Faketastic

Frenemies #2

by Alexa Young

From besties to worsties and back again . . . Team For Avalon, staying on top of trends has never been a problem—until her fellow cheerleaders decide that her BFF Halley is definitely out this season. Now Avalon must choose between the frenemy who embarrassed her in front of everyone or the new friends who stood by her. vs. Team Halley thinks she's got it her forever-friend Avalon, her new bestie Sofee, and the hottest fall wardrobe at Seaview Middle School. Her life is a total YES. But when Sofee spies Avalon flirting with Halley's crush, will it be World War Halvalon all over again?

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Slice Of Life, Friendship

247 pages, Paperback

First published February 3, 2009

About the author

Alexa Young began her professional life working in the music industry—first, assisting executives at the legendary Capitol Records, and then writing and editing for the supremely hilarious trade magazine Hits, where she got to interview recording artists such as Everclear, kd Lang, Michael Penn and Maxwell. She later worked as an editor for the teen magazine Jump, where she interviewed a just-starting-out Jessica Simpson, as well as Gwen Stefani/No Doubt, among others. From there, Alexa went on to become senior editor for the hugely popular women’s fitness magazine Shape and, more recently, she was deputy editor for Natural Health. She’s also a freelance writer, and has contributed to magazines, including Family Circle, Fitness, Parents, Woman’s Day and Women’s Health. Plus, she’s the coauthor of two nonfiction books for adults and is currently working on junior novels for the Disney Channel!

Frenemies was Alexa’s first novel, and is the first in a four-book series produced by Alloy Entertainment. The books follow the lives of Halley Brandon and Avalon Greene, two fashion-obsessed best friends who suddenly find themselves developing new interests, relationships and identities that threaten to break them up forever. The books have been translated into several languages and are bestsellers in France, where they were also made into graphic novels.

In 2012, the Disney Channel premiered the Original Movie based on Frenemies, starring teen sensations Bella Thorne and Zendaya Coleman (who also star on the network’s hit show, “Shake It Up”). The movie was the day’s top telecast among kids and tweens, and cable’s top show in the time period with 4.2 million total viewers. It’s also been viewed and rated by more than half a million viewers on Netflix! (Instant streaming available here.) In 2015, Alexa continued the love affair with Disney and began working on a variety of projects for the company, including a series of junior novels based on the hit television series Girl Meets World.

Alexa graduated from the University of California, San Diego, with a degree in Literature/Writing. She now lives in the Los Angeles area.

Reviews

[TJL]

Everyone was so terrible, and I loved it.

Halley was terrible, Avalon was terrible, Sofee was terrible, Maggie and Olivia were terrible- I think the only people who weren't outright nasty people were Wade, the girls' families, and maybe Brianna.

Much like the first book, I loved this because it doesn't go with the usual bully-victim dichotomy. Everyone is horrible- and Avalon and Halley are on a pretty equal seat of power, so it's not one bullying the other so much as it is the two of them doing it to each other simultaneously.

My only complaint is that the twist- the girls getting suspicious and turning on each other for real- was pretty easy to predict.

[Manon]

It is again a really entertaining book, just a little bit repetitive with the first one but you know what, it is exactly the kind of book I need now.

[Deltay]

Faketastic flows seamlessly from its predecessor, Frenemies. In this second installment, Alexa Young has delved even deeper into Halley and Avalon's love-hate relationship. The dynamic duo shed some of their immaturity and the story went beyond snarky fashion disses.

Characterization of the leading ladies seemed stronger and more hard hitting. A lot of the drama this time around came from the meddling of the supporting cast. The misunderstandings, effectively shown in juxtaposition of dramatic irony, allow readers to feel frustration and emphathize with what the characters are going through. Wade, although portrayed as a likeable character, did seem to been toeing the line of Gary Stu. Dreamy, confident, and suave with the girls at the ripe age of thirteen - is slight shallowness his only flaw? But this is a negligible detail (still pining over Dead Romeos. Gosh - what's in a name? Beautiful.)

