HomeArtistsMeeseGossip Girl: It Had To Be You: The Gossip Girl Prequel |
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0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Not impressed Feb 20, 2009
I'm not so sure this book was meant for teens- even my 15-yr old wasn't that thrilled with it. Did it need the vulgar language? Nah. I think the story could have been told without it. How about the vulgar scenarios- again...really don't think it would have broke the book not to include them. You can write a scandal for teenagers without having the adult theme be so...welll, gross when it's told from the teenage perspective...
Don't buy it for your kid. There are much better stories out there, by far. Waste of money.
 Teenage geometry Jan 30, 2009
First the triangle - Blair, Nate and Serena had been friends their entire lives - from their first days in their exclusive preschool through their years at their even more exclusive prep schools, the trio had spent their privileged childhoods in the rarefied world of the super rich of New York (and assorted holiday retreats). Now at fifteen the three were poised to become two plus one, but which two and which one? Blair had had a crush on Nate ever since she could remember, and now that her family was falling to pieces she needed her friends more than ever. Nate had recently discovered that Serena haunted his dreams, dreams that were of a distinctly adult nature and definitely tied to his quest to lose his virginity. Serena had also noticed that Nate was no longer just her best guy pal but had become an extremely good looking young man. Their all too perfect privileged young lives were changing, the question was whether the changes were for the better or worse.
Then the overlapping circles on the periphery of their world (and the world did belong to them, everyone else just got to play in it) Dan and his little sister Jenny worshiped the perfect Serena from afar, or at least from the shabby bohemian apartment they shared with their eccentric father, where twelve year old Jenny was waiting for the 'girls' to grow and Dan was himself worshiped by Vanessa, the free spirit from Vermont who had recently arrived on the scene. And on the extreme edges of all the teens' lives were the random points - their parents, drugged, divorced, disinterested and distant all more interested in their own lives than their children.
This prequel to the popular Gossip Girl series tells the backstories of the privileged New York teens, of what set up the dynamics of these teenage Sex and the City books. Like the rest of the books this comes under the heading of guilty pleasure - like the chocolates hidden in drawer to be indulged in during a boring diet.
 okay novel Jan 13, 2009
If you've read the series Gossip Girl, then the prequel isn't really useful. It doesn't give you any information you don't already know and it's pretty long. I wouldn't read it again.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 The Beginning of the End Oct 10, 2008
It's been several years since Serena van der Woodsen, Blair Waldorf, and all of their a-list (or wannabe a-list) pals burst onto the scene. Since then, Gossip Girl has basically been credited for spawning the entire young socialite/it girl/prep school explosion that's come out of the last few years including many-a-copycat book series and several TV shows to boot, including our very own Gossip Girl.
As the series comes to a close (to be replaced by Gossip Girl 2.0 that follows a group of triplets), Cecily Von Zeigesar picks up the pen one last time to write about how it all began for our favourite Upper East Siders. There isn't much by way of plot other than explaining a lot of the future plotlines we love and loathe, but the crux of the story probably comes from Serena, Nate, and Blair being BFFs until the two girls realize they're both jonesin' for the same boy. Of course the usual minor characters are in play - Chuck, Isabel, Kati, Jenny, Dan, and Vanessa - but their storylines are even thinner than what the main trio are going through.
I enjoyed this book because I haven't been into the GG series for several years now, but going back to the beginning like this was a delightful surprise as key traits and quirks for each character popped up as part of their character histories. Additionally, because the purpose of the book was to explain the characters future motivations and personalities, they were written as much more logical, reasonable, grounded, and most importantly relatable. The uber-flightiness we see in the later books isn't quite as prominent here, and it works.
That being said, having mostly only been exposed to the TV series over the last year, it was weird to go back and see the less glamorous (if you can believe it) portrayals of many of the characters - in particular the Humphrey family - as well as the juxtaposition between how the characters' relationships on the show compare to those in future books (i.e. Dan & Serena, Chuck & Blair).
Ultimately I'd say this is a great must-read for any Gossip Girl fan, whether lapsed or obsessed. Don't be expecting the book series - as the kids are quite a bit younger here and fairly less insane - but don't be expecting the TV series either. A great ending/beginning for the original young socialite series.
Absolutely Intriguing Jul 31, 2008
All I can say is that I loved the book! At first I thought the books could never amount to the greatness of the show but when I started to read I got hooked! The first book I read was "Don't Forget About Me," which was bought by a friend for me since she knew I was obsessed with the show. After reading it I was motivated to buy "It Had to Be You" and now after reading it I want to read ALL OF THE BOOKS. "It Had to Be You" was extremely interesting. There were no boring parts and the ending, just like the endings of the episode's on the television show, left me wanting more! Although the books are slightly different from the show, they are just as great! LONG LIVE GOSSIP GIRL!! LOL
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