Book Review & Giveaway: Size 12 and Ready to Rock

Size 12 and Ready to Rock

By: Meg Cabot

Published by William Morrow

Release Date: July 10, 2012

Genre: chick lit mystery

304 pages 

Buy it on Amazon, IndieBound

 or Barnes and Noble
Source: kindly provided by publisher

My thoughts: 

Well hello there, Heather Wells. I hadn't read one of these before; I actually didn't realize it was part of a series until I was about 30 pages in and recognized that much of the early exposition was filling in what had happened in the first three volumes. At first I had a little trouble acclimating to the vast cast of characters, many of whom faithful readers will recognize. Once I got my bearings, however, I was ready to rock.

The heroine is a former pop idol who is now living the life of a regular working girl, thanks to her deadbeat parents. She is an assistant residence hall director, and enjoying the perks of being able to take classes for free. Her hall is closed for renovations over the summer, but is quickly re-opened to accommodate a rock camp for teens. 

Heather Wells is an immensely enjoyable character to read. She's managed to pick up the pieces of her life and move on, becoming a down-to-earth, regular person in the process, with an exceptionally high tolerance for people who are not. As a former RA who now works as a school counselor, it was super-easy for me to identify with her.

Heather has a hottie boyfriend, but the romance aspect of the novel is really a sub-plot. The book focuses much more on Heather doing her job, keeping the residents of Fischer hall happy and safe. Both are equally challenging, as the well-earned nickname "death dorm" attests.

Ladies, this would be a perfect beach read for this summer.

Summary from GoodReads:

Summer break . . . and the livin' ain't easy.

Just because the students at New York College have flown the coop doesn't mean assistant residence hall director Heather Wells can relax. Fischer Hall is busier than ever, filled with squealing thirteen- and fourteen-year-old girls attending the first ever Tania Trace Teen Rock Camp, hosted by pop sensation Tania Trace herself--who just happens to be newly married to Heather's ex-boyfriend, heartthrob Jordan Cartwright. But the real headache begins when the producer of a reality TV show starring Tania winds up dead . . . and it's clear that the star was the intended victim.

Grant Cartwright, head of Cartwright Records, wants to keep his daughter-in-law (and his highest-earning performer) alive. So he hires his oldest son, black sheep of the family and private investigator Cooper Cartwright--who just happens to be Heather's "new" fiancE. Heather should leave the detecting to Cooper. But with a dorm full of hysterical mini-divas-in-training, she can't help but get involved. And after Tania shares a really shocking secret with her, "this" reality suddenly becomes more dangerously real than anyone ever anticipated.

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