That Girl Is A Drama Queen

Expected Publication: July 10th, 2012
Diva (Flappers #3)
By: Jillian Larkin
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13: 9780385740418

Parties, bad boys, speakeasies—life in Manhattan has become a woozy blur for Clara Knowles. If Marcus Eastman truly loved her, how could he have fallen for another girl so quickly? Their romance mustn't have been as magical as Clara thought. And if she has to be unhappy, she's going to drag everyone else down to the depths of despair right along with her.

Being a Barnard girl is the stuff of Lorraine Dyer's dreams. Finding out that Marcus is marrying a gold digger who may or may not be named Anastasia? A nightmare. The old Lorraine would have sat by and let the chips fall where they may, but she's grown up a lot these past few months. She can't bear to see Marcus lose a chance for true love. But will anyone listen to her?

Now that the charges against her have been dropped, Gloria Carmody is spending the last dizzying days of summer on Long Island, yachting on the sound and palling around with socialites at Forrest Hamilton's swanky villa. Beneath her smile, though, Gloria's keeping a secret. One that could have deadly consequences . . .

Review

   Gloria Carmody has been released from prison by the FBI - but only on the condition that she spies on wealthy playboy Forrest Hamilton.  They think that he's involved in illegal activities, but they need Gloria to gain proof for them.  And the only way to do that is by becoming part of Forrest's crowd.  Is Forrest really the bad guy, or is there more to this mystery than what's on the surface?   How are famous Broadway star Ruby and shady henchman Pembrooke involved?  Clara is still heartbroken over her split with Marcus, especially when she finds out that he's already engaged to another woman.  Still writing for The Manhattanite and partying the flapper way, Clara should be having the time of her life.  But it's empty without Marcus in her life.  Marcus's new fiance may not be as innocent as she seems and when Clara finds out that she's a gold-digging grifter, she needs to come up with a plan to save Marcus and stop the wedding - FAST.  Lorraine Dyer is living out her dream of being a Barnard girl, but she has no friends and is ostracized.  All because of her part in the plot to put Gloria in jail.  The only people who will even talk to her at all are Melvi, a really nerdy guy and her roomate Becky.  Lorraine still thinks she might be in love with Marcus, so when she finds out that his fiance is a con artist, she is desperate to get back into Clara's good graces and put a stop to the wedding before it's too late.  Along the way Lorraine finds out that looks aren't everything and that sometimes love is where you least expect it.  Will the girls be able to forgive and forget the past, to work together and stop Marcus from making a huge mistake?  Will Gloria be able to have her happily ever after with Jerome, or will they be kept apart for good?  This was a pretty awesome ending to a really action-packed series.  I adored the first book and liked the sub-plots in the second.  Surprisingly, I really didn't care much about Gloria or Jerome in this installment.  I just wanted to know whether or not Clara and Marcus would get back together.  I was really ecstatic to see Lorraine grow up and realize that she could be happy without popularity or wealth.  As always, there was a mystery that needed to be solved.  Where was Forrest getting his money?  Boy, I did not see THAT one coming!  I also liked Anastasia being a grifter, even if it was somewhat cliched.  I liked this book a lot and thought it sent off the series with a bang.  I can't wait to see what Jillian Larking writes next! :)

VERDICT:  4.85/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is July 2nd, 2012.*