydney.”
Rereading this series over as an adult is interesting. There are so many things I missed as a preteen when o first read it. Sydney and Lauren are like night and day but they are blood…twins that is. Sydney is ready to take one the work and a grade A student while Lauren would prefer to be in the pastes music video. As they try to manage the ups and downs of being a teen girl at on of the most expensive and clout saying schools news that their father just got out of prison after 12 years throws both girls for a loop.
When I tell you I am not the biggest fan of Lauren, she has no loyalty to her twin at all and it’s so jarring to read as people treat her twin in ways most people would defend their sibling from but she does the opposite.
I appreciate the ya romance storyline for both girls. Dealing with age appropriate conflicts that teens have in relationships, good and bad.
Solid start to a series however the ending/cliff hanger was a little lack luster.
Rereading this series over as an adult is interesting. There are so many things I missed as a preteen when o first read it. Sydney and Lauren are like night and day but they are blood…twins that is. Sydney is ready to take one the work and a grade A student while Lauren would prefer to be in the pastes music video. As they try to manage the ups and downs of being a teen girl at on of the most expensive and clout saying schools news that their father just got out of prison after 12 years throws both girls for a loop.
When I tell you I am not the biggest fan of Lauren, she has no loyalty to her twin at all and it’s so jarring to read as people treat her twin in ways most people would defend their sibling from but she does the opposite.
I appreciate the ya romance storyline for both girls. Dealing with age appropriate conflicts that teens have in relationships, good and bad.
Solid start to a series however the ending/cliff hanger was a little lack luster.
January 15, 2019
Decent plot, shaky execution. It was interesting enough that I'll read book 2, but I didn't find the writing to be all that good. It's just over 10 years old, and to be honest I don't think it's aged well--though I think that's true of a lot of YA. Any time you focus a lot of current technology or music, it's going to pull a later reader out of the story. (Sidekicks. Remember those?)
January 6, 2018
Drama, More Drama. Welcome To Atlanta And The Lives of The Duke Twins, Sydney And Lauren. They Don't Call It Hotlanta for Nothing!
I really Enjoyed This book. I had Never Read Nothing by this author.
I really Enjoyed This book. I had Never Read Nothing by this author.
November 18, 2012
Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com
Atlanta just wouldn't be anything without the Duke twins.
First there is Sydney, the twin who knows exactly what she wants in life, which is to get out of high school at the top of her class, go to an Ivy League college, and develop the perfect family. Sydney's hobbies include planning social events, making sure she has enough extracurricular activities, and hanging out with her wonderful boyfriend.
Then there is Lauren, who wants to become the biggest super-model ever, trying to grab the attention of those who can take her places. Her hobbies include reckless driving and getting in the hottest music video ever made.
Even though they are totally different from one another, they both share the same story. Their biological father was sent away to prison but their mother married soon after that, making the girls' lives go from rags to riches.
Their lives were pretty sane after adapting to their new lifestyles. Then they receive a phone call that their father is finally out of prison, and chaos breaks loose. Sydney, who still cares for her father, doesn't mind seeing him again, but Lauren regrets ever knowing him. Soon enough the girls' worlds are turned upside down as crimes are committed and their new family name is in trouble. Everyone they know has a secret, and the only ones they can turn to are each other.
Thrilling and very entertaining, HOTLANTA gives another perspective on how the lives of the wealthy have major flaws. The best part is, the story of the Duke twins isn't over yet, since the sequel, IF ONLY YOU KNEW, will be releasing in the fall!
Atlanta just wouldn't be anything without the Duke twins.
First there is Sydney, the twin who knows exactly what she wants in life, which is to get out of high school at the top of her class, go to an Ivy League college, and develop the perfect family. Sydney's hobbies include planning social events, making sure she has enough extracurricular activities, and hanging out with her wonderful boyfriend.
