Welcome to The Blog!

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Trash Talk: A Review of Spoiled and Messy by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan


Summer is the best time of year to read a trashy novel. Whether you’re relaxing on the beach or just lazing around on the couch, nothing beats the heat like a fun and frothy novel. Thankfully, Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan understand that need for a trashy read. Best known for writing the hilarious fashion and pop culture blog Go Fug Yourself (www.gofugyourself.com), Cocks and Morgan are also the authors of two young adult novels.

gofugyourself.com
Their first novel Spoiled was released under the Poppy imprint of Little, Brown and Company in June of 2011. Two months before its release, I had the pleasure of interviewing Cocks and Morgan for one of my classes. During the interview, Morgan described Spoiled as “Clueless plus Mean Girls with a dash of The Parent Trap.  Basically, it's the story of a girl who learns on her mother's deathbed that her father is actually the most famous movie star in the world. She goes to live with him and her half-sister—who is NOT happy about this development. Shenanigans, of course, ensue.”

Sixteen-year-olds Molly Dix and Brooke Berlin each narrate the story in alternating chapters. Their dad, Brick Berlin, is an action hero (think Tom Cruise but taller) under the impression that he is a philosopher. Since he believes “children, like protein shakes, are God’s greatest presents,” Brick is eager to introduce his new daughter to his fans. While Molly must come to terms with her new life in Hollywood, Brooke is more concerned about sharing her father—and the spotlight—with someone else. “It’s a classic outsider tale, so we get to poke fun at this town from both an inside (Brooke) and an outside (Molly) perspective. That way, you don’t have to live here to get it,” says Cocks.

Through new friends and romances, school plays, Hollywood parties, and the scheming daughter of a tabloid editor, Molly and Brooke have a lot to overcome as they try to form a sisterly bond. There are a lot of elements in the novel that may seem trashy, such as the Hollywood scene and the slew of pop culture references. The story opens with two teenage girls going shopping, but the book is not nearly as shallow as such a scene might imply. The plot strays from a typical fish-out-of-water story into a smart, funny tale about friendships, relationships, and family. As Cocks put it, “We wanted Hollywood parody, but it needed a soul too.”

Spoiled is now available as an e-book or in paperback for $8.99 wherever books are sold.

best-of-ya.blogspot.com
And once you finish Spoiled, pick up its companion novel Messy, also by Cocks and Morgan and published by the Poppy imprint. Released in June 2012, Messy picks up not long after Spoiled left off, but things are pretty stable for Molly and Brooke. Now the relationship that takes center stage is that of Max (Molly’s best friend in Hollywood) and Brooke. When Brooke decides she wants to be an actress, she realizes she needs to make a name for herself as someone other than Brick Berlin’s legitimate daughter. So she starts a blog, but she doesn’t have the time to write it herself. Just as Brooke is looking for a “celebrity blogographer,” Max is looking for a job to help her pay to attend a summer writing program at NYU. With her green hair and permanent scowl, Max doesn’t seem like the ideal blogographer for Brooke. But Molly likes Max, and Brooke is starting to trust her sister’s opinions. Thanks to Max’s honest and witty entry about the escapades of a Miley Cyrus-esque starlet at her birthday party, the blog takes off, and Brooke is on her way to the fame she always dreamed about.

Messy is even more fun than Spoiled. It may be a bit trashier, but it is not lacking in soul. Max and Brooke both deal with their insecurities. For Brooke, it is a struggle to hear everyone—including her father—tell her how smart she is on her blog when she knows that someone else deserves all the credit. And Max must deal with a crush on Brooke’s costar when she thinks he only has eyes for Brooke. Eventually, the secret of who really writes Brooke’s blog becomes a burden for both girls, and things really get messy.

It’s a fast and enjoyable read. While it’s not necessary to read Spoiled before Messy, it will make some of the jokes funnier.

Messy is available in hardcover for $17.99 wherever books are sold and in e-book format for $9.99. And for more of Cocks and Morgan, Go Fug Yourself is always available for free!

There is no word on whether or not the Fug Girls will write a third book, but here’s hoping they do. (And hopefully it will be told in the point of view of Brooke’s sidekick Arugula and Molly as they fight for Teddy’s affection. If they don’t write that book, I might have to start writing fan fiction.)

Both Spoiled and Messy are the perfect summer reads, and if you have any interest in trashy books or the world of pop culture, you must read these books.


Written by Chelsey Falco