Dream Girl

Dream Girl mixes the eerie dream-filled suspense of Wake with the clue cracking mystery of Nancy Drew, and in result, brings you a totally new adventure that will have you flipping page after page.

I’ve heard a lot of so-so things about this one, but I’m one of the people who actually really enjoyed it. Claire, the main character and narrator, is probably one of the most amusing and likeable characters I’ve ever read about. She’s quirky, snarky, and sarcastic but Mechling writes her so incredibly endearing that she has been put on my favorite list of female heroines.

Despite how much I enjoyed it, the story didn’t seem to begin to take off until the very end. A good chunk of the story is spent exploring Claire’s whacky life, show more the people in it, and the strange cameo necklace that her eccentric grandmother, Kiki, gave her for her birthday. When she begins to have the weird black and white dreams, and she starts to put the clues together, it all feels kind of rushed. I’d say that was about the only thing that irked me.

Dream Girl is humorous, suspenseful and definitely worth the read. If you haven’t checked it out, I definitely recommend it! show less

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 show more 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! show less

Claire Voyante has always been having strange visions for as long as she can remember. The visions were always unclear and meaningless. Until her fifteenth birthday when she is presented an onyx and ivory cameo by her grandmother Kiki. She is advised to wear the cameo at all times and pay close attention to her dreams for they will lead her to something “interesting.”

The cameo seems to have affected her dream, making them black- and -white and a whole lot clearer. Now can Claire see the danger that is lurking by? Will she be able to save someone’s life before it’s to late?

The book started a little slow for my taste, however as soon as the plot started to pick up I enjoyed it much more. Claire’s character had many funny quirks show more making her very likable. My favorite aspect of the book was her humourous relationship with her parents, friends and her grandmother Kiki.

It’s a great book to pick up if your looking for action, mystery, and just a touch of romance.

Reviewed by:
YA Book Realm
www.yabookrealm.blogspot.com show less

This story is such a fun idea. A girl with a french crazed family, a socialite grandmother and crazy dreams that seem to be visions. It was enough to catch my attention and get me to read it.

First off, I loved Claire! I really enjoyed her sarcastic inner-dialogue. She came off as a "real" fifteen year old. She truly made the story for me. Her whole family was kooky and kinda cartoony and just fun to read about. I also loved Claire's socialite grandma, Kiki. She had me giggling from her craziness at almost every scene she was in. What a fun grandma she would be. I thought Becca was a cool and an original character. She also had me envying her fabulous shoe collection! I enjoyed the friendship between Claire and Becca. It wasn't the show more cliche best friend relationship.

I had a problem with how the story seemed to drag in the first half. The whole idea with Claire's black and white visions that became more vivid because of a cameo necklace her grandmother gave her was interesting. Especially when Claire tries to find out what the visions are telling her. But it took too long to get to the action. I really didn't get sucked in until the ending.

I also felt there was some inconsistency with the characters. Some characters seemed to be in and out and it was hard to decipher which characters really mattered to the main plot.

I really did enjoy Mechling's light and quirky writing. One of my favorite parts was the wry names of the titles. Names like, "Dr. Quack" and "Rolling out the carpet for #6013V". Dream Girl was kind of a mix of Wake and Nancy Drew. I will probably be reading the sequel, Dream Life, because I want to see what happens to Claire. Hopefully we will see more action in the sequel. show less

Claire Voyante is clairvoyant, although her visions have never shown her anything useful. For her fifteenth birthday, her grandmother Kiki Merriman gives her a gorgeous cameo that should direct her powers and allow her to find adventures. Claire doesn't seem to be finding any adventures - she's stuck at her new school. She becomes friends with Becca, another new girl who is less than thrilled to be a student at Henry Hudson. As they get to know the other's family, Claire discovers the first of her grandmother's promised adventures.

