Being Nikki

I was not a fan of Airhead, let me say that straight out. I liked the characters just fine, but felt like nothing much really happened. Being Nikki changed all that. In this book, Meg Cabot manages to push the story along at the perfect pace, bringing all the different storylines and parts of Em's life together. What was really great about this was that while Nikki was a sequel, Cabot spent very little time going over what happened in Airhead, unlike other authors who feel the need to recap everything for a chapter or two before actually getting into the story. It all flows wonderfully with Airhead. Airhead also really ticked me off because most of the time, it just seemed like Emerson was making out with complete strangers. She's still show more got some of that in this book, but it's sparsely sprinkled throughout the book without being overwhelming. There's so much more time that went into plot-development, rather than exposition, which is an awesome thing for those of us who just want the story to move along. The ending could be a whole other review. Without saying too much, Christopher's story and the role he plays is greatly expanded, and readers will completely love and adore this fact. It's mindblowing how much Meg Cabot's storytelling style has changed. She ends Being Nikki in a way that will be a complete shock for Meg Cabot's longtime readers (and I'm sure newer fans will be enthralled as well). She's somehow found a way to completely captivate her readers with more plot twists than you could ever imagine, and a story that will leave you speechless and begging for more. Way to bring the A-game!

Rating: 5/5 show less

This is a wonderful continuation of the Airhead series. Stark Enterprises is starting to look even sketchier with what Em finds out about the Nikki situation in this book!

What I most enjoy out of Cabot books are the characters. She has a flair for creating interesting, complex characters and turning stereotypes around. I love that she has female characters who are into makeup and fashion who are also smart, capable, and brave. It’s fun to see characters who view feminine stuff negatively have to re-examine their opinions when they’re faced with people who love makeup and boots and are smart.

We get to see more of Nikki’s family in this book, which I really enjoyed; it was nice to see her through her brother’s eyes and be able to show more get more information on what exactly was happening when the TV fell on Em. Along with that, it’s great that Em is becoming more and more confused about how she should approach her life; her feelings for her family and people from her previous life are becoming confused, especially since she’s wondering if she’s putting them in danger by continuing to hang onto them. It’s an interesting dilemma that she has to go through.

This is a typical middle book where mostly things are being set up for the finale; while sometimes middle books can drag, Cabot does a great job at revealing some intriguing twists and hinting at future reveals. This book does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, so you probably want the third book ready for when you finish.

Also posted on Purple People Readers. show less

Honestly the whole concept is absolutely ridiculous, but I really enjoyed myself. This series isn't something to take seriously, but it is nice to read just to escape for a little while. I wish I could say that I didn't figure out where the story was going to go, but I did. It's exactly how I would have concluded the series, so way to go Meg! Really this is a fun adventure that you will want to put down but will find yourself unable to drop. Just read it, you know you want to!

This review assumes you have read the first book in the series, as a result may contain information that could be viewed as spoilers.

Being Nikki is the continuation of Cabot’s Airhead series. In it readers are still following Em Watts (aka supermodel Nikki Howard) as she attempts to adjust to her double identity — reconciling her desire to remain level headed boring girl Em while attempting to make that fit into the hot girl package Nikki gave her.

Specifically we delve further into the family dynamics of it all. Not only is Em losing touch with her parents and sister but she’s gained Nikki’s family to boot. The disconnection doesn’t extend solely to blood relations but also to the friends and lovers in her life. Still trying show more to block off Brandon Stark, Nikki’s celebutant boyfriend, Em now finds herself the focus of famous pop star Gabriel Luna’s affections as well. This sends her into the depths of despair because all she really wants is to have the love of her best friend, the guy who thinks she’s dead, Christopher. Add in Nikki going back to high school, her flightly best friend with the heart of gold and a hint of corporate espionage at the end and the reader has a delicious recipe for fun.

The progression of Em’s story in this book was as enjoyable as the first, perhaps even more so given the added emotional turmoil. She continued to struggle with how to resign herself to the fact that she is now Nikk, the shallow and superficial type of girl she’d always loathed in life. More than that she slowly comes to the realization that perhaps Nikki wasn’t as shallow as originally thought. Em learns how hard Nikki had to work at being a model and how empty her life really must have been without family and friends who really loved her for more than the tangible gifts she could give them.

