http://thenovelworld.com/2009/12/21/d... ( )

15-year-old Claire Voyante has always been a little abnormal. Her mother is a wannabe Frenchwomen with ADD; her father—who is actually French—is a professor with eclectic friends; her younger brother Henry takes walks in the middle of the night. Claire herself has had visions on and off her whole life, but it is only when her grandmother Kiki gives her a black-and-white pendant that Claire’s dreams seem to suddenly sharpen and become prophetic.

When Claire befriends Becca, whose family is American condiment royalty, at their new and intense high school, Claire’s dreams suggest that someone may be trying to sabotage Becca’s family. It’s up to Claire to channel her love for Agatha Christie and find out who’s plotting against them before it’s too late.

DREAM GIRL is an utterly delightful, entertaining, and real book, featuring sharp writing and amazing characters. I couldn’t put it down, and, considering how this is not my usual genre fare for reading, that’s saying something.

Lauren Mechling’s writing is pitch-perfect for the likable Claire. Claire has a tongue-in-cheek way of approaching and viewing the world, going along with all the eccentricities around her while simultaneously making her genuine mark on others. She sounds like a real 15-year-old, not a grown up trying to hard to capture a 15-year-old’s voice or a 15-year-old whom you want to whack in the head for being insufferably annoying.

But Claire is not the only strong character in this book. With the possible exception of the mean-girl posse at school (and Lauren even hints at the possibility of their redemption), there is not one character in DREAM GIRL that feels like a stereotype. They are, incredibly, all charming and interesting. The dialogue is excellent; in fact, if you’re an appreciator of all-too-rare good writing in chick lit, as I am, you won’t be able to stop smiling through this book, chuckling at all the subtle witticisms and nodding your head at the realistic portrayal of people.

The psychic mystery element of DREAM GIRL works if you suspend your disbelief that a girl’s dreams can help her solve a sinister international crime. I liked how this novel is character-driven, not plot-dependent. Claire’s prophetic dreams do not overshadow her daytime life; instead, the mystical element of the story adds just a touch of the fantastical to this otherwise contemporary novel.

Overall, those looking for good writing and light reads will enjoy DREAM GIRL. Hardcore mystery fans may find Claire’s sleuthing abilities a bit too lighthearted for their tastes, but for those of us less well-versed in the genre, DREAM GIRL is a promising read. I can’t wait to see what Claire will do next in future books! ( )

Reviewed by Breanna F. for TeensReadToo.com

Claire Voyante (yes, that is her real name) has had strange visions ever since she was little. She's never been able to do anything with them, but that all changes on her fifteenth birthday when her grandmother, Kiki, gives her a beautiful cameo made out of onyx and ivory on a gold chain. Pretty soon she starts having these strange black and white dreams.

While these dreams start occurring, Claire is in a new school and has made a fabulous new friend, Becca. Becca happens to be part of a very rich family and she has a very attractive brother named Andy, but he has a beautiful, stuck-up girlfriend. When Claire starts having her dreams, she's afraid that they might have something to do with a family that has always had it out for Becca's family, and she's worried that they might be in danger.

With her powerful cameo Claire might actually be able to solve this mystery! At least that's what she hopes.

DREAM GIRL was a really cute book. It was even a great sort of mystery. I actually wasn't even sure how the book was going to end, but I did like the ending. Ms. Mechling gives her characters such strong and humorous voices. Claire and Kiki were my favorite characters. I love how they acted together. And I also thought the flirting between Andy and Claire was totally adorable.

Basically, this is just a really fun and light read. And isn't the cover adorable? I fell in love with it instantly! ( )

Claire has dreams, not like everyone else does though. The things she sees in her dreams she witnesses again in real life. She's not sure why she sees them though and after her grandmother, Kiki, gives her a cameo necklace she begins to dream more often, and in black and white. On top of all this Claire is starting at a new school, and doesn't really have any friends going into it. One day she sees an airplane ring and decides she wants to know the girl who's hand it's on. The girl's name is Becca Shuttleworth, like the Shuttleworth ketchup industry. This book takes you through all the ups, downs, ins and outs Claire has to go through with new friends, detective work, and old grudges.

This book started off interesting enough, Claire following one of her dreams, but eventually it got semi-unrealistic. The mystery/detective part was still good, but the "real life" part didn't seem to be flowing as nicely. Then it all got good again when the pieces of the mystery started to come together, but then the ending was like a cheesy teen flick. I really enjoyed the whole she dreams clues that she has to figure out and put together to solve a mysterything. I would definitely say this is a good summer read because it's light, fun and a very quick read. I wish there was more of the mystery part of the book though, and maybe some of the real life bits, but the real life bits in this book just didn't work out. They were very abrupt and you didn't really know the whole story. If this was a sequel that would make more sense, because then you would already know the background and so the grudges and snip-its of the past would be familiar instead of just randomly thrown in. All in all this was a decent read, something you can pick up and breeze through. ( )

"Dream Girl" is part madcap mystery--complete with cartoonish characters and over-the-top family feuds about ketchup recipes--and part realistic comedy-drama, as its heroine (Claire Voyante--no, really) tries to fit in, make friends, and overcome bullying at a new school. The author tries to make a hybrid of the two genres--and doesn’t quite succeed--but "Dream Girl" is still an entertaining look at life in New York City for a schoolgirl and her wacky family.

Claire Voyante, of course, has intuitive visions, and when her grandmother gives her a black-and-white cameo, those visions become much more pointed. "Dream Girl" follows Claire as she attempts to unravel her visions and save a new friend from possible danger. And while interesting, I thought the book took a little too long to establish the mystery Claire needs to solve (chapter 17 before we get the details of it) and as a result, the book seemed a little muddled or directionless at times.

I did enjoy many of the offbeat characters the author created, though. My favorite was Kiki Merriman, Claire’s former-socialite grandmother who lives at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel--what girl wouldn’t love to have a grandmother who’s a fount of both social advice and vintage designer clothes? Overall, I enjoyed this book despite its lack of focus, and I would probably pick up its sequel "Dream Life" if it came my way. ( )