The Style Snarks blog was a nice touch - and of course, the witty banter of the comments was amusing. Young's writing style just has that little zing that you can't quite phrase specifically, but effectively draws you into the story. The plot was more driven this time around, and overall, Faketastic seemed to be an improvement over Frenemies. The unique lingo adds flair. And even better? The messages [it:] sends out aren't nearly as superficial as some of the other novels in this genre: it isn't all about brand names. If you can pull it off, go for it.

Faketastic is a charismatic series; something about Young's writing is just rapturing. The ending was a little abrupt here as well, but if the previous two are any indication, I'll bet that it leads smoothly into the next installment, Glamnesia. (Gosh - don't you just love these titles?) Out this summer, July 1st. A snarky light read. This is one series that I'm definitely going to be keeping up with. In this case, the saying holds true - don't judge a book by its cover. Because Faketastic will blow away your misconceptions of superficial-guilty-pleasure-type-read by providing insight on teenybopper friendships that just sneaks up on you.

[Rachael]

On-and-off-again friends Halley Brandon and Avalon Greene are back together as Team Halvalon, despite previous setbacks. They’re stronger and more devious than ever. So when Halley stresses over how her new bestie Sofee will react to Halley’s tentative relationship with Sofee’s ex, Wade, and Avalon starts to crave leadership in the new and improved cheer squad, these fashionistas put their heads together to craft a rather genius plan. But what happens when they plan goes wrong? Will these fashion forward friends have to break up again—for real?

Amusingly immature yet surprisingly meaningful, Faketastic is an improvements over its prequel Frenemies. There still are the petty arguments and name dropping so frequent it becomes annoying, but even if the plot is a bit childish and silly, main characters Halley and Avalon are more mature than they were in this series’ previous installment. They seem less shallow because they could overcome most of their fight in Frenemies and work together to help each other accomplish what each desired most, which thankfully wasn’t limited to being most fashionable in school. This made their new fight seem more legitimate and made Avalon and Halley easier to relate to. Young even did a great job of reeling in the reader and making them want to know what happens after Faketastic ends.

Exploring the bongs of friendship and the middle school social scene, Faketastic appeals to fans of Lucky by Rachel Vail, The Clique series by Lisi Harrison, and other fashion related novels. The Frenemies series will probably best enjoyed by middle grade readers, though those older may still like the Style Snarks. I look forward to the catching the continuation of this series in intriguingly named Glamnesia.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com

[Jennifer Wardrip]

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

When we left Halley and Avalon, they were back to being BFFs.

Now that they are best friends again, Halley and Avalon are back to confiding in each other and making awesome plans. They have taken Style Snarks and created their own web page, now that they have been disqualified from the school's web contest.

Soon, Avalon comes to Halley asking for help. The cheerleading squad wants to compete in a regional competition. The only problem is that they need twenty girls on the team - the squad currently only has ten girls. The solution is to convince the gymnastics team to merge with the cheerleaders. Avalon needs Halley to help convince the gymnasts to join the squad. Begrudgingly, Halley does, and the two groups become one. But Brianna, the captain of the squad, is floundering and unable to bring the two together.

The two girls hatch a plot to get Avalon voted as the new captain. They will act like frenemies again, with Halley undermining everything that Brianna suggests. And then, when the time is right, Halley will nominate Avalon as the new captain.

In return for Halley's help, Avalon will reroute Sofee's attention away from Wade so that Halley and Wade can get some alone time to ignite the sparks that have been flying between the two of them.

The plan starts to go so well that soon Avalon and Halley can't tell what's real and what's pretend. It seems like the two are on a collision course to becoming frenemies again.

FAKETASTIC was a much snarkier read than FRENEMIES. The two girls have such an evil friendship going, it's certainly true that you should keep your friends close, but your enemies even closer!!

Ms. Young leaves the reader hanging and wanting more, waiting for the next installment, GLAMNESIA, coming in July 2009.

