These were THE IT books back in junior high/early high school for a teenage girl. I have frequently bought and passed on these books. And unpopular opinion maybe, but I liked this series WAY better than Pretty Little Liars. It is certainly on the same wave length as PLL and even Gossip Girl (but for younger girls).

Ok I have read a few of her books out of order but done that before lol with other series..anyways this one is where Massie,Alicia,Kristian and Dylan & Claire when she can r looking for a very important key that will make them the ultimate 8th grade Alphas once they leave the 7th grade..Claire is dealing with a possiabilty of leaving her friends to go to Hollywood to become an actress(sorry for any misspellings) so before end of book u will know her decsion :)..in meanttime it is a fight between different girl groups trying to discover from a poem Skye wrote who the lucky or maybe not so lucky guy is with the key hiding under their mattress...hhhmm who will win the game and what becomes of the pretty committee if they don't win etc..drama, drama,drama

This is where I lost interest in this series.

3 stars.

REVIEW OF BOOK PLOT WITH SPOILERS BELOW: READ AT OWN RISK
Main plot in book: finding the key to the secret room at school. The book starts out with the girls planning their outfits for their first day back to school after getting their expulsion overturned. Claire is considering moving to California for acting and has an agent to meet with to discuss details. While at Massie's with the rest of the PC (Pretty Committee) Skye Hamilton, the 8th grade alpha shows up and gives Claire's brother an envelope. It turns out to be for the PC and is a CD with video directions on how they can obtain "the key." Thought to be rumored, Massie is trilled to realize "the room" is real. The rumor is that there is a room at the school that the staff forgot about and a student found a key to years ago. It has been transformed into a secret place for the current 8th grade clique to use while at school. At the end of their year, they pass the key onto the 7th grade alpha so she can have it for her clique's 8th grade year. This year, however, Skye decides to spice things up and sends CD directions to a bunch of smaller cliques in the 7th grade. She leaves all of the girls a poem to serve as a clue and says that the key is under the mattress of the guy the poem is about. Because Claire is meeting with her agent she doesn't have to go to soccer practice like Alicia, Dylan, and Massie do (they had to sign up for an extracurricular activity and chose soccer to impress boys and join Kristen). We see how this is where Kristen shines and is more popular than the other girls. At Claire's meeting with her agent she is told she has star potential and that a famous director wants her to star in his new film. For the role Claire would portray a runaway and they insist she changes her looks to show how dedicated she is for the role and for the audition. This includes choppy, black hair and overgrown eyebrows. (note: there is a lot of fat shaming, weight talk, glamorizing not eating, and promotion of skinniness in this book and previous others. Because Claire is supposed to be a runaway her agent keeps texting her that "runaways don't eat" and "runaways are skinny", etc. Additionally, there are mentions of "wanting to be depressed" so they lose their appetite, and the word "depressed" is thrown around quite a lot.) The girls continue to try to figure out the poem and it says that the key is under the mattress of a boys Skye has kissed. After compiling a list of all the boys (Alicia does this and doesn't reveal her sources) they split up the boys and spread out, finding ways to get into their houses and look. They continue to not have any luck and Massie learns that her boyfriend, Derrington is on the list as well as the older brother of Claire's boyfriend. Massie goes over to Derrington's house and when she goes into his room she is shocked to see and smell how dirty it is. This really turns her off and she tells the other girls that it's over between her and Derrington (after also not finding the key). Claire doesn't want the girls to go over to her BF's house without her so she makes an excuse why they can't saying Cam's uncle is visiting (when in actuality she had a meeting with her agent and couldn't be there). At a soccer practice, the girls see Harris Fisher (Cam's older brother) drive to pick up the boys after practice. Massie, Alicia, and Dylan quit the team (much to everyone's relief because they were horrible) and run over asking Harris if they can come over to get soccer tips from Cam. They end up going over to his house (without Claire) and Massie learns that there was no uncle and that Claire lied. Both boys' mattresses are checked and no key is found. When Claire gets back she calls Massie and is kicked out of the PC for interfering/ sabotage. Claire goes over to Layne's house and while they talk (Layne was also part of a tiny group that got the CD) Layne says something about Chris (Layne's older brother) having gotten hershey kisses from Skye when he drove her home one time. They run to his room and under his mattress is the key. Layne and Claire call Massie and say she can have the key if she follows their demands. They set up a meeting to hear the demands at Alicia's house where Claire can call in because she'll be gone meeting with her agent. Layne shows up to represent them both and the main points were that Claire would be reinstated into the PC as long as she's in Westchester and the PC will be nicer to Layne and not make fun of her or her outfits. They all agree and the key is officially the PC's. When Claire returns home, Massie shows up to have her sign the agreement and wonders if Claire is really moving to California and says she would miss her. Claire breaks the news that she isn't going and turned down the role, not wanting to leave, not wanting to look like a runaway with black hair and bushy eyebrows, not leave Cam, etc. the girls hug and make up. At the girls soccer finals, Kristen scores the winning goals and Massie receives word from Skye to meet her after the game. the PC join up after the game and find Skye and her clique. They blindfold the PC and take them to the room. End of book 7.  

