Dream Life

Claire Voyante #2

by Lauren Mechling

Claire Voyante's first semester at Henry Hudson High School was eventful, to say the least. As she heads into her second semester, things are calming down a bit. But Claire has a few secrets that are getting harder to keep. Her biggest secret of all? The onyx and ivory cameo necklace her grandmother gave her for her 15th birthday. Ever since she started wearing it, her dreams have been coming to her in black and white and turning out to be oddly prophetic.

Becca’s been hanging out with her old prep school friends and never seems to have time for Claire anymore. And soon, Claire discovers why—there’s a secret group of society girls with a mysterious identity. And, turns out, a mysterious enemy who’s out to get them. The second she sniffs out trouble, Claire jumps on the case. But is it someone close to Claire who’s in danger again—or could it be Claire herself whose life is at stake?

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mystery, Paranormal, Fiction

336 pages, Hardcover

First published December 15, 2009

About the author

Lauren Mechling grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and graduated from Harvard College.
She writes a weekly column for the New York Sun, where she has also been a crime reporter, and she has written for several other publications including the Wall Street Journal and Seventeen Magazine.

Reviews

[Cuddle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Claire Voyante is still seeing visions, but she's not sure what they have to do with. She's not having much luck figuring out where they lead her either. Her best friend Becca is distant and has reconnected with some old prep school friends, and the guy she likes seems to be hiding something from her as well. Maybe she's just overreacting but something isn't right in Claire's world. She's also worried that keeping so many secrets from Becca is putting unwanted strain on their relationship. But how is she supposed to tell her friend that she sees visions because of a cameo necklace her grandmother gave her without sounding totally insane?

Claire finally finds out why Becca has been hanging out with her old prep school friends and disappearing all the time. She's in a secret society called the Blue Moons, and Claire has unexpectedly been invited to join. But someone is out to get the Blue Moons. Claire knows it shouldn't be up to her to figure it out, but she feels like her new friends could be in danger. Her visions also seem to be leading her in the right direction in finding out who the snoops are and why they are after the Blue Moons.

Claire is an easy to follower character. She's smart, witty, and friendly. I think her only downfall is being so insecure in her relationships. I thought Dream Life was a fun read, and the mystery was easy to follow. As with my review of Dream Girl, I thought this one was also kind of unbelievable. A group of teenage girls going around and doing good deeds for the City of New York and the Mayor? Not sure I'm buying into it, but it's neat to think that young girls can have that much power in their city and be able to make things right.

The good thing about these books is the humor. Lauren Mechling is funny and it seems to come easily. The funniest character is Kiki. She cracks me up, and I wish my Grandmother was as fabulous as her!

Dream Life was a good read, but don't expect to be wowed by the plot at all. The visions were still pretty sparse for me, but it was better than in book one. They were also more vague, if I was having those visions I'd probably have myself locked up in an institute haha.

[Steph | bookedinsaigon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This companion novel/sequel to DREAM GIRL does not disappoint at all: Claire and her eclectic group of friends and family are all here again, helping us enjoy the heck out of reading contemporary chick lit mystery with a twist of magic. Lauren Mechling proves once again that fluff reading can also be smart, and that smart girls can read fluff.

The most outstanding thing about this series is its gold medal-worthy characters. Claire is not your average teen chick lit heroine: she’s smart, she’s snarky, and she has a way of narrating that will leave us chuckling and wondering why we didn’t think of it ourselves. Likewise, I’m flabbergasted at the way Lauren writes atypical supporting characters, ones whose existence lies beyond being merely a plot device, or the MC’s loyal, opinion-less sidekick.

In fact, even though DREAM LIFE is at its core a gentle mystery novel, I loved the way everything didn’t revolve around the mystery. As in real life, there is more than one issue in a person’s life, and so it is with Claire. Lauren blends the mystery element with family eccentricities, friends’ troubles, choppy romantic waters, and more, to create a well-rounded, enjoyable, yet utterly relatable tale.

Similar to DREAM GIRL, the mystery aspect of this novel requires a bit of suspension of disbelief in order to believe. Secret society novels are rather overdone, and the creed of the one in DREAM LIFE is, well, a little silly and ridiculous. Still, one cannot deny Lauren’s skill at writing these novels. If you haven’t yet read this series, I highly recommend you pick it up. As far as lighthearted yet intelligent fluffy mysteries go, you can’t get much better than this.

[Rosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Claire is just as quirky as ever but at the end I found myself not liking her as much. Claire still has the black and white dreams that draw attention to her future, but Becca seems to be growing apart from her and Andy seems to be avoiding her so she feels left out. In her efforts to deal with her issues, she ends up not talking to practically any of her friends. Then she gets let in on Becca's big secret, and involved in a new mystery.

