Em Watts is smart, confident, and happy with who she is - even if she doesn’t fit into the popular crowd at school. She is content to spend time with her best friend, Christopher, and play Journeyquest until the wee hours of the morning. She doesn’t pay much attention to fashion or pop culture unless her little sister is shoving it down her face in her latest ramble of “why Em is such a dork.” Everything changes on the day Em takes her little sister to the grand opening of a mega-store where the latest music sensation will be singing and signing autographs. One freak accident later and Em isn’t Em anymore.Without any time to adjust, Em is thrust into the world of beauty and fashion. Where how she looks determines if people keep their jobs. Who knew being beautiful was so much work? How will Em survive without her usual comforts - especially Christopher?AIRHEAD was a nice surprise. Meg Cabot did a great job of weaving in the story of family and friendship. This is a great choice if you are looking for a tame version of SKINNED by Robin Wasserman and it could even be paired with THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX - both deal with medical ethics. What would you be willing to do in order to stay alive? ( )

Last year I started my journey with reading Meg Cabot’s young adult books. I had read several of her chick lit books (The Boy Next Door – highly recommend) and her Heather Wells mystery series. I read great reviews about her young adult novels and because I was reading more in this genre, I picked up The Princess Diaries and immediately was hooked. I became so engrossed in this series, that I found myself reading more of her stand-alone books. So when Airhead was released in hardcover last year, I added it to my TBR List.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to read it last year and it was pushed further down until recently when I learned book two was being released. I had no idea that Ms. Cabot had plans for making Airhead into a series. Upon learning this, Airhead moved to the top of the TBR List.

Emerson Watts is a plain high school girl. In fact, after meeting her, you will probably forget her. She’s attending Tribeca Alternative High School in Manhattan and is secretly in love with her best friend, Christopher. Em isn’t your typical high school girl: she’s not into fashion, make-up or gossip. Instead she likes gaming and playing JourneyQuest with Christopher.

Em appears to be comfortable with her life until the fateful day when she goes to Stark grand opening. From that day forward, her life will forever be changed. Literally.

Also attending the grand opening, is Stark’s face and teen model, Nikki Howard. Nikki is THE It Girl. She’s famous, rich, beautiful and everything that Em despises. That is until one tragic event will bond these two girls forever.

What happens to Em and Nikki is a little far-fetched (ok, it is far-fetched), however Airhead is still an entertaining read. Em realizes that she’s quick to judge based on her assumptions without checking to see if they are true or not. She quickly learns that not all is not what it appears to be as she becomes more involved with Nikki’s life and has to let her former life slip away.

Airhead is a fun, light read. My only complaint is Ms. Cabot repeated herself a lot throughout the book. Having said that, a fan of Ms. Cabot’s works will enjoy this one. I’m looking forward to reading Being Nikki. ( )

For about a year since the release of Airhead I was in the dark as to what the big twist was in Airhead. And now that I know I think it's a great and clever concept! And can you believe it, my first Meg Cabot book ever and what a fun one to start with!

I loved the character of Emerson Watts, she and I, we would definitely be friends. She doesn't mess with all the girly primping and rituals and it sure baffles her little sister Frida (great names in this family). She has a best friend that she might want to be a little bit more with if only he would notice she was a girl. Thrown in the videogame Journeyquest and they are happy as clams.

Both to Em's and Frida's annoyance they set off to the Stark Megastore ( I sort of see it as a cross between Virgin Megastore and Walmart) and something horrible and very very unexpected happens. When Em comes to she doesn't yet know it but her whole entire world has changed and that's all I will say about that....

Meg Cabot writes in such a way that my face was glued to the page, when I was reading I wasn't aware of anything else around me and all of a sudden released I had read 50 pages! (And that's a lot for me in one sitting) I really liked how many different things were happening in the story, it was a mix of romance, living the high life, high school, sci-fi, humor, and taking down the man. What a fun story she weaves!

I think my only complaint would be that Cabot repeats herself A LOT. It seemed like every chapter or so Em would list all the problems she was having and I'm not really sure what the point of it was, in that sense Em came off as a little whiny.

All in all an exciting and humorous start to a fun series! ( )

Susan says: I usually love Meg Cabot books, and devour them in no time flat. So when I saw a review of this book and had the ARC, I decided to read it right away. But I am sort of disappointed in Airhead for several reasons. Emerson Watts is at a store opening with lots of celebrities because her sister wanted to go. She dies when a flat screen TV falls on her head. But she doesn't really die. Instead her brain is transplanted into model Nikki Howard's body, who also died of an aneurysm at the same time as Emerson. So when Emerson wakes up a month later, she is forced into taking on Nikki's life, but still try to be the same person inside. I had just heard a review of Peter Dickinson's Eva when I started this, and I think Eva is a way better look at the same sort of idea. This book is fluffy, but yet tries to address some serious issues at the same time, which doesn't work well. And a lot of the book seemed slow to me - it wasn't compelling enough to make me read it quickly. There is another book planned for the series, and maybe the reason this was so slow was to set up the rest of the series, which includes Nikki's employer spying on her and two love interests. But in the meantime I think this is one Meg Cabot series I won't be finishing. ( )

Ever wondered what it'd be like to be someone else ? someone famous even ?
well for em watts that is reality when there is a freak accident she is saved by having her brain transplanted into the body of a supermodel. But let me tell you being a supermodel is harder than it looks. ( )