Lorraine Zago Rosenthal

This book tells the story of Ariadne Mitchell, also known as Ari, who is a teenager like any other. She is concerned about her studies, her family… She has a best friend, Summer, and she has a crush on her sister's husband. But her life begins to change when she starts at a new school. There she will meet a girl that will take her to places she never imagined to go, and she will meet people she never thought to meet.

When I started reading this book I had no idea what I would find, but as I show more read more pages I could not believe I had had this book on the shelf for weeks without giving it the opportunity it deserved.

Lorraine Zago Rosenthal brings us a credible story of a girl who is starting to live, who face obstacles and problems, her family, her studies, her decisions, her first love ... her first time ... her first disappointment.

Very few books make me think about my life. And this is one of them. In many passages I thought I was reading my own life in these pages and I could really identify with Ari in many occasions. Her story is not the only one that I saw real, the secondary characters are very well defined. The book is not only based on Ariadne, but also in her relationship with her friends, parents, sister, boyfriend, and how these relationships are developed based on the decisions and problems that affect the main character.

Rosenthal's prose is magnificent. A good story like this, can not be told well if you don’t have the qualities that has this writer. From the beginning this book captures you and you can’t stop reading until you finish the last page.

I was speechless with this book. I expected something different. A light story of teenagers and a happy ending just like Cinderella. But no ... I met a true story of a teenager like any other, like you and me.

I hightly recommend this book to older teens and adults ... maybe you will find answers in this book, and maybe others will see their own steps reflected in these pages.

No five stars… I give it a hundred of them… show less

Now that Savannah is rooted in Manhattan society and earning her keep at Femme, the magazine which recently published her first work, she is focused on building a place within the Stone family — and discovering the truth about what happened to their father. When her search takes her to Washington, D.C., and into the complicated world of American politics, Savannah must decide whether to push harder than she ever has or turn back.

Filled with more mystery and depth than its predecessor, show more Independently Wealthy finds us acquainted with a much stronger, more empowered heroine with a clear goal: finding out the truth about the fatal accident that claimed her father’s life and a potential cover-up that could make headlines around the world. When investigators hit dead ends, Savannah snoops in Edward’s files to find connections others may have missed and leaves for Washington in the hope of learning the truth.

Given I’m from the Washington area, I loved seeing glimpses of my hometown as Savannah races among the political elite to confront the man she believes was instrumental in Edward’s death. We also see romantic development in several areas and a pretty dashing male lead — one I found vastly superior to Alex, quite honestly. In my book? Jack redeems himself tenfold.

What made Independently Wealthy really work for me were the growing family dynamics. Ned and Caroline, Savannah’s half-siblings, really became human in this second installment. In fact, where I once found Ned to be particularly insufferable, I actually started to like the guy. He is charismatic and snobby and cocky, but he’s a little lost, too. Each character seemed more vulnerable this time around — and I liked that we got to know them beyond the superficial.

Lorraine Zago Rosenthal has written two books with a sassy narrator who takes chances and goes big, and I enjoyed the time spent with the Stone family. As Savannah has grown so much between books one and two, who knows what could be in store for her down the line . . . I hope we’ll get a chance to find out. show less

I absolutely loved this story. It was a beautiful, heart-breaking story about self acceptance, loss and the loneliness that comes with love. I read it in just a few hours, pausing to breathe only enough times to sustain life.

The cover summation is crap. If I had read that alone I probably wouldn't have even picked this book up. That makes the story sound common place, sophomoric and shallow, everything it isn't. It is not a story about a poor girl falling in love with all the tinsel and show more glamour that comes with dating a rich boy. I never once felt that Ari really took notice of the financial differences. When she would compare herself to her wealthier friends it was their acceptance of themselves she envied, not the money. Summer and Leigh, while both rich, were also confident, self assured and at ease with who they were. These were the things that Ari coveted.

Her relationship with Blake, who yes, had the means to wine and dine, spirit her away for day trips in the Hamptons, and enough family connections to get her into any university, never once really meant anything to Ari. She was in love with feeling loved and I don't think for a second that she noticed the "glamorous side of New York". She only noticed how love made her feel. There's a certain high that comes with knowing that someone loves you, truly, for yourself alone. It's perhaps one of the biggest confidence boosters there is. Ari needed that, regardless of the hurt that comes when a relationship ends prematurely. She needed to know that it was possible for her to feel that way.

Knowing that there is to be a breakup in the book is not a spoiler. The events in the book aren't important; the emotions are. Watching Ari learn to recognize love, in all its forms was the real story.

It's been a while since I've finished a book and almost immediately wanted to read it again. While this is a YA novel, the main characters are teenagers and the story is very coming-of-age, the sentiment cannot be confined to YA alone. It's too beautiful for just about anyone to overlook. show less

Brooklyn high school student Ari Mitchell has always lived in the shadows of both her sister and her best friend. But when she gets a chance to attend an elite private school, she makes friends with Leigh, who's artsy, rich, and sees Ari for who she really is. Leigh introduces Ari to a world of privilege and to her gorgeous college-aged cousin, Blake. As Ari spends more and more time with Blake, she begins to distance herself from her friends and the high expectations of her family.

I was show more drawn to this debut novel by the beautiful cover and the promise of a 1980s setting, but ended up disappointed. There was just too much going on in the plot, but at the same time it felt like not much happened at all. Plus, the summary gives away a plot point that doesn't happen until about three quarters of the way into the book! Though it is ostensibly set in the 80s, it felt like an afterthought that had no bearing on what happened to the characters. Certainly some readers will enjoy the romance, the friendships, and the family drama depicted in this story, but they have to be patient and willing to look past its shortcomings. show less