Into the Mystic: Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg

Book: Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality

Author: Elizabeth Eulberg

Publisher: Scholastic Point

Date: Available now

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

My grade: A

A hilarious new novel from Elizabeth Eulberg about taking the wall out of the wallflower so she can bloom.

Don't mess with a girl with a great personality!

Everybody loves Lexi. She's popular, smart, funny...but she's never been one of those girls, the pretty ones who get all the attention from guys. And on top of that, her seven-year-old sister, Mackenzie, is a terror in a tiara, and part of a pageant scene where she gets praised for her beauty (with the help of fake hair and tons of makeup).

Lexi's sick of it. She's sick of being the girl who hears about kisses instead of getting them. She's sick of being ignored by her longtime crush, Logan. She's sick of being taken for granted by her pageant-obsessed mom. And she's sick of having all her family's money wasted on a phony pursuit of perfection.

The time has come for Lexi to step out from the sidelines. Girls without great personalities aren't going to know what hit them. Because Lexi's going to play the beauty game - and she's in it to win it.

Initial reaction

Oh my God!!!! HONEY BOO BOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cover story

I have some serious love for this cover. And the title. And the two of them together. I think this is one of the best covers ever. It’s funny and snarky and it captures the feel of this novel perfectly. I want to marry this cover.

What’s the Story?

Why is this book make of awesome? Because of this line:

"I can take off the makeup, but I'm still a good person...but there's no such thing as a bitch remover" (242).

Any time that the mean girls get told what’s what, it is made of win! And that’s what this book is.

I knew this would be a funny novel. I mean, just the description had me laughing. And then add in the whole Toddlers and Tiaras twist, and this one just had to be a winner. And it was!

I loved the whole storyline. It was great to see Lexi find a happy medium between her bumming around look and her totally made up look. It was great to see her have such wonderful friends. Cam and Benny were so fabulous as friends. I seriously wanted to have a sleepover with all 3 of them so we could sit around and braid each other’s hair.

Lexi’s mom, however, is a different story. Now, Mackenzie, the beauty child, doesn’t start out really nice, but she’s 7. It’s forgivable. Lexi’s mother is old enough to know better. I got so angry at her so many times for the way she treated Lexi. She was the worst mom in the world. Of course, her dad wasn’t much better. He pretended to be supportive, but when she really needed him, he totally bailed.

I did get a little aggravated with Lexi and the way she treated Travis. I didn’t think he liked her just for her new look because of a couple things that happened, but you can see for yourself what you think when you read it. I really liked Travis and out of all the characters, he’s the one that really got the shaft. Travis, I feel your pain.

The reason that this book is only an A and not an A+ is because of the ending. Or lack thereof. This is the 2^nd or 3^rd book I’ve read in the last while that has this sort on noncommittal ending. It drives me crazy. I realize that I don’t need her to get married and ride off into the sunset, but a little more closure would be a nice thing. Authors, are you listening?????

Non-ending aside, this is one of the best books I’ve read all year. I loved the main characters, I hated the parents and I laughed out loud at the ridiculousness of the pageant circuit. And with a great title and cover to boot, you can’t go wrong with this one!

The Soundtrack

Don’t Hold Me Down by Colbie Caillat