Then there is Lauren, who wants to become the biggest super-model ever, trying to grab the attention of those who can take her places. Her hobbies include reckless driving and getting in the hottest music video ever made.
Even though they are totally different from one another, they both share the same story. Their biological father was sent away to prison but their mother married soon after that, making the girls' lives go from rags to riches.
Their lives were pretty sane after adapting to their new lifestyles. Then they receive a phone call that their father is finally out of prison, and chaos breaks loose. Sydney, who still cares for her father, doesn't mind seeing him again, but Lauren regrets ever knowing him. Soon enough the girls' worlds are turned upside down as crimes are committed and their new family name is in trouble. Everyone they know has a secret, and the only ones they can turn to are each other.
Thrilling and very entertaining, HOTLANTA gives another perspective on how the lives of the wealthy have major flaws. The best part is, the story of the Duke twins isn't over yet, since the sequel, IF ONLY YOU KNEW, will be releasing in the fall!
November 10, 2012
This novel is mostly about how two twins generally having it all and they basically have the perfect life, and everything they want. That doesn't mean that they are always happy, they are actually not happy at all because of the many unexpected life events that happened to them through out the novel. The issues left cracks in their perfect lives. Sydney, one of the twins, starts spending time with her father, who is just out of prison, and Lauren, the other twin, hooks up with a boy from the hood, their friend is coming out as being gay, and their stepfather might be a leader of a gang. The overall message or theme of this novel is that no matter how much money you have in life or how wealthy you are, you are still prone to be not happy. Money does not mean happiness.
(Miller 271) "The last few days have been absolutely surreal. I don't know if I'm coming or going anymore, if I even am who I thought I was, if any of this is what we ever thought it was. How do we make sense of all of this?"
(Miller 271) "The last few days have been absolutely surreal. I don't know if I'm coming or going anymore, if I even am who I thought I was, if any of this is what we ever thought it was. How do we make sense of all of this?"
November 5, 2009
I wish the book was as good as the front cover looked. I guess that's why they say don't judge a book by it's cover. The book was a little more challenging and boring, so it was harder for me to be interested and stay focused. I didn't like the book because it felt like it was all over the place. I felt confused because one minute it was talking about one sister and her boyfriend and the next it was about the other sister and the father. It was just all over the place and I kept loosing what they were talking about and who they were talking about. I tried to complete the book, but the more I kept reading the less interested I became. I would recommend this book to those who like to challenge themselve, who's good keeping up with tha narrator and that enjoy reading urban books. Although the book didn't meet my expectations a line that stood out to me was "Cash Rules Everything Around Me (CREAM)" because I hear that alot now days from young adults and older people.
July 18, 2012
Hotlanta casts Duke Twins Sydney & Lauren have it all. a huge Duke estate in Buckhead and get everything and anything their heart desires. when drama unfolds in the Twin's perfect world, they learn that the only people they can trust are each other. Lauren is the cheerleader fashionista twin while Sydney is the Levelheaded bookish charity work Twin. when Lauren does things that ultimately cost her her best friend and mares her family's reputation more, the wrath of her wealthy Stepfather Altimus Duke is unleashed.
A romance Shattered, a new forbidden Romance brewing and the twins find both their biological and step-father too deep in the streets of the West End, the girls don't know who they can trust. a Romance that could very well endanger Lauren and her new boo. Hotlanta is just the beginning of a whirlwind of hustling, Investigations, Forbidden Romances and more!
A romance Shattered, a new forbidden Romance brewing and the twins find both their biological and step-father too deep in the streets of the West End, the girls don't know who they can trust. a Romance that could very well endanger Lauren and her new boo. Hotlanta is just the beginning of a whirlwind of hustling, Investigations, Forbidden Romances and more!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2008
I did not think that I would like this book, but it was very good. Sydney and Lauren are twins from the rich side of the tracks. They go to the most exclusive school and live in the most exclusive neighborhood. Sydney is the goodie girl, involved on lots of school committee, has a steady boyfriend as is determined to go to an Ivy League college. Lauren is the party girl, who wants nothing more than to star in a rap video. They are living the life--until their father, Dice, calls. He is out of prison and wants to be a part of their lives. What are they going to do?