The adventure in DREAM GIRL is a fairly straightforward mystery, made frustrating by Claire's inability to see the obvious direction of her visions. Rye and Andy's relationship also seems underdone, as it's show more never explained why he's so devoted when she's around and seems uninterested in her at other times. This seems like Claire should worry about it as she begins to fall for him since he could do the same to her. The other characters seem remarkably unconcerned about a possible romance between a fifteen-year-old girl and an eighteen-year-old in college. In fact, the characters who know about it encourage it.

It's a shame that much of the book's emphasis is put on these elements when Claire's school and home life are far more interesting. Her father is a French professor and her parents hold a salon in their apartment, full of several colorful characters. Her school is full of them too. Ian carries a roller suitcase instead of a backpack and Eleanor effortlessly transcends the high school experience. Both of them are scene stealers who are tragically underused. Sheila, the queen bee, earns more screen time, which she deserves. She's a nerd in popular girl clothing and her mom hints at even more hidden depths. Truly, all the characters are well-done and so are most of the relationships. I just don't get Andy and Rye or Andy and Claire.

Becca, however, does deserve her screen time. She fully enjoys having a real friend and purposefully tells Claire little about herself at first. She's sweet and clever even if I get lost every time she starts waxing poetic about ketchup. (I do hate the stuff, since it's made from tomatoes. Blech.)

I enjoyed DREAM GIRL, but the A-plot doesn't hold up to any of the subplots. The paranormal element feels extraneous and didn't seem to add much to the book as a whole. I believe I prefer the 10th-Grade Social Climber books, which Lauren Mechling coauthored. show less

Unfortunately, dream girl is a far cry from Agatha Christie's mysteries. The story is somewhat predictable, but you have to love the best friend's attractively adorable older brother! However, I really wanted to kick him for being an idiot and hopelessly stringing Claire along while he is already hopelessly tied around another girl's finger! Ack! What is wrong with these boys?

I enjoyed dream girl, but it did not make me hold my breath like WAKE. I think the story and characters could have been developed a lot more, dug a little bit deeper instead of touching momentarily on this and that. It was a mystery with a little noir, but I would say it was a "bubblegum" noir - definitely a lighter read than What I Saw And How I Lied (see here for show more review). But still, quite enjoyable if you have a soft spot for dorky and shy girls who love Agatha Christie :D show less

Dream Life is a charming read that combines the best of both worlds: Nancy Drew and Gossip Girls. Okay so I ran out of analogies. At any rate Dream Life is a mesh of high socialite without all the snarky backstabbing and a mystery that has the decency to don on a gorgeous yet sensible pair of boots before running around New York.

One of the best things I found refreshing from Dream Life was the family relationship. I was pleasantly surprised how much effect Mechling put in to the mother, the father, and the little brother. A majority of books I’ve read have yet to include any mentions of neither siblings nor parents and if they had, it was not to par to his family. Each member is as whimsical as Claire and as every bit as lovable. show more

Mechling does a wonderful job at foreshadowing as well as not foreshadowing. See the readers go on this roller coaster of random dreams with Claire. So if she’s lost, we’re also pretty much lost. And by that, I mean we get off topic. While I do appreciate the attempt at making things realistic in an otherwise fantasy-like genre it seems as though the story strays from the plot at various moments only to center itself once again like a speeding bullet. Ouch. It is towards the end does much make sense, but by then I had forgotten the dreams and clues all the way from the beginning. That said, it might be me; I mean I’m pretty forgetful and dense rolled into one.

The other main issue would have to be the friendship between Becca and Claire. I had a really hard time accepting this friendship as just that. It seemed more of a follower and leader rather then each of equal footing. Claire is constantly looking up to Becca sometimes letting a bit of her sense be clouded and reducing her to a puppy state of nature aiming to please the master. But then again I began to warm up to the duo and found it a nice partnership. Oh! Just a small little shout-out to Ian for his kick-butt evil radish comic. I can only imagine how awesome it would be if a comic book artist drew a small section of it and somehow manage to weave it in the book.

Overall: Dream Life needed a bit of kick start, but once it started moving it was a wholesome enjoyable read. show less