What do you think?
Rate this book
FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Members of the Pretty Committee have their own separate summer adventures.
144 pages, Library Binding
First published July 1, 2008
68 people are currently reading
1832 people want to read
About the author
Lisi Harrison
95 books2,831 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews
July 21, 2021
Kristen is objectively the superior member of the Pretty Committee. I was thoroughly invested in her story (especially the Witty Committee) and it was really fun to read about her not in the context of the rest of the girls. The story was goofy and I loved her owning her smartness in this one. She was definitely the character I related to most when I was in middle school. Dune and Ripple were ridiculous and the whole skater/surfer dudes versus the country club members was iconic. Definitely the best book in the summer collection and maybe one of the best in the series.
May 30, 2012
I don't think any Clique Summer Collection book has gotten more than 3 stars from me, which is rare, because Lisi Harrison's books are definitely worth 5 stars. But what I discovered while reading The Summer Collection is that Lisi is just trying to write a fun, quick story about the girls' summer, so I expected them to be shallow. I read "Alicia" and hated it, and when I saw Kristen was next I wasn't looking forward to it. Kristen was probably my least favorite Clique character. That has changed.
This book was amazing! It had so much meaning and so much great messages like: don't be someone else to get someone to like you, never leave a buddy behind (Dune *swons*), and everyone is different. I loved, loved, loved this book. It is probably my 5th/6th favorite CLique book. It was amazing and definitely the BEST book in The Summer Collection so far. I am kind of hesitant giving it five stars because it was kind of shallow at the beginning, but it had such a great ending that I just had to.
Now, Dune is another reason why I liked this book. He is probably my second favorite love interest in the whole series (Cam #1 for ever beyotches!) and I felt like he was a really cool and honest guy who cares a lot about his friends. I really like him and I hope Kristen stays with him.
On, another note, I loathe Skye Hamilton, but I will, maybe, be reading Alpha series this summer because I love to hate that bitch!
Anyway, this book was amazing and now on to the next and last Summer Collection book, Claire. Bye, guys!
-MS
This book was amazing! It had so much meaning and so much great messages like: don't be someone else to get someone to like you, never leave a buddy behind (Dune *swons*), and everyone is different. I loved, loved, loved this book. It is probably my 5th/6th favorite CLique book. It was amazing and definitely the BEST book in The Summer Collection so far. I am kind of hesitant giving it five stars because it was kind of shallow at the beginning, but it had such a great ending that I just had to.
Now, Dune is another reason why I liked this book. He is probably my second favorite love interest in the whole series (Cam #1 for ever beyotches!) and I felt like he was a really cool and honest guy who cares a lot about his friends. I really like him and I hope Kristen stays with him.
On, another note, I loathe Skye Hamilton, but I will, maybe, be reading Alpha series this summer because I love to hate that bitch!
Anyway, this book was amazing and now on to the next and last Summer Collection book, Claire. Bye, guys!
-MS
October 20, 2018
This was probably my favorite book out of this series.
July 17, 2024
She’s the only realistic one out of the bunch
July 27, 2025
The multiple choice test questions was a nice twist to the state of union questions
July 14, 2008
This was by far the worst Clique book ever, well maybe it's tied for worst with Bratfest at Tiffany's. Anyways, this book hardly has a story. In Massie, Dylan, and Alicia, the stories actually had different things going on and they were good books, but Kristen-ironic how it's also my name- was 1 word: HORRIBLE!! :-( :-(
October 19, 2020
This year I have focused so hard on removing books from my shelves. I’m not quite sure how this come into my possession, but it will be donated soon.
It was the best out of the 3 I read, but that’s not saying much.
It was the best out of the 3 I read, but that’s not saying much.
July 14, 2008
this one was RIDICULUS
i mean witty comittie give me a break
i mean witty comittie give me a break
January 14, 2009
Skye is to mean for words. Jello thing was funny though.
September 3, 2009
This book was okay. I would have given it three stars, but I took one off because of the main character. She was quite annoying.
July 22, 2010
She got her shark tooth necklace.
September 21, 2013
I think this book was pretty good, because it kinda related to an everyday life thing when people stay to themselves or they have 1 group of friends that they hang out with.
May 10, 2018
A boring short story about Kristen staying in town for the summer.
Read
May 13, 2024"He smiled. The sun kissed his full lips, and the warm breeze blew it straight to her cheek. She lifted her face to the cloudless sky and grinned"
A summer at home, a brainy girl trying to find her place, a surfer boy who knows what he cares about, a war between a country club and skate park, and an ocean of opportunities.