I idn't like that the cameo punished Claire for going out with Alex. Andy wasn't behaving well this book and she was extremely patient with him. She had every right to take someone else when he refused to go. I also thought that Claire was being extremely naive not to realize that the Blue Moon's activities reflected well on the girls parents and were repayed with favors. The mystery was interesting and I was surprised when I found out who was responsible for all the trouble. The dreams were a lot clearer and it was much easier to see how they fit into the bigger picture. I liked that Claire's powers did develop in the second story and she wasn't still stuck being frustrated.

[Bella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this when I was 12 years old, don't remember much of it, but I remember enjoying some parts, others not that much.

[Chyann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave the book four stars because it was good for the most part but there were still a few things that I didn't really like. I like how I could kind of relate to it because it takes place in an ordinary high school and there's normal drama just like there would be at most schools. It's over all a pretty good book, the main character Claire falls for her best friends brother without her knowing, her best friend is Becca, and she ends up not having time for Claire anymore because she went to hang out with some different friends. Claire ends up finding out that they're a secret group of girls with a secret, and she thought it could put people at risk so she wanted to figure it out. So it was kind of a mystery book which I don't usually like but it related to a normal high school life also.


For the most part I like the book because it kept me interested with the new events that happen throughout, there were a few dull parts but not many. There were a few mysteries in it and there was suspense so that made it easy to keep reading so that when I keep going I find things out. I like it because it kept me interested in what was going to happen next and it kept building up and getting more exciting the closer it got to the point where they reveal secrets and figure things out. I haven't really read anything similar to it before so something new was nice, it was a good book to read and I would read it again.

[Tina (Fantastic Book Review) · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the follow up to Dream Girl, Dream Life takes Claire on another mysterious adventure. Claire’s finally getting a better grip on her abilities with the help of her necklace that her grandmother gave Claire for her birthday. In Dream Life, we get to see Claire’s growth and how she’s better prepared to uncover the meanings of her dreams to help her figure out the clues to solve her latest “Lady Inspector shenanigans” as her grandmother would say.

Among my favorite characters in this series is Claire who continues to be likeable with her smarts and wit. Then there’s Kiki, Claire’s grandmother who’s hilarious. You can always count on her for a laugh. Mechling has a way of tickling your funny bones. Claire and best friend Becca’s friendship is strained from their secrets - Claire with her prophetic dreams and Becca with her secret society.

The secret society’s identity and mission threw me for a loop. I commend Mechling for writing about the achievements of the secret society at their ages. Maybe it’s just me and I need to get out more. I think if I was living in New York especially with all the fashion references, I would be living it up and just having fun. However, I do think that younger teens looking for a light read with plenty of the mystery and glamour of Manhattan high society will appreciate Mechling's satisfying sequel.

Rating 3.5 out of 5 stars

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

As of sequel to Dream Girl, Dream Life does not disappoint readers one bit. I found myself really liking Dream Girl, but I absolutely LOVED Dream Life. It was wonderful visiting Claire's world again - it's a world I've fallen in love with.

Lauren Mechling delivers outstanding characters once again in Dream Life. Claire is a wonderfully written character - she's witty, snarky, smart, and always makes you laugh. Kiki is the coolest grandmother ever! You can always count on Kiki for a good laugh. It simply amazes me how none of the characters blend into the wallpaper. They all stick out and are memorable.

Claire does some major sluething in Dream Life, and while the mystery aspect is a bit far-fetched and causes you to stretch your imagination, it's absolutely fascinating. I was so caught up in the story - I carried Dream Life with me everywhere I went. There were so many laugh out loud moments in the book. There was one scene at Kiki's birthday party that had me practically rolling!

Dream Life is a enjoyable read with a perfect balance of romance, a secret society, mystery, and everyday problems. This is definately a read for anyone wanting a hilarious, page-turning, light mystery.

[Jackie♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I fell in love with Claire's character immediately, although I did not read the first book. I was able to relate to her on so many levels with her friendships and perspectives, I just felt like she was a real person. As a matter of fact, the whole world seemed real, the way the scenery was described really reflected New York. The little bits about Kiki's vintage dresses and the French added character to the story overall. I enjoyed how Mechling included the secret society of the Blue Moons. For me, it made the book more mysterious and interesting. I loved the semi-conflicts, they weaved into the plot line so naturally unlike other books where it seems forced. I found myself a little disappointed at the end, however. I was sad when she decided to leave the Moons. I wish she stayed, although the reason she left only added to her character- that I appreciate.

Overall, this was a satisfying read. I couldn't predict what would happen next most of the time, and for this reason I became hooked. Claire is another character I will not forget, and Dream Life is a book I will certainly return to, as well as read the first book.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dream Life was a terrific follow-up to Dream Girl. We were introduced to a new adventure, an onslaught of new characters and even more of Kiki’s crazy attitude.

I enjoyed this one a lot more. Unlike the first one, it became quite clear what the story was in Dream Life right away. While I don’t think the dreams were as intense as they were in Dream Girl, they made a lot more sense and fit in more with the chain of events written in this one. The dreams foreshadowed- oddly albeit amusingly- the clues that Claire eventually cracks, and it makes for perfect ‘aha!’ moments.

