Review: Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer

Gigi, Bea, and Neerja are best friends and total overachievers. Even if they aren't the most popular girls in school, they aren't too worried. They know their "real" lives will begin once they get to their Ivy League colleges. There will be ivy, and there will be cute guys in the libraries (hopefully with English accents) But when an unexpected event shows them they're missing out on the full high school experience, it's time to come out of the honors lounge and into the spotlight. They make a pact: They will each take on their greatest challenge--and they will totally "rock" it.

Gigi decides to run for student rep, but she'll have to get over her fear of public speaking--and go head-to-head with gorgeous California Will. Bea used to be one of the best skiers around, until she was derailed. It could be time for her to take the plunge again. And Neerja loves the drama club but has always stayed behind the scenes--until now.

These friends are determined to show the world that smart girls really can get what they want--but that could mean getting way more attention than they ever bargained for. . . .

My Review:

Smart Girls Get What They Want is a cute story of friendship, love, and trying new things.  The characters and story are well-developed, and I loved it.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

The three friends (smart girls) that the book focuses on are Gigi, Neerja, and Bea.  The story is told in Gigi's POV, so it focuses on her the most, while letting the other two also play a role.  Gigi has a horrible fear of public speaking, yet she decides to try out for the school play and run for student representative of the school board.  She chooses to run for office because she has been wrongly accused of cheating, and she wants to remove the accusation from her record.  As she campaigns, she finds there are other reasons for her to be running.  She discovers much in her quest to win the student election.  Neerja decides to try out for Romeo and Juliet to get near the guy she likes, Justin.  She doesn't do so well at auditions, and as the story progresses, she discovers she may be in love with a different guy.  Bea decides to join the ski team since she used to ski, and Gigi joins to support Bea.  Bea is actually a good skier, but Gigi isn't.  She is the worst skier on the team, but she gets better as the book goes on.

There are two boys vying for Gigi's attention in the book.  One is Mike, who Gigi has been accused of cheating off of on a test.  She thinks he isn't really smart, and she is sure he cheated off her.  She manages to insult his intelligence several times.  He loves to tease her by calling her Einstein, which I thought was adorable.  The other guy is Will.  It is clear that he actually likes Gigi, but at the same time, he still has a girlfriend back in California, where he came from.  He is not a bad guy, yet he is not as good for Gigi as Mike is.  Will is Gigi's opponent for student representative, and he has a much different opinion on the budget cuts than she does.

If you like cute YA contemporary, read this book.

Katie