This has to be the best book in The Clique series.
Maybe I'm biased because Kristen is my favorite character, but this is the best.
Kristen is like a breath of fresh air in a series full of Chanel No 19. I really enjoyed getting to FINALLY hear from Kristen's perspective, but also getting to see into the middle-class world of Westchester outside of the expensive walls of Octavian Country Day.
I remember the first time I read this when I was younger, and the scene where Kristen takes off her Chanel bucket hat because she's embarrassed to be wearing it at the skate park stuck with me. It's like a reality check in a series clothed with designer. After reading so much about the glorification of an old-money lifestyle- though satirical in The Clique - it's so interesting getting to read from a completely different, middle-class, more relatable angle. Lisi Harrison did it really well.
The plot of this is also extremely fun and sweet?
Kristen develops a crush on a boy while she's tutoring his younger sister. He's the complete opposite of the Pretty Committee's materialism and snarkiness, but he's also a skater at a local skate park. And there's a fight going on between the skate park and the country club.
The way it puts Kristen in between two worlds, the confusion she feels over where she belongs and who she wants to be, and the way a middle-school crush feels is done so well and genuinely. And getting to see Kristen with her own Witty Committee?? Not only do we get development for Kristen, but also for Layne and Dune, and other background characters. Skye is also back and creating antics, which is always entertaining.
This book finally brings back the heart that was in the first Clique book. I really missed it. This is why that first book in the series caught my attention, and while it's been floundering a bit in the past few books, Kristen is a return to it. I hope it sticks around.
But Kristen was just as good of a read about a decade after I first read it. I enjoyed jumping into the waves, skating through the summer, and remembering just how wild life feels at 12.
A summer at home, a brainy girl trying to find her place, a surfer boy who knows what he cares about, a war between a country club and skate park, and an ocean of opportunities.
This has to be the best book in The Clique series.
Maybe I'm biased because Kristen is my favorite character, but this is the best.
Kristen is like a breath of fresh air in a series full of Chanel No 19. I really enjoyed getting to FINALLY hear from Kristen's perspective, but also getting to see into the middle-class world of Westchester outside of the expensive walls of Octavian Country Day.
I remember the first time I read this when I was younger, and the scene where Kristen takes off her Chanel bucket hat because she's embarrassed to be wearing it at the skate park stuck with me. It's like a reality check in a series clothed with designer. After reading so much about the glorification of an old-money lifestyle- though satirical in The Clique - it's so interesting getting to read from a completely different, middle-class, more relatable angle. Lisi Harrison did it really well.
The plot of this is also extremely fun and sweet?
Kristen develops a crush on a boy while she's tutoring his younger sister. He's the complete opposite of the Pretty Committee's materialism and snarkiness, but he's also a skater at a local skate park. And there's a fight going on between the skate park and the country club.
The way it puts Kristen in between two worlds, the confusion she feels over where she belongs and who she wants to be, and the way a middle-school crush feels is done so well and genuinely. And getting to see Kristen with her own Witty Committee?? Not only do we get development for Kristen, but also for Layne and Dune, and other background characters. Skye is also back and creating antics, which is always entertaining.
This book finally brings back the heart that was in the first Clique book. I really missed it. This is why that first book in the series caught my attention, and while it's been floundering a bit in the past few books, Kristen is a return to it. I hope it sticks around.
But Kristen was just as good of a read about a decade after I first read it. I enjoyed jumping into the waves, skating through the summer, and remembering just how wild life feels at 12.
May 16, 2019
A boring summer gets eventful when Kristen scores a job tutoring Ripple, Dune Baxter’s younger sister. While all her friends have gone on vacations all over the world, 7th grader Kristen is stuck at home tutoring 8-year-old Ripple. Lucky for her though, Ripple’s older brother is Dune, who she has had a crush on since she was ten. She attempts to impress Dune all summer long, but she wants to also have summer fun with her new friends. Will she achieve her goals or will she fall short? Overall, I found the book Kristen (Clique Summer Collection) vapid and I didn’t enjoy it...
The book had poor character development. The characters were not explained with adequate detail. An overview of the characters was given, but the reader didn’t really get to know the characters like in other books. For example, at the beginning of the book both Kirsten and Ripple repeatedly talked about Massie, one of Kristen’s friends and Ripple’s idol. It’s not until page 32 of a 122 page book that the reader understands who Massie is and the important role she will play in the storyline.