I ordered a box of random mystery books and this was one of them. Something I'd never pick up on my own, but DAMN IT! It was fun! Reading sometimes is allowed to just be fun and stupid. No regrets.

*takes a deep breath and releases my battle cry:*
KUH-LAIREEEEEEE!!!!

It's Not Easy Being Mean, by Lisi Harrison, is the seventh novel in the Clique series. The childish story is about the drama that is brought about when the Pretty Committee is one of the many cliques given the opportunity of a lifetime, by 8th grade Alpha, Skye. Being the leader of the Pretty Committee, Massie Block does everything in her extensive power to get the key to the "secret room," provided by Skye in a series of challenging riddles and rules. However, because Massie and the Pretty Committee are convinced that everything is in their power, she encounters a few dilemmas along the way. As a result, these problems are easily solved by their manipulative ways in style and domination.

While reading this book, I mentally made a text-to-self connection. In my own experience, I have encountered multiple girls who are convinced they can get exactly what they want, when they want it. Nevertheless, I have learned that these girls cannot get exactly what they want, because they are never satisfied. Once they are done bullying one person, they move on to the next, never letting the guilt phase them. Along with this, I've also discovered that although girls like the Pretty Committee members seem to have everything and a perfect life, they are always missing something, and that ten years from now, they're impeccable hairstyles and impertinent comebacks won't mean a thing.

After reading this book, I have chosen to give it two stars. I awarded this book with such a low rating because I found it immature and childish. Clearly, the low-level booked is meant for girls around the age of 12. Although I remember loving this particular book in the Clique series, perhaps my taste in literature has changed. On a lighter note, I did find this book mildly entertaining as I remembered it to be, and perhaps I just found it boring after reading it a second time. However, I would recommend this book to a younger crowd, or someone around my age who is looking for a very light read.

I read this book so fast that I didn’t even memorize the title before i finished it. the pretty committee is busy going to boy's houses to look under their beds for the key to unlock the legendary room at OCD for the secret hang out spot meanwhile Claire is busy trying to decide whether to move to Hollywood or not for shooting “Dial L for Loser”. Reading this book just makes me envy Massie more for her clever mean comebacks. In this book I also find out the mentor for Massie. Skye is the only person in the whole world that Massie envies. Although I wonder why. But realizing that Massie is a wannabe of Skye Hamilton, makes me think differently of her. Before I always thought of Massie of the Queen bee but after reading out her obsession of Skye, she makes feel disgusted. First of all. Walking in second position is beyond ugly. Plie-ing after walking is crazy. It makes me feel that skye is somekind of dance freak. But seeing that Massie is a wannabe of someone makes me feel that she is more human.
Claire is too caught up with her movie career to hang out much with the pretty committee. But she learns what it’s like to be Massie Block. Ans he doesn’t really like it. It’s same in the real world. Like if you really want to be popular or famous, and you did, at first It would be fun but then you get tired of not having privacy. Like you cant trust anyone with your secrets because when you’re a star, those secrets are worth money!
tKristen is upset that everyone in the pretty committee is famous and she isn’t, when every one asks for autographs from massie, Claire, Dylan and Alicia, she is the one left out because they got suspended and Kristen had to write an essay so that they can all get back to school, not only is her hard work not appreciated, she has to watch the pretty committee get all the attention and be the one being puched to the side. But when the P.C joins the OCD Sirens, massie sees how Kristen isn’t just a side character to the brains to the P.C she takes Kristen more seriously now that she sees how popular Kristen is with the Soccer team.

Hold on tight, guys. It's going to be a wild ride.


I haven't figured out GIFs, so I'm going to stick with still pictures until I get this problem under control.

First of all, I personally think that this is the book that has the MOST bullying in the series. To give you an idea of what I’m talking about, here are the examples I can think of without reaching for the book for reference.

-“Yeah, I was praying this morning. But it didn’t work. You’re still ah-nnoying.”
-Massie flipped the ON switch and said into the microphone, “Kaya sneezed during synchronized swimming! And Penelope peed in her sleeping bag at my third-grade birthday party…”
-“Kuh-laire, scoot back—your eyebrows are blocking the view.”
-“Know what KEDS stands for? It means Kuh-laire, Enough Discussing Shoes!”
-Did Coach Davis not understand that the closest Massie came to playing soccer was the time she’d kicked Livvy Collins’s pencil case into the male teachers’ bathroom?
-“Quit talking!” Kori shouted from the bench. “Quit breathing!” Massie shouted back.
-“Make us lose and you’re dead,” Kori hissed as she zipped by kicking the ball. “Impossible. You’re already losers,” Massie snapped.
-“Great, Cathy, thanks so much for the visit.” Massie clapped her hands twice. “It’s Carrie,” she huffed. Massie double-clapped again.
-“How about you go all the way back to the LBR table?”
-“How is the rash, Olivia? Did you get the ointment or are you still itchy?”

