Caught Up in the Drama

Good Girlz #7

by ReShonda Tate Billingsley

The seventh book in The Good Girlz series from national bestselling author ReShonda Tate BillingsleyShe’s in the spotlight . . .The Good Girlz have always known their girlfriend Camille is a gifted dancer. But when she wins the Search for a Star talent competition, it’s her incredible singing voice that blows them away—why didn’t she tell them she could sing like Beyoncé and Ciara rolled into one? And when Camille lands a spot in rap superstar Sisco’s new music video, Jasmine, Angel, and Alexis discover yet another side to their friend—total diva!Will it get too hot too soon?With her new hair weave, trendy clothes, and too-cool attitude, Camille is working everyone’s nerves, even her boyfriend Xavier’s. But when a photo of Camille and Sisco causes a tabloid scandal, the wannabe starlet gets a taste of unwanted fame. Meanwhile Alexis, upset over her wealthy parents’ divorce, suddenly disappears. . . . With more than enough drama to go around, what will it take to bring the girlfriends together and keep Camille grounded while reaching for the stars?

Genres: Young Adult, Chick Lit

240 pages, Paperback

First published March 27, 2010

About the author

ReShonda Tate Billingsley is a general assignment reporter for KRIV-TV, the Fox affiliate in Houston, Texas. She is the author of the nonfiction book Help! I've Turned Into My Mother! and three previous adult novels: My Brother's Keeper, for which she received the prestigious Gold Pen Award for Best New Author from the Black Writer's Alliance and the Nova Lee Nation Award from the Greater Dallas Writing Association; the national bestseller Let the Church Say Amen, chosen for Library Journal's Best of 2004 list for Christian fiction; and I Know I've Been Changed, a Main Selection of the Black Expressions Book Club.
Her previous Christian teen novels are Nothing But Drama and Blessings in Disguise, both available from Pocket Books.
She is also a contributor to the story anthology Have a Little Faith.

Reviews

[Paula Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

2021, was the year I decided to try and focus finally on clearing my kindle with old books. Especially since I didn't have the distraction of the new books coming into the library, since I no longer work there. The Good Girlz is a series I discovered so many moons ago and finally I have read almost the whole series. Caught up in Drama tells us the story of Camille who not only wins her school talent show when everyone discovers the beautiful set of pipes on her but she also gets the chance to sing and star in a Sisco music video. At first, Camille's friends are happy for her but soon as the video and that side start to take over her life, her life becomes divided and she starts to focus on the music side and her friends drift away. Camille can't see why she can't have both but soon jealousy sets in and Camille starts to lose her friends and boyfriend. However, what will happen when Camille ends up needing her friends when she looks like she will just be another "freak of the week". Will Camille realize that fame and fortune aren't what it is cracked up to be? Find out in Caught Up in the Drama by ReShonda Tate Billingsley.

[Seymone' Simmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Caught Up In The Drama is written by the author Reshonda Tate Billingsley. The main characters of this book are mainly known as or referred to as, the “Good Girlz,” they are Camille, Jasmine, Angel, Alexis, and the other characters that appear are Sisco and Xavier. Camille is a gifted dancer as well has the voice of Beyonce’ and Ciara combined. As she goes to the Search of A Star Talent competition everyone finds a secret that they never knew about her. When she gets her spot in the rapper, Sisco’s video , it makes her boyfriend Xavier even more attracted to her. Does she change on the only friends that she haves? Can a photo explote her and make her lose everything?

I thought the book was very interesting and suspenseful because,it brought a lot of attention after the Search of A Star Talent competition and after that competition she could lose her closest friends and her boyfriend. So it seems to bring a lot of suspense through the whole book.

“ I would think she thinks she’s better than everybody else,”Angel added. Teenagers will probably enjoy this book and young adults might as well. I think the book Caught Up In The Drama will be a good book of recommendation because of all the conflict that happens which makes it interesting even more. I rate this book with 4 stars.

[Virna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not sure why I chose this book. I was sadly disappointed and almost immediately regretted it reading this..

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great teen book that was a sure page turner. I love the end with the discussion questions.