I thought this would be just another urban novel, but it was very clean and obviously intended for 8th-10th graders. And it was a good story, once I got into it, I couldn't put it down.
I thought this would be just another urban novel, but it was very clean and obviously intended for 8th-10th graders. And it was a good story, once I got into it, I couldn't put it down.
November 10, 2011
Twins,Rich and fabulous, or so we think. Sydney and Lauren have everything they could possibly want, except trust. Lauren, the typical party girl and her twin sister, Sydney the book worm set on Ivy League perfection. The fabulous twins have dark secrets to hide and no one to trust, not even each other. Not to mention their father has recently been released from jail and new murder has arisen. Denene Millner and Mitzi Miller really captured the suspense that is littered all throughout the book. They capture the sibling rivalry in such images, the bickers between the twins add a new element to the story. Hotlanta is for anyone ready to be immersed in a sibling rivalry that makes you question, isn't blood thicker than water?
November 17, 2015
Like it was about to sisters high class upbringing but things changed when the father was released from prison mothers didn't even aware them of there father.So when there father was released he tried to begin building a relationship with them . But there mothers didn't like didn't want him to cause they told them there father was dead. So now they are building a relationship with a man they have know nothing of but they become close with him. i didn't really enjoy the book it didn't have enough drama in it for me in it. cause it just seem too fake with them being rich seem upperclass to me like they never been through things in there life.
April 4, 2010
I picked this book up because I was both intrigued and appalled at it based solely on the cover and title. It was definitely better than I expected it to be - the writing was decent enough - but it had no real climax or ending to it - it just sort of trailed off, leading to a sequel. But I could see myself recommending it to some students, which I wasn't expecting before I read it.
July 26, 2013
I didn't really get the main message that the author was trying to get through with this story. The main conflict wasn't really all that clear. It seemed like a series of books were just put together and in this case it didn't work out very well. The book wasn't all bad, the beginning was definetly better than the rest.
April 19, 2011
I didn't feel like it was the strongest writing ever, but the plot definitely pulled me in. While twins seem to be a popular trope in YA, the Dukes are the first African-American set I've encountered in literature. Hotlanta was just the right blend of upscale black society and ghetto-fabulous.
September 6, 2011
Very interesting and engaging, you become connected to both twins very quickly, and in completely different ways. The overall plot is a bit on the predictable side, but the book itself is very good and I found it quite enjoyable and even suspenseful.
November 2, 2014
This is one of my favorite books i loved the two totally different personalities that the twins had but i also liked how they still had similar views about things. The mother is so annoying but that's another reason why i liked the book their background is very interesting.
July 17, 2008
Ithought this book was alright...I thought it was going to be better, but I guess not. It was crazy how it ended I would have never expected it...
September 8, 2008
wow all i have to say is... DRAMA! lol one of their boyfriends is on da dl AND THE OTHER IS CHEATIN ON HER WIT THE TWIN'S FRIEND the sequel comes out in october and trust im getting it.
September 23, 2008
I gave this book 4 stars because it was really good it was about two twins and how they have a life of luxury and then all of a sudden everything is taken.
October 20, 2008
hotlanta:...
Wow this book was great!!!!
Wow this book was great!!!!
October 24, 2008
2 sisters alway have there back and everything goes well
but then things go chaos
but its a real good book though
but then things go chaos
but its a real good book though
November 16, 2008
Juicy read! Totally got me with the cliffhanger:)
November 17, 2008
Passable urban fiction that's like a vacation for your brain. All the brand name dropping also reminded me just how unhip I am--and I like it that way.
December 28, 2008
I liked the story and i cant wait to read the sequelz.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 48 reviews