[Adele]

Well if you read Frenemies you would have loved it and thought that it was the best book ever. You were wrong...because super-talented Alexa Young (author of the Frenemies series) has written a sequel and it's even better!

Avalon Greene and Halley Brandon had a huge fight before and made up (yay :) but in Faketastic the girls pretend to be enemies and act like they had another fight... but end up breaking up again. The story ends on a cliffhanger when Avalon ends up with Halley's soon-to-be-boyfriend and Halley gets Avalon's dream of becoming the cheerleading captain. This book is fabulous and you won't be able to put it down because of how interesting it is - Faketastic Rocks!

I loved the characters. Each and every one of them had something good about them and after you've read the book for awhile you feel like you've known the characters for years or that they were you friend. I also loved how realistic the book is - it's about normal people, not vampires, mythical creatures, faeries, etc. When you read the book you can't decide if you like it more when the girls fight or when they're friends. They work so well as a team but they're so funny when they split because they're trying to make their ex-bestfriend jealous.

I didn't really hate anything because I loved the book and everything that was in it but I was a little annoyed when Avalon stole Halley's crush/soul mate/soon-to-be-boyfriend. Halley and Wade (Halley's crush) were meant to be together and they were such a cute couple!

You can't take sides or choose you favourite characer becasue each one is fabulous. Faketastic is a wonderful book and readers around the age of 13 or 14 will love it! It's a great read and I hope you'll get an opportunity to read it like I did because it'll put a smile on your face and a bounce in your step.

** Written by one of my students.**

[Hannah]

It's been such a long time since I read Frenemies, I'd forgotten a lot about the book. For instance, I forgot that Avalon and Halley are only 13. I forgot this largely because they act like 17 year olds. But you know, the kinds of 17 year olds who act like 21 year olds. I also forgot that the characters are so interchangeable that it's impossible to tell them apart (just had to remember: Avalon = boobs, Halley = art). Their friend are so similar too that most chapters I couldn't tell who was speaking with whom. I think in my mind Brianna and Halley are far too similar. Maybe it's just that none of the characters in the book have discernable personalities.

Like the first book of this series, Faketastic was over-peppered with brand dropping. So much so it bogged down the story in parts. Not that there was a whole lot of story in the first place. Most unfortunately, the book ended on.. not even a cliff hanger. Just completely unresolved. I dislike books that end with no resolve. What if this were the only one in the series I could read? How will I know what happens? Looks like I'm going to have to read the next book :|

[Stephanie]

I really liked this book. :) Even though it's more on the childish side, I loved the friendship/enemy theme. Halley and Avalon both have a lot of character. They call themselves best friends but when something unexpected happens, they are immediately enemies. Totally predictable yet totally unpredictable. They really should learn to trust each other better, but then again, that's what this whole series is about. Read this series especially a) you read the first one and want to find out what happens and/or b) if you like this type of book.

[Anna Schroeder]

Faketastic was a wonderful sequel to Frenemies. Even though this series is made for younger readers, I still get a kick out of all the trouble Avalon and Halley find themselves in! Avalon and Halley have matured a lot since Frenemies, which is a nice thing to see! Instead of just worrying about clothes and the latest fashion, they actually worried about their friends and what would happen in certain events.

It's always fun reading what Avalon and Halley will get themselves into next, and the cliffy ending makes me want to read Glamnesia, the next book in the series, right now!

[Kristi]

As much as I enjoyed the witty writing and candor of Young’s Frenemies, Faketastic is a significant improvement to the series. Avalon and Halley have shed some of their childish nature and have successfully tackled more than the latest fashion trend. Alexa perfectly plays the plot and leaves the readers anxious for more of this fantabulous duo! Short and sweet review, for a short and sweet book!

[Hayley]

See Frenemies

[Jahmila]

this book was awesome

[Dana]

So far its really good!

[Zeina]

I had a hard time not ripping the book up out of anger at avalon and halley lets just say that. i've grown out of these books without a doubt.

[Miz P.]

It's a good book for teens. Love the drama !