I really enjoyed the new characters as well. None of them replaced the extreme favoritism that I hold for Claire, Becca & Andy. But as small as they were, they were crucial to the story and made things ten times more entertaining. Especially Alex- Kiki’s birthday party was probably my favorite scene of the entire book.

Overall, I thought it was much better than Dream Girl. More action, more adventure, more romance and more of Claire’s sarcastic mindset. The perfect easy, entertaining read!

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

One Sentence Summary: Still learning to use her psychic powers, Claire Voyant finds herself wrapped up in secret societies and good deeds while still working to survive high school and figure out the problems with her problematic crush.

One Sentence Review: Mechling’s second book about Claire improves on the problems with the first, creating a readable story with convincing high school drama and even more time with a cast of excellent background characters.

Read the rest of this review at my blog, Sophisticated Dorkiness.

[Sarah Tilatitsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is really cool. It's about secrets, and clubs, and twists and turns. It's like a down-played mini-soap opera, not that I love them or anything. This is a book made mostly for females, so some males might look at it and make a face. Claire has weird dreams that seem to tell her what to look out for in the future. There are also clubs, rivalry between ruling the Hudson School, which is pretty much united, until Claire finds out what the reason was for the club. I'm not telling you that, because that's the ending. You should read it for yourselves. In other words, READ IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Tweller83 · Rating 2 out of 5]

"The plot is improbable and cluttered with distractions. The many characters are poorly developed and lack consistency. As in Dream Girl , Claire's psychic powers are almost entirely peripheral to the story. Only for libraries where the first book is popular.—Eliza Langhans, Hatfield Public Library, MA Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information."

I didn't care for this one. Maybe because it is a sequel, I kept wondering who the characters were and I didn't really understand why she kept wanting to keep spending time with her best friend, even above some of the other events in the book. The psychic abilities were never fully realized.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice clean series that young girls will like. It's a bit like Veronica Mars but less edgy. Mechling is very good at developing supporting characters. There are many subplots that support the main plot, enough to keep readers interested throughout. One minor detractor is the amount of rehashing of the first novel that goes on in this book. Too much. The first several chapters are negatively impacted by this. Authors of series need to find a better way to make each book a stand alone without making loyal readers of the series feel like they are wasting their time.

[E.J. Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dream Life by Lauren Mechling was an enjoyable YA mystery. Claire Voyant, the book's teen sleuth, has an uncanny ability she inherited from her grandmother Kiki. Claire has the ability to see glimpses of clues in her dreams. While these dream hints and symbols are often difficult for Claire to decipher she is determined to use her powers to help her friends.


Dream Life is the second Claire Voyant mystery. These books stand well on their own but I recommend reading Dream Girl first since Dream Life contains spoilers to the first novel.

[Nandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

to have read an amazing book such as the hunger games by suzanne collins and moving forth to reading dream life is what made this book seem not that interesting. its something not everyone can relate to exactly but can relate to in different terms such as keep secrets that will definitely lead you in the wrong direction and doing good for a fair amount of people and trying to save the world at the end of the day. even if that means picking up a snickers bar wrapper off the concrete floor. It was okay

[Alexa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love love love!!! Claire's back in another high-school-spy adventure, only this time, the stakes are as high as the Brooklyn bridge. I really enjoyed the double-love story element, which was woven so perfectly into the story. I do however wish Claire had stuck around with Becca's friends, but hey, Claire's "strong feelings" can hardly be ignored. great book!

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was between a four and a three for me, so I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt. It was an Amazon deal that I bought, not knowing it was a sequel. While, I liked the book I don't think it has the crossover appeal for adults that other YA has. I appreciated the dreaming theme, but think I would have liked it more as a teenager.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a fun quirky story. It was mostly clean, with sparse swearing. I'm not sure about the last half of the book though, because I got bored and eventually stopped reading. The first half was really cute and funny, but the weird, unrealistic do-gooder club was the thing that made it so boring for me. There was nothing exciting really happening. So I just skimmed the rest of the book.

[Anna Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok. I swear I spaced in the middle of it and I have no idea wat happened. The first one was wayyy better!

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun sequel, although I admit I'm not crazy about boyfriend Andy. All the other characters are great, especially Grandma Kiki =)

[Ifahh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved it, it was hard for me to put this book down.

[Linny · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was ok first book was better though

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Possibly even more enjoyable than the first. I hope to hear more about Claire's dreams & experiences in future books.

[Alley Ulrich · Rating 2 out of 5]

really cheesy and totally cliche

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

actually pretty good! surprisingly, i thought i wouldn't like it but it was really catching

[Sydney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was pretty good.

[Nari · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://thenovelworld.com/2010/02/08/d...

[Christina Borgoyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

a good sequel to the first book

[Liz Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was super cute, and very witty. I recommend it!

[Danella Virtue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book after reading "All the Kings Men" so my review is a little biased based on style of writing. This was a cute story.