This book also had weak plot development. Everything was spontaneous and there was very little foreshadowing. For instance, Kristen was tutoring Ripple and all of a sudden they decided to just go shopping for clothes. The resolution was also a letdown. In the end, all that Dune did was give Kristen a necklace then leave for Fiji leaving things feeling incomplete.
A younger reader could have connected to this book. It uses lots of slang and is about younger kids. For example, Ripple says “Oliva’s not, not, not that pretty,” and Kristen says “Ehmagwad” frequently. This doesn’t appeal to a more mature reader that enjoys less superficial topics. Perhaps, younger readers or readers that use a lot of slang would connect with the writer's style.
Overall I didn’t find this book extremely entertaining. I would not recommend this book to my peers. There was poor character development, the book had weak plot development, and the book was aimed at a younger audience.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
January 8, 2024Wow. No one is more shocked than I am that this ended up being the best volume (so far) in The Clique summer collection. Kristen, for being a parody of a blonde brainy athlete in the regular novels, provided some very intriguing storytelling. I should have seen it coming: she's the only character who's working class at an uber-rich prep school. The story and struggle write itself! For a story set in the usual Westchester location with a character I'd never cared for, I genuinely connected with Kristen's struggle to balance multiple hidden parts of her life and have to be perfect in every single one. Of course, being a novella, there's not a ton of room to grow the character, but this book made me wish for the first time that Kristen had had a more prominent role in the novels, something that was hinted at in the book and then never revisited. I guess we'll see if the changes hinted at here come to fruition in the 8th-grade part of the series. Anyway, I'm delighted by how much I unexpectedly enjoyed this book, but I think that enjoyment is only possible after having reread the whole series very quickly and thus the unexpectedly good story is really obvious.
March 22, 2024
4.5. Perhaps the most moving and emotionally complex installment in Summer Collection so far. Kristen struggles to straddle social lines as a middle class girl (which is treated as below the poverty line in her affluent town) passing as someone wealthy, a must in order to maintain her social status and friends. This book gives a nice insight into how Kristen constantly struggles with her sense of self due to this double identity and the different expectations that come with each. Docking half a star because I could not stomach how her love interest, Dune, treated her and struggled to believe that someone as smart as Kristen would do so much for such little attention.
May 8, 2025
This book alone saved the entire Summer Series for me.
Kristen is HANDS DOWN my favorite Pretty Committee member, bar none. Learning more about her life aside from Massie and school added so much to her character, especially the Witty Committe (I see you Layne, my baby!) She deals with so much more than is revealed in the regular books, and she's still by far the best person out of all of them. Also, 100% team Dune!!
Kristen is HANDS DOWN my favorite Pretty Committee member, bar none. Learning more about her life aside from Massie and school added so much to her character, especially the Witty Committe (I see you Layne, my baby!) She deals with so much more than is revealed in the regular books, and she's still by far the best person out of all of them. Also, 100% team Dune!!
March 29, 2018
Kristen
PLOT: It's a summer of love, revenge, and pranks, which turns out to be nothing like Clique member Kristen is expecting. It all starts when through her Massie wanna be tutee (Ripple) she's introduced to her (Ripples) brother and her new crush (Duane). Which gains her an introduction into a whole new clique. But Kristen isn't the only one feeling the waves of passion for "Surfer boy". Can she impress Duane, be accepted (and respected) in his world, AND win him from under the scantily clad clutches of eight grade Alpha Skye Hamilton?
MY THOUGHTS
*(Raises eyebrows) Kristen's feelings are so easily hurt she's gonna cry later about someone not sharing their gum . Is she 12 or 2? Ok moving on.
*"is he endorsed?" "Do his parents have money?" (And AGAIN Massie makes me hate her) If she's so against poor people then why is Kristen even IN the Clique in the first place? But then it's Massie. She's probably so self-absorbed in her favorite topic HERSELF that she doesn't notice much else. Does this series end with somehow Massie realizing that one of her best friend's in poor and she's the biggest hypocrite in the world? I hope so.
*So let me get this straight. These girls are the coolest, most exclusive, girls in their grade and their idea of fun is giving a dog a fashion show and mailing off the pictures? LAME! Why in the world do the OCD girl's want to be down with these chicks so bad? Massie even has nine year olds brained washed.
