Read this afternoon in a couple of hours. Surprisingly good! As soon as I finished I had to journal for a while :) ( )

The View from the Top by Hillary Frank is about the last summer before college. It's when everything is about to change.

The protagonist, Annabelle, is a girl who is too popular for her (or our) own good. She has a boyfriend whom she's been planning to marry for just about forever (really?!). But maybe college will offer something or someone better?

But NOTHING happens except for everyone fawning over Annabelle. What makes her so damn special? I want to know! (Not really) ( )

I knew had to read Hillary Frank's newest release when I asked one of the librarians at my local public library what she'd read recently and been impressed by and she named THE VIEW FROM THE TOP. Coupled with the fact that some of my recent favorites have been books that I had never heard of before, just randomly selecting them from the shelf, I knew that I had to give THE VIEW FROM THE TOP a shot.

I've been reading many wonderful contemporary YA novels lately and I always think that the next one can't possible be better than the last. I've come to the conclusion that I can no longer have a favorite book - I just can't pick only one! I was shocked by how quickly I was pulled into this novel and how deeply I identified with the characters, particularly Anabelle. I understood the characters and their motivations in such an intimate way, which caused an emotional connection to the story, and, I think, provided a more intense reading experience. But, even without this deeper connection, I think I would have loved this novel.

The story is told in alternating POV by the six different characters, each chapter and character beginning where the last left off. I've been reading quite a few novels done in this format and I'm really starting to like it. Seeing situations from more than one POV adds another dimension; it's like going from 2D to 3D. I was worried that having six narrators would be confusing, but this definitely wasn't the case. Each character had a unique voice and a completely different view of the summer... and Anabelle.

THE VIEW FROM THE TOP takes on many different, and sometimes sticky, situations. Some of these situations I've experienced myself, so it's understandable that I identified with those, but I felt a connection to the others as well, which can be only be credited to Frank's fantastic writing. I'll definitely be reading more by Hillary Frank! ( )

Annabelle lives in a resort town in the northeast. It's her last summer before going to college at Oberlin. She's got a demanding, self centered boyfriend, Matt. (Matt's sister, Lexi, has a crush on Annabelle, but hasn't told her.) Annabelle has a crush on bad boy Jonah. Tobin, whose father is a sleaze and is dating Matt's mother, has a crush on Annabelle. It all gets resolved over the summer.

In chapters narrated by Annabelle, Matt, Lexi, Jonah, Tobin and Mary-Tyler, a friendless summer resident, each tells their story as the summer progresses. Since Annabelle is the main character (good, nice, smart, talented), all works out well in the end.

A totally fluff piece (which is not what Hillary Frank probably wanted for this story). Apparently my memory of Frank's Better Than Running at Night was better than my thoughts about the book, which I also gave 3 stars but liked. View From the Top is a solid 3 star book as well. ( )