Sunday 5 April 2015

If you love watching this, you'll love reading these: Gossip Girl edition

Gorgeous clothing, people and settings - Gossip Girl is a feast for the eyes. The first two seasons are virtually perfect, from the development of the characters (remember how heinous Chuck was in the first episode, and how you grew to love him?) to the beautiful cinematography - I can't think of a more visually stunning scene on television than when Chuck and Blair confront each other, wearing complementary clothing, in a garden in the Hamptons at the beginning of season two, the stunning backdrop a counterpoint to their pain.

And then there are the stories. From the ridiculous (anything involving Georgina) to the sublime (everyone meeting in the Hamptons), from love triangles (Chuck, Blair and Nate being the best) to epic fights (Blair vs Serena, Blair vs Jenny, Blair vs everyone), from stupid (but at least Serena's chasing her father brought Carter Baizen back into our lives) to lovely (all the friendships), Gossip Girl is a treasure trove of amazing stories. Some of that comes from Cecily vin Zeigesar's original books, but, and it's rare I say this, the television programme is so much better.

So if love you love Gossip Girl (and you've tried the books), here are a few novels that should remind you of the drama and fun Blair, Serena and co brought into our lives. xoxo.

Heist Society by Ally Carter
Heist Society is a caper worthy of Blair and co (remember when Blair and Chuck fooled Georgina and then tossed her to the wolves?), and it's also got cute guys, lush backdrops and drama aplenty. I've also got plenty of other books by Carter sitting in my to-read pile, all of which sound like perfection for a Gossip Girl fan.

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
Fashion was at the heart of Gossip Girl, and it's at the heart of this novel, which is sort of based on real life (and was made into an excellent film). This is Gossip Girl all grown up with no lessons learned, and you could see Serena and Blair fitting perfectly into this world, and ruling it.

Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld
Sittenfeld's novel about a boarding school is far more Gossip Girl than Mallory Towers. This book perfectly illustrates the cruelness of teenagers, and Lee's coming-of-age story is more painful than any in Gossip Girl, but still full of gorgeous guys and bitchy girls.

The Secret Place by Tana French
Murder wasn't exactly at the heart of Gossip Girl (although there were dodgy deaths and crime aplenty), so French's novel isn't quite in Gossip Girl heartland. But she does capture teenage girl clique mentality really, really well, reminding me of Queen Bee and her minions.

Dear Daughter by Elizabeth Little
Another crime novel, but this one's celebrity protagonist, who is infamous rather than famous, would be exactly the kind of person Blair would turn her nose up at, while Nate would probably fall in love with her (and get burned).

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