*Why oh why can't this series be about The Witty Committee? I already like them better and I've only read one chapter. First of all I like all their advice. Either he likes you or he doesn't. If he doesn't move on to someone that does (Bill). Get in good with Ripple. Tell her what Massie likes if she'll tell you what Duane likes (Oprah). And in the meanwhile we'll HELP you with the prank. I mean THESE sound like friends. Who the hell needs the puppet committee?
*But then IMMEDIATELY the little respect you have for Kristen evaporates. Didn't we already read this plot in the Dylan book? These girls are so confused. Kristen wants Duane to know the REAL her apart from the front she puts up as a PC wanna be but in order to do this she has to impress him away from Skye by turning into his ideal girl who she assumes is into surfing. Although I'd like to point this off unlike the jack ass in the Dylan book (whose name I can't even remember he's so unforgettable) did NOT say or show that's all he was into. And obviously he IS already into Kristen. How about (I don't know) taking him at his word that this is a prank and not about Skye (who as a character seems as bad as the guy in the Dylan story one dimensional). She even dances when its not called for (which is YEAH). I don't know any dancers but I doubt they just break out into ballet moves when they're around you (rolling eyes).
*Case in point she buys a ugly outfit and waste her money on a outfit she didn't even want.
*How cool is it to have a prank that involves turning pool water pink?
*Lucky times ten to land a girl like Layne? HUNH? The PC always treat Layne like she's some gross object that you find in the bottom of a cess pool.
*Something feels off about the last piece of advice Kristen gave Ripple, about Massie not liking anyone that tries to be her. So why then does she try to turn everyone into what "she" thinks is acceptable. Ok not gonna lie by the descriptions of some of the characters she's made over, it's been for the best but don't make Massie sound better than she is. She should have told her Massie doesn't like you unless you look a certain way and hold a certain status in life. If not you can forget it.
RATING: 8 In reading these books so far, I gotta be honest. I didn't have anything for any of these characters. They all seemed like a shallow, spoiled, group of puppets who were under Massie's mind control. But I think this book changed my mind about Kristen. It showed that 1) Out of all the Clique that want to step up and be Alpha's but haven't done a damn thing to show any Alpha quality. Kristen HAS started her own group in which she IS the Alpha. A group that values being smart over being pretty. Kristen's head is in the RIGHT place. Which makes me wonder a), Why she keeps her group hidden and b) Why she puts up with Massie's BS attitude. Massie is NAWT that great! Kristen has her own shine. 2). How many times has Massie cut off or kicked out her friend's because of some fit she had. Kristen says she could get over Duane but she could never get over losing her friends. Kristen has CHARACTER and she has her priorities straight. She also proves me wrong because in the series she's shown to be this goody goody, In this book she actually does something a little risky . That's not to say she didn't have her moments when she feel into the trap of "playing a role" but she didn't go as far with it as Dylan and turn into a female version of Duane. But I'm gonna give Duane a 10 because not only does he NOT fall for Skye's attempts in the end but the end with Kristen I actually high lighted and I don't lately feel anything for sappy cliché love endings. "I guess you must meet a hundred pretty girls on your surf trips" "Yeah but none of them have it all like you!"
PLOT: It's a summer of love, revenge, and pranks, which turns out to be nothing like Clique member Kristen is expecting. It all starts when through her Massie wanna be tutee (Ripple) she's introduced to her (Ripples) brother and her new crush (Duane). Which gains her an introduction into a whole new clique. But Kristen isn't the only one feeling the waves of passion for "Surfer boy". Can she impress Duane, be accepted (and respected) in his world, AND win him from under the scantily clad clutches of eight grade Alpha Skye Hamilton?
MY THOUGHTS
*(Raises eyebrows) Kristen's feelings are so easily hurt she's gonna cry later about someone not sharing their gum . Is she 12 or 2? Ok moving on.
*"is he endorsed?" "Do his parents have money?" (And AGAIN Massie makes me hate her) If she's so against poor people then why is Kristen even IN the Clique in the first place? But then it's Massie. She's probably so self-absorbed in her favorite topic HERSELF that she doesn't notice much else. Does this series end with somehow Massie realizing that one of her best friend's in poor and she's the biggest hypocrite in the world? I hope so.
*So let me get this straight. These girls are the coolest, most exclusive, girls in their grade and their idea of fun is giving a dog a fashion show and mailing off the pictures? LAME! Why in the world do the OCD girl's want to be down with these chicks so bad? Massie even has nine year olds brained washed.