[Jenny Tyler]

I have just began reading this book, after reading the prequel 'With Friends Like These'. It takes off two years after the girls meet at the good girlz club. I love Billingsley style of writing and tone. She writes the way her characters talk. And makes the characters and conflicts relatable. Camille has recently won a singing competition and has won the chance to be in a rappers video, her mom is iffy about giving her permission so I see that as an upcoming conflict since she lied about all the details to her mom to get permission. I also predict a conflict with her boyfriend who is jealous of her for doing this video while this rapper is getting attention instead of him. Alexis' parents once again are the root of all her anger. This time her maid who has basically raised her is moving home to Guatemala to take care of her sick mother, so, Alexis feels empty since no one is there to talk to her after Sonja leaves. So far I've read up to chapter 4 . I really like this book so far its just like this first one fast forward two years.

*UPDATE 12/8/12*

I finished "Caught Up in the Drama (Good Girlz, #7). And this is by far my favorite book by ReShonda Tate Billingsley. After Camille shoots the music video with Sisco the fame goes immediately to her head. What once was an average senior year at Madison High School has turned into an elevated social status across Houston and the rest of the US. Besides the fame going to her head, she loses all possible sense. She forgets about her best friends Alexis, Jasmine and Angel, and her boyfriend Xavier who was very jealous of her kissing another guy in a music video. She gets a whole new wardrobe and hairstyle and becomes a totally new person. She also begins to hang with a whole new group that consist of dancers for Sisco. The tabloids and websites speak badly about Camille and cause a ruckus at her home with her mother. But nothing seems to faze her until she loses her friends and boyfriend for good. During this time Alexis is seriously going through. Many times she calls for Camille (her best friend, the only one who can cheer her up) but Camille is too busy. On top of that a new girl, Tyeesha, joins the 'Good Girlz'. In Camille's head, Tyeesha is stealing her best friends. However, if the fame had never gone to her head, Camille could have had a new friend too. After the drama seems to die down. Alexis fabricates her abduction to get her parents to stop their divorce. But her plan goes completely wrong when they decided to continue through with the divorce anyway. Much more drama happens when Camille's mother, Mrs.Harris contacts the record company to take down the music video since Camille is under 18. Sisco becomes so mad, but nothing is new with that. Next, Camille decides to go out with the back up dancers she met through the video. This is a seriously bad idea, since they have no good intentions. At the club, Sisco tries to get Camille to come home with him but she decides she doesn't feel comfortable. The paparazzi snaps photos and are in the tabloids by Monday when she gets back to school. Then, Xavier stars in a play where he has to kiss a girl thats not Camille. She finally gets a taste of her own medicine. Finally at the end of the book all the girls (Camille, Angel, and Jasmine) go on a search for Alexis who ran away to prove a point to her parents. Which was that they don't pay enough attention to her. if they did they would have realized how upset she was by their constant arguing. After searching for her they realize their friendship was more important.

[Imani ♥ ☮ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kinda wished this book hadn't been so much like the other books in the series, with the same problem as another one of the other books even. But hey! I guess that's a series for you. I think I liked the other books in the series better though. Even though they all have the same plot(1. Problem occurs, 2.Get into fight over problem((i.e. boy, other girl, etc.)), 3. Learn a lesson, 4. Make up) the other books in the series seemed to be more intense like, the book before this, sorry *SPOILER ALERT* someone actually got killed! This book didn't really have any of that. Hope the series goes up hill with the next book...

[Tianna Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caught Up In The Drama by ReShonda Tate Billingsley is about 4 best friends, Camille, Alexis, Jasmine and Angel who go through a lot of trouble but stay friends through everything. Camille, a singer, signs up for a talent show and wins the whole thing. She wins money and a chance to be in a song with a really famous singer. She lets her fame get to her head and realizes that all of her new friends aren't really her friends. She realizes that her real friends were right and tries to make up, but they are still mad at her. The main setting of this book takes place in Houston, Texas. I really like this book and i think a lot of people would like it.

[BCPL Youth Services Librarian]

Click to see book in BCPL's online catalog

[Sara_hyb3r_br00ks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dis book wah awesum. It wah so really and it just like eveythinqq i expected