I never once felt like the story Cabot was telling was unrealistic. Sure, Nikki’s life has a definite Paris Hilton vibe to it but I think in the circumstance of that type of celebrity it isn’t strange that a girl of Em’s age is really and truly on her own as any adult would be. The fact that it’s no longer Nikki leading that life and that Em is attempting to adjust to freedom while still wanting some level of involvement by her real family makes it all the more relatable. I enjoyed the relationships built in this book and the dynamics between the different parties brought forward some interesting twists and turns.

While some second in a series books lose their oomph this one did not disappoint. The characterizations were continually interesting and showed depth. The situations (minus one far fetched medical aspect that is the foundation of the whole story) are plausible and make Em and her cohorts extremely rootable. This is definitely a series I would recommend to teens and lovers of fun light-hearted young adult reads. show less

Book 2…not much better, I’m sad to say. (Ignore my original rating, please.)

I kinda touched on the plot in my last review, but this is the book where the plot does improve. One of my biggest issues with the first book was that “Total amnesia does not exist in real life! Nor does it work that way!” and that Em had to screw up or not convince someone that she was really Nikki Howard. (Lulu’s theories aside.) So, when Nikki’s brother Steven shows up and calls her out on the fact that Em’s not his real sister, I loved that. I loved that Steven knew something really fishy was going on and he wasn’t going to be fooled by anyone.

Em’s characterization gets a little better in this book, although not by much. I like that she show more does support her little sister’s decision to become a cheerleader, and that she’s willing to find out what happened with Nikki’s and Steven’s mom. And there’s a good scene with her and some other models joking before a rehearsal that I really liked. However, I still had my frustrations and there’s a lot of the telling not showing going on in this book as well. She’s also very contradictory, especially when it comes to Brandon/Gabriel/Christopher/random boy she makes out with. Em keeps saying that she’s not that kind of girl, that she can’t help the way Nikki’s body reacts whenever a boy touches her (do not get me started on this excuse) and she loves Christopher, totally! Em doesn’t do anything to dissuade this behavior, she just let the guys take advantage of her. Quietly suppressing rage here.

I also really don’t like how the Stark plotline gets barely mentioned. It’s played up that Christopher wants to take them down (understandable, yet slightly impossible), and Em mentions it every once in a while, but so much time is spent on “I really really love Christopher, but I have all of this other stuff and you guys don’t understand how hard it is for meeee.” You almost forget that there’s a weird plot going on with the bad guys.

That said, I liked the twist that Nikki was really alive, and I liked that Brandon finds out and decides to use this information to his advantage. Sure, it’s a little obvious, but it makes for new conflict in the next book. But like the first one, the moments where I facepalmed were a little much and lessened my overall enjoyment. show less

The concept of this book is incredibly innovative and intriguing. I loved Meg Cabot's past books and this series is no exception. The main character was both funny and endearing, I really felt like I knew her at the end of the first book. Nikki and the main character were perfect foils for each other, Nikki bein harsh and selfish and the main character being far more caring and funny. The characters that Meg Cabot placed in the book with these two personalities really allowed the main character to stand out and tell her story.
As a neuroscience student, I love the brain. The ability to transplant brains both frightens and intrigues me, this book gives a novel approach as to what could potentially happen if the process was ever show more successful. This book is great for teens/young adults (female). show less

Being Nikki starts right where we left off in Airhead. Let’s me just start out saying that this novel was nothing like I expected it to be. I was expecting more of the Airhead plot... with Nikki balancing her new life, going to high school, being a model and trying to get Christopher to figure out that she’s really his best friend Emerson Watts! Needless to say, that is not what happened. It was better! The plot takes on a whole new spin! Being Nikki is definitely a step up from Airhead. We are introduced to Nikki’s brother Steven in this novel, and it was exciting to discover who Nikki really was and where she came from. I was happy to see that all my favorite characters from the first book were present in this sequel as well as show more the introduction to some new characters, which I’m sure you will love! Especially Christopher’s cousin! HA! This book surprised me so much! It was marvelous! I love Meg’s style, she is such a fun author to read, it never takes me long to finish one of her novels. I can’t wait to read the rest of this series and find out what happens next!!! I’m sure Runway, will be just as entertaining! show less