*Why oh why can't this series be about The Witty Committee? I already like them better and I've only read one chapter. First of all I like all their advice. Either he likes you or he doesn't. If he doesn't move on to someone that does (Bill). Get in good with Ripple. Tell her what Massie likes if she'll tell you what Duane likes (Oprah). And in the meanwhile we'll HELP you with the prank. I mean THESE sound like friends. Who the hell needs the puppet committee?
*But then IMMEDIATELY the little respect you have for Kristen evaporates. Didn't we already read this plot in the Dylan book? These girls are so confused. Kristen wants Duane to know the REAL her apart from the front she puts up as a PC wanna be but in order to do this she has to impress him away from Skye by turning into his ideal girl who she assumes is into surfing. Although I'd like to point this off unlike the jack ass in the Dylan book (whose name I can't even remember he's so unforgettable) did NOT say or show that's all he was into. And obviously he IS already into Kristen. How about (I don't know) taking him at his word that this is a prank and not about Skye (who as a character seems as bad as the guy in the Dylan story one dimensional). She even dances when its not called for (which is YEAH). I don't know any dancers but I doubt they just break out into ballet moves when they're around you (rolling eyes).
*Case in point she buys a ugly outfit and waste her money on a outfit she didn't even want.
*How cool is it to have a prank that involves turning pool water pink?
*Lucky times ten to land a girl like Layne? HUNH? The PC always treat Layne like she's some gross object that you find in the bottom of a cess pool.
*Something feels off about the last piece of advice Kristen gave Ripple, about Massie not liking anyone that tries to be her. So why then does she try to turn everyone into what "she" thinks is acceptable. Ok not gonna lie by the descriptions of some of the characters she's made over, it's been for the best but don't make Massie sound better than she is. She should have told her Massie doesn't like you unless you look a certain way and hold a certain status in life. If not you can forget it.
RATING: 8 In reading these books so far, I gotta be honest. I didn't have anything for any of these characters. They all seemed like a shallow, spoiled, group of puppets who were under Massie's mind control. But I think this book changed my mind about Kristen. It showed that 1) Out of all the Clique that want to step up and be Alpha's but haven't done a damn thing to show any Alpha quality. Kristen HAS started her own group in which she IS the Alpha. A group that values being smart over being pretty. Kristen's head is in the RIGHT place. Which makes me wonder a), Why she keeps her group hidden and b) Why she puts up with Massie's BS attitude. Massie is NAWT that great! Kristen has her own shine. 2). How many times has Massie cut off or kicked out her friend's because of some fit she had. Kristen says she could get over Duane but she could never get over losing her friends. Kristen has CHARACTER and she has her priorities straight. She also proves me wrong because in the series she's shown to be this goody goody, In this book she actually does something a little risky . That's not to say she didn't have her moments when she feel into the trap of "playing a role" but she didn't go as far with it as Dylan and turn into a female version of Duane. But I'm gonna give Duane a 10 because not only does he NOT fall for Skye's attempts in the end but the end with Kristen I actually high lighted and I don't lately feel anything for sappy cliché love endings. "I guess you must meet a hundred pretty girls on your surf trips" "Yeah but none of them have it all like you!"
July 18, 2025
had to take a long break in the middle of this because my audiobook had to be returned lol, but this was another fun summer clique story! kristen was my fave growing up, and i love how we can see how layered she is in this book. the surf/skate vibes were strong, and i love the witty committee. also, kristen being in students for obama is amazing, what an icon!
January 26, 2022
Read The Clique series when I was younger and loved them but probably not a good idea to re read them now, they would probably just annoy me now. There was a few fatphobic lines and a odd scene where a 13 year old tells a nine-year-old they should show more skin to be more popular. Um what?
Read
December 13, 2023Kristen Westchester Dune surfing skating Skye Hamilton book. I love the lore that Kristen has the WC. The dune stuff I could take or leave, but I love finally seeing her perspective since we haven’t gotten it in the main books.
March 24, 2020
super cute!! Loved this series so much through out elementary and middle school!
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
Read
August 3, 2021Nothing to rant about here.
August 4, 2021
I read this series in middle school, I don’t remember anything about it.
August 7, 2021
Kristen I relate to you sm girl 🤧🤧🤧!!!
June 21, 2022
It's super interesting that Kristen and Layne hang out outside of their normal groups - I like that even though these aren't full stories, they add to the bigger Westchester story.
July 20, 2024
def the best one in the summer collection series
July 5, 2025
boring
Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews