The Lipstick Laws: Review

Title: The Lipstick Laws
Author: Amy Holder
Release Date: April 2011
Published By: Graphia
Genre: Contemporary
Pages: 240 pages
Goodreads Rating: 3.90 stars

Review: April Bowers isn't exactly the most popular girl in school, leading her to even attempt stuffing her bra with tissues. But then she actually gets a shot at popularity when she comes in contact with Britney Taylor - or rather, THE Britney Taylor, queen bee of Penford High School. She loves suddenly being someone who exists, but quickly finds that there are definite disadvantages of being one of Britney's cohorts. Friendship with Britney Taylor comes with a price tag, and April has to wonder: just how much is she willing to pay?

THE LIPSTICK LAWS is a story that's been told many times - the unpopular girl ditches her friends to join the popular gang, except it's really not "all that", and she learns her lesson. Despite all these clichés, however, I found this to be a hilarious read. April's voice was wonderful and fresh, and I was chuckling my way through the book, from her commentary on the school to her own tissue-stuffing habits.

But while the voice was fantastic and made the novel such a fun read, I was still a little bored in certain spots. The story was rather predictable and I could see things coming from a long way. Although the lessons taught in THE LIPSTICK LAWS might be good to learn, they often came across as a bit preachy to me. With the exception of April, the characters could be stereotypical archetypes in places, with the super popular girl and her dumb followers.

I still enjoyed the book, because it was a cute, funny read that was good for a quick pick-me-up. It did feel a bit young and might appeal better to a more upper middle grade audience. Some readers may find the novel to be a bit monotonous in parts with the repeated message, but other than that, this was fun, and I'll be on the look out for more by Amy Holder.


FTC Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for review. This is no way affected my review, which is 100% honest.