Just to prove this book-review blog is worthwhile, I will begin as every good book critic should: by judging the cover. I was disappointed when I opened my package to find that the cover wasn't what the glossy picture made me look forward to as I was pre-ordering: an actual padded cover, with a metal plate in the middle and a little medallion hanging from it. This was the reason that even though I was using British Amazon, I made sure to order the American, over the somewhat more boring British cover. I now realize I was pretty naïve to expect such an ornamental cover, as that would probably be a $49.95 special edition. So if anyone from HarperCollins is reading this: you should release that edition. I would totes buy it.
Summer and the City is the second in The Carrie Diaries series, its predecessor, which the series was named after, having been released last year. "Carrie" is Carrie Bradshaw, the well-known main character of the Sex and the City franchise, which these books have complicated even further. Originally, there was the Sex and the City book (1997), written by Ms. Bushnell herself. Then followed the TV show (1998-2004), loosely based on the book, which achieved, quite justly, the biggest fame in the whole franchise. It was followed by a couple of movies (2008 & 2010), which didn't quite reach its critical acclaim, to put it mildly.
The Carrie Diaries series is technically a prequel to the original '97 book, although they do not follow the same tone even remotely. This series follows Carrie as a teenager, and it's obvious that that is mostly who her audience is. If in the first book of the series Carrie was a high school senior, she has now graduated and is living in New York City for the summer. This city itself has always played a huge role in the franchise, often described as the "fifth main character." The other four include Carrie and her three best friends later in life, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte. They barely made an appearance in Bushnell's initial book that started it all, but with this series of prequels she decided to capitalize off the show's popularity and give the ladies a bigger role. Two of them make their first appearance in Carrie's life in Summer and the City, as she struggles to make friends and survive in the Big Apple all by herself.
This is a coming-of-age story, and it follows Carrie doing some of the things she always wanted to try in life, but never could in her small town. A story many can relate to, no doubt. Free from the clutches restraining young people in small places, she is finally free to experiment with fashion, lovers, her future career, and decide for herself who she wants to be friends with and who she'd rather avoid from that vast mass of millions of people. Since the very beginning, she learns the city is not always a kind place, but she never loses her enthusiasm and determination to make it there; not only to make it a a writer, but also in the social circles of NYC.
Do not exactly expect a revolutionary plot. Truth is, this book is perfect for those looking for a light summer read, and fans of the SATC franchise. The conversations the girls have, about love, sex, and relationships bring back scenes from the beloved TV show where the four of them would sit on a table at a New York café and discuss those topics. It is also not a predictable book, as most chick-lit novels seem to be; and the characters, although not all that developed, still seem multidimensional. Don't expect Carrie to just "win or lose" by the end, as there are no clear-cut winners.
The book doesn't end with a conclusion, more so with a cliffhanger, albeit a quite similar one to the previous book's. This shows Bushnell is willing to expand the series, although I could find no info when the next novel is to be expected. Don't worry, novels like this never take too long to write. Especially if they reach an even higher success after the planned movie, starring Blake Lively as the young Carrie. Most people I've talked to say she's too pretty to be Carrie, but I think it's a logical choice, as this way they'll get the younger Gossip Girl crowd as well, who are probably too young to remember the SATC show.
A definite recommendation for fans of Sex and the City, New York in the '80s, and lighthearted novels with still some sustenance to them.
