Book Review: Dream Life by Lauren Mechling

Release Date: January 12, 2010
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 336
Source: Publisher

Other books in the series: Dream Girl (July 2008)

Summary:
Claire Voyante's first semester at Henry Hudson High School was eventful, to say the least. As she heads into her second semester, things are calming down a bit. But Claire has a few secrets that are getting harder to keep. Her biggest secret of all? The onyx and ivory cameo necklace her grandmother gave her for her 15th birthday. Ever since she started wearing it, her dreams have been coming to her in black and white and turning out to be oddly prophetic.
Becca's been hanging out with her old prep school friends and never seems to have time for Claire anymore. And soon, Claire discovers why - there's a secret group of society girls with a mysterious identity. And, turns out, a mysterious enemy who's out to get them. The second she sniffs out trouble, Claire jumps on the case. But is it someone close to Claire who's in danger again - or could it be Claire herself whose life is at stake? (From laurenmechling.com)
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At the close of Dream Girl, the first installment in Claire Voyante's story, Claire solved a mystery, saved her best friend Becca's family from almost certain death, and fell for Andy, Becca's handsome older brother. Now Becca is too busy hanging out with her old private school friends to spend time with Claire, and Andy--who is busy too--is pulling away.

The prophetic black and white dreams, however, won't leave Claire alone, and they're as strange and unclear as ever. Here's a particularly entertaining (and non-spoilery) example:

Everyone at the party had on the coolest costumes. Which might explain why my dance partner wasn't Andy--or even a guy for that matter. It was a gray kangaroo, with a margarita in one paw and my oven-mitted hand in the other (I was dressed up as Julia Child). Mr. Kangaroo dipped me with the finesse nobody dressed like a minor league baseball mascot has any right to possess.

What's a girl to make of that?

As for Claire's shrinking social life, the reader doesn't have to worry long. Becca lets Claire in on the reason she's been so busy within the first seventy pages: Becca's involved in a secret society that goes back to eighteenth century New York. The society's mission? Helping the city out through activities like "'planting community gardens or repainting the youth wing at hospitals.'" In addition to that, there is a rival club trying to out their existence and thwart their philanthropic plans. Detective Claire is on the case again!

The atmosphere of Dream Life is as light and fun as that of Dream Girl, but the secret society business adds an extra air of excitement and mystery. The plot dashes and strolls and ends speedily but satisfyingly. The helpful aims of the secret society may sound boring, but the missions contain plenty of danger and cloak and dagger action.

Just as in Dream Girl, however, the best part of Dream Life is the cast of characters. Claire and her family are as adorably quirky as ever, and the new characters are just as strong.

Moreover, magic cameos and over the top teenage secret societies may be unrealistic, but much of Dream Life is written realistically. Claire and Andy's romance doesn't go perfectly: there are misunderstandings, secrets, insecurities, and busy schedules. (Although this doesn't mean there can't be a happy ending.) The people around Claire have secrets, too, and Claire is forced to some hard realizations by the end of the novel.

Dream Life is sophisticated and fun. Anyone who's read Dream Girl owes it themselves to see Claire's story continue to unfold, and while enough of Dream Girl is recapped for Dream Life to be read as a standalone novel, I enjoyed reading the books in order. I suspect I wouldn't have enjoyed Dream Life as much if I weren't already acquainted with the characters. Also, so much happens and the clues fit together so interestingly that Dream Life is definitely going in my rereading pile. If you like mystery, fashion, and laughter, I recommend adding this one to your To Be Read list.

The Book Trailer:

Dream Life by Lauren Mechling -- Trailer from Richie Williams on Vimeo.

Book Review: Dream Girl by Lauren Mechling

Release Date: July 22, 2008
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 320

Book Source: My local library.

Summary:
Claire Voyante has been having strange visions ever since she can remember. But the similarity between her name and her talents is purely coincidental. The name is French, and unlike the psychics on TV, she can't solve crimes or talk to the dead. Whenever Claire follows her hunches, she comes up empty - or ends up in pretty awkward situations. But that all changes on Claire's 15th birthday, when her grandmother, Kiki-former socialite, fashion icon, and permanent fixture at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel - gives her something a little more extraordinary than one of her old cocktail dresses: a strange black-and-white onyx cameo on a gold chain. It's not long before Claire's world becomes a whole lot clearer. And a whole lot more dangerous. (From laurenmechling.com)
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Lauren Mechling's Dream Girl is quirky, intriguing, and adorable. Claire Voyante, the main character and charming first-person narrator, does well on a standardized test and accidentally gains admission into Hudson, an institution she describes as, "a nerd school on the Lower East Side known for its competitive math and science departments, nationally ranked chess club, and recurring asbestos problem."

She doesn't want to leave her old school--which is more laid back and certainly more interesting than Hudson--but Hudson is free, Farmhouse is not, and Claire's parents are "cash strapped." Claire's feelings for Hudson don't improve when the school sends a letter prior to the first day of school:

"Attention, incoming students," it read. "Our new metal detector system is highly sensitive. All students are advised to keep jewelry, hair accessories, and orthodontic contraptions to a minimum."

Lovely.

Claire goes to Hudson for the first day of her sophomore year, but not before receiving a black and white cameo necklace as a birthday gift from her grandmother and having the first of many strange black and white dreams. Hudson turns out to be as awful as it sounds, but becomes more bearable when Claire makes a new friend, Becca Shuttleworth, who happens to have a handsome older brother, Andy, and a wealthy family. It isn't long before Claire's dreams begin pointing her toward clues that spell danger for Becca and her family, and Claire--an avid reader and watcher of murder mysteries and detective stories--is on the case.

Full of mystery, danger, romance, and normal high school moments, the plot rotates between fast-paced and mildly interesting and really speeds up at the end. The fantastic elements of the novel are minor and scattered, and it's easy to forget that Dream Girl is a contemporary fantasy as well as a mystery. Dream Girl is the first in a series and feels like an introductory novel, but not in a bad way: the cameo slowly becomes a part of Claire's life as the characters are introduced and the world of the novel (which is fascinating, by the way) is set up.

Along the way the reader gets to spend time with Mechling's delightful cast of characters, who are stronger and more sparkling than the plot. I enjoyed getting to know Claire's lovably odd family, and--small parts or starring roles--all the characters are entertaining and well-developed.

Dream Girl also possesses a definite sense of setting and place, with the story's principal setting in New York City. I don't know how someone who actually knows NYC would feel, but I found the descriptions of NYC interesting and lovingly executed; the city is enmeshed in the story.

Moreover, magic cameo or not, Mechling is adept at making the novel feel like real life: Claire has parents who actually get to be involved in their daughter's life as well as the story, a wacky brother, and *le gasp* homework! Claire isn't with her friends 24/7 because they all have lives, and as a result people have secrets and Claire doesn't know everything about her new friend within two days of meeting her.

As far as PG-13 elements go, Dream Girl is refreshingly clean. The swear words that make their way into the book serve a purpose, and there aren't any words that can't be heard in most high school hallways or on prime time television.

Dream Girl is a feel-good book and I can honestly say I've never read anything like it. Claire Voyante is a character worth rooting for, and while I wasn't always glued to the pages I was always interested in the story. I recommend Dream Girl to anyone who enjoys fashion (with characters like the Shuttleworths a few forays into NYC's high society hangouts are a given), mysteries, and laughing. I'm excited to see what adventures await Claire in Dream Life (January 2010), the sequel to Dream Girl.