It's Not Easy Being Mean is about the Pretty Committee getting back into OCD after being expelled. When they returned eighth grade alpha, Skye Hamilton had hid a key that unlocks the legendary secret room. The key had been passed down from alpha to alpha but now Skye wanted to change it up. Skye said that its hidden in a Briarwood Boys bedroom, but which one? All the Pretty Committee cares about is finding that key. But will they get or will another Clique beat them to it?

Its Not Easy Being Mean is my favorite Clique book. It has all the components of a thousand page book jammed into less than three hundred pages. The book has tons of detail and is easy to understand and it was really fun to read. It also interpreted the characters in a way that no other book for me has. I find these books wonderful because of that.

I loved how Lisi Harrison went into depth on explaining the conflicts. Also, how the plot wasn't hard but wasn't easy to understand. The book was the best one of the series in my opinion. I would recommend the series to anyone, and even though they made be hard to get into, they really are an AMAZING series!

Reviewed by Jeremey for TeensReadToo.com

The clique is back at OCD! The new school year brings drama and a treasure hunt. Throughout the years every student at OCD has heard of a secret room that teachers forgot--an urban legend. When a mysterious upperclassman named Skye brings news that the room is real, Massie is instantly intrigued. The legend of the room says that whoever holds the key is the true alpha for their grade at OCD. Massie must have it.

Skye gives them a poem that will lead them to where the key is hidden, but the problem is deciphering it. The poem has been handed out to other girls in Massie's grade and the hunt begins.

With tiresome soccer practice, trips to NYC for agents and auditions, and trips to the mall, the Pretty Committee finds that the time they have must be spent wisely and that they must unite as one, or the alpha-ship will fall into the wrong hands--an LBR.

Lisi Harrison has done it again! This new CLIQUE novel is one you don't want to miss. The girls are sneakier, meaner, and will do anything to get what they want. Lisi Harrison has created a series all will love. Once you pick it up you won't be able to put it down!

that derrington cleaning his room for massie is seen as a next-level romantic act is once again proof that this is dystopian femininity

wondering when massie will show any redeeming qualities again

It’s Not Easy Being Mean is the seventh book in The Clique series by Lisi Harrison. This book is one of my favourite of the series so far but unfortunately being only 190 pages it was one of the smaller books of the series so it didn’t take me long to read.

After their expulsion from school, the Pretty Committee, are back and ready to take over the school. At the start of their year they have a challenge to achieve set by Skye, an Alpha, who the Pretty Committee look up too. This totally secret challenge requires them to find a key to unlock a secret room which could potentially be there secret hideaway for the year. The cryptic clue tells them that the key is under a Briarwood boys mattress but finding the boy with the key is easier said than done.

I really enjoyed reading about who they thought may have the key and there devious ways to get into each boys room whilst keeping the task top secret. It was good that it wasn’t predictable who it was as I hadn’t worked it out until about the same time the characters did.
I didn’t like that Claire changed herself for an interview but was glad that she learned to be true to herself in the end.

My favourite part of this book was nearer the end as it was nice to see Claire stand up for herself for once. It’s a shame it’s taken her this long to do so, likewise with Massie showing her true feelings for Claire. I think they’ve always had a great friendship, they just don’t want to show everyone else as they are so different.
This was a great book and I can’t wait to start reading the next one and discover more about this top secret room.

layne is better than me i would have kept the key for myself and became the new alpha

The plot was decent. However, I caught quite a few typos. Also, Massie is starting to get very annoying. DO YOU LIKE CLAIRE OR NOT?! MAKE. UP. YOUR. MIND.

First Reactions:
This book belongs to a series of novels beginning with The Clique. It's not something I would generally pick up due to the fact that it's about a gang that thinks they are better than everyone else, but for some reason I did pick up the books and enjoy the nice, short, light read.

I could picture the characters going to my school, if they weren't rich that is. Massie is the head of the Pretty Committee and her followers are also her BFFs. Alicia, Dylan, Kristen and then Claire, the newest member. They have their fights like any bunch of middle school girls but they always unite when it comes to fashion or when someone threatens their turf. I wish my friends were that close sometimes but the PC is sometimes too mean for me.

Anyways! In this book, we find Claire having meetings with Lawyers while Massie searches for a Key to a hidden room somewhere in her all girls private school. Tempers get out of control and girls keep secrets. While reading I wondered how the author got inside these middle schoolers' heads. It's a complex place that's for sure!

It’s Not Easy Being Mean: Lisa Peterson
Book Review
Maddie Horne

tThe pretty committee thought for sure that they would find the key to the heavenly room, but who could be sure when Losers Beyond Repair (LBR) like Layne Abeley are looking for the key too. The key was to a room at Octavian Country Day’s that staff didn’t know about and only O.C.D’s eighth grade alphas were given the key. However Skye Hamilton was the alpha Massie was in seventh grade, and Skye made a riddle to find it so Massie and some L.B.Rs would be competing for it. Claire Lyons an ex-clique member found the key and traded the key with Massie to be back in the pretty committee. The whole book led an interesting journey to that point. A good thing about It’s Not Easy Being Mean was the constant humor, even when Massie was worried sick about the key.

tOne morning Claire was wearing a heavy jacket and looked nothing like the other Clique members who were wearing designer names and no jackets, so Massie asked her “Are you a zit?” Of coarse Claire said “NO!” and Massie asked “Then why are you all covered up?” Later when they were deciding how the Clique would the key Claire suggested an idea and Massie said, “…..You must be poor….cause your not making any cents.”

tOne time when Dylan dropped a plastic bag on the ground with no regard for the environment Massie asked her if she was a cat and when she said no Massie shouted then what’s with the litter?

tOne part that makes this book really funny is how Claire is always getting embarrassed like when she was getting ready for her addition she had to wear eyebrow extensions and outrageous black hair, for a few days. Claire also got embarrassed when the pretty committee was rating their outfits and she didn’t even want hers rated because of its insufficient level of designer names and over use of jackets.

tIt’s Not Easy Being Mean showed the weakness of even the “Alphas” of middle school, like Massie converting Skye’s reputation. Also Skye writing the poem about Chris Abeley which shows that no one is perfect. It showed that you can have innumerable friends even if you have a smaller house (like Skye) and it did all this while telling about the amazing cliquey live of the Clique girls.

utter perfection no notes

Summary- Massie and the Pretty Committee receive a letter from Skye, the eighth grade alpha. The letter basically says that the myth about the 'special' alpha room at OCD is true, you just have to find the key to it, as well as other 'alpha' groups. Claire gets kicked out of the PC because her acting career gets put in the way, so she and Layne decide to go against the PC and find the key to the luxurious room. Claire and Layne end up finding the key and make a settlement with the PC about letting Claire back into the Pretty Committee and sharing the room. They agree and all is well.

Main characters- Massie, Claire, Alicia, Dylan, Kristen, and Layne

Setting- School

Recommendation- I thought it was a great book and I think it might be a little too girly for guys

I thought this was one of the better books because it had many plot twists. It only took me a day to read and I thought overall it was pretty good

I still have one of the first few scenes in this book vividly ingrained in my memory, specifically the way Massie describes her lip gloss and how she applied more to her bottom lip. I think it’s because the author would release the first chapter as a teaser and I obsessively read the teaser before the book released.