Okay, I think that’s enough.
I said it before and I'll say it again: what doesn't sit right with me is how Massie DOES NOT GET IN TROUBLE!!! (I'm red-faced RN.) Nobody tattles on her. Nobody stands up for themselves. And what’s even WORSE is that they STILL worship her and they’re STILL glad to see her back at school!!!!!! WHY?!?!! (I will get into that shortly.) Like I mentioned in my previous rant-review, when Massie got expelled, I was acting out that scene from Wizard of Oz. “Ding-dong, the witch is dead!” (Still can't put a GIF here, but you get the idea.)
Yes, when Massie bullies people, there is an occasional burst-into-tears episode here and there, but it’s only temporary before they go back to their old ways of “I adore Massie.” SO frustrating. I remember the third book said “People worship Massie because they’re ‘afraid,’” or something like that, which I WISH I’d brought up at the time, but by n  NO nmeans is that model behavior. Little kids, take note!

Whew, I think I wore myself out. Now it's time for me to bitch about the adoring public eager to welcome them back. Except for Kristen, that is. She’s the only one who doesn’t have girls thronging her asking for an autograph or a selfie. Massie, on the other hand, is positively BOMBARDED. If I remember correctly, someone displayed a banner above the row of lockers, followed by an avalanche of purple balloons. (“Ehmagawd, purple is my favorite color!” BLEEHHHH) Before that, someone else shouted “You guys! They’re back!” and THAT is what caused the stampede—and me to bang my head against the wall. Mind you, this was BEFORE the aforementioned bullying took place, but it still made me shake my head in utter disbelief and roll my eyes in profound disgust. I’ll admit that I felt RELIEVED when it was Kristen who got the “fandemonium” and everything on the soccer field and Massie didn’t.

One more thing: PLEASE tell me I'm not the only one who screamed "WTF?!" at the part where it says "Massie imagined herself at a torchlight ceremony where the team presented her with a charm of a cleat or a soccer ball for her bracelet. Something deep inside her shifted. Maybe she could learn to love a sport." That's just selfish. Conceited. Egotistical. Taking up an extracurricular activity for the sole purpose of adding decoration to your jewelry? n  WHAM!!!n I banged my head against the wall again. And as if THAT weren't enough, here's one more passage that made me facepalm as I read it: "Forget the platinum ball and the tiny cleat! Soccer, Massie suddenly decided, was for people who couldn't afford to shop." I'm going to go outside and scream until I startle the neighbors. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I feel better.

Are you still there, guys? Hopefully I didn’t blow you out of your seat. So now I want to talk about (or rather, RANT about) one more thing that made me throw the book at my bedroom door, then crawl out of bed to fetch it.

And it’s the key. n  DUN-DUN-DUN!n


I tried to attach a picture of Aragog the giant spider, but no luck.

Anyway, to Massie, the key to the “secret room” is such a big deal because it means “more popularity” and a “status upgrade” or whatever bullshit. As a result, she goes to war over it with Claire, who has a movie audition that same weekend. I found myself thinking on multiple occasions, “It’s just a key, for crying out loud!” If I gotta be honest, I thought it was BEYOND irritating to see how self-centered Massie was about it, completely disregarding Claire and her problems—and the rest of the world, for that matter. But the tipping point for me was Massie “kicking Claire out of the Pretty Committee because Claire was getting in the way of Massie and the key.” After Massie invalidly gives Claire the boot, Claire goes over to Layne’s house and tearfully spills her guts, and Layne helps Claire find the key in [SPOILER!!!] and Layne accidentally butt-dials Massie and that’s when Massie finds out that Claire has the key and forces her to hand it over or she's going to die and rot in hell. Excuse me while I go play a violent round of video game Quidditch to let my feelings out. And yes, I WILL scream.
Later, after spending an afternoon with cutthroat lawyers, Claire finds it in her to stand up to Massie, which made me go “Woo-hoo!” So cheesy, I know, but that's the way the cookie crumbles.

Holy cannoli. I feel EXHAUSTED! Now that I'm through beating you over the head, I'm going to save writing and uploading my next entry for tomorrow and rest up tonight. Just remember: you heard it here first.

This one focused mostly on finding the key and doing whatever it takes. Claire’s decision to join the Hollywood world or not kept me on my toes. Curious to see how the next few novels unfold!

I love Skye for bullying Massie. It’s what she deserves! This one was a lot more fun than the last one.

I can't bring myself to rate this book. I wouldn't want my daughter to read it, yet I somehow found it enjoyable that I hate these girls so much. Swearing, anatomy talk, innuendo, and bullying.

Nostalgic

I grew up reading this series. So re-reading this series is more nostalgic than anything. These books are also an easy read for me when nothing else sounds good. Now reading these books as an adult, these books are just okay.