Main Character: Emerson Watts, Nikki Howard
Series: Airhead Series, Book 1
Em is considerably more interested in playing computer games with her friend Christopher than in befriending the A-list girls who rule her high school. A freak accident mortally injures Em and leaves superstar model Nikki brain dead. After a transplant operation, Em wakes up in Nikki’s body and learns that she must keep her identity a secret and live her life as Nikki. Readers who are willing to swallow the brain transplant idea will find that the rest of the story goes down easily enough; there’s plenty to entertain readers with stars in their eyes as well as those who disdain the pop-culture glamour of Nikki’s life. Besides the juxtaposition of Em’s world with Nikki’s, there are elements of humor and glimmers of compassion for the rich and famous in this first-person story. Toward the novel’s end, “Nikki” enrolls in Em’s old school. Can the girl inside that too-perfect body reconnect with the boy she secretly loves?
Meg Cabot is one of my go to YA authors for fantabulous YA contemporary stories. She writes the kind of books that I know I will enjoy and while this isn’t my favorite Meg Cabot book, I still enjoyed the heck out of it.
This story follows Emerson Watts as a freak accident happens and changes her life and when I say, change her life, I mean…change her freaking life. Before the accident, her name is Em Watts but after the accident? She’s Nikki Howard, A-List Celebrity, Nikki Howard. When Em wakes up after the accident, she finds herself thrown into a world that she knows nothing about and is completely uncomfortable in but because she’s our trusty heroine, she does what she needs to do in order to overcome everything that’s going on. It helps that Nikki Howard is mega rich and with Nikki’s money and Em’s brain, she makes a go of it.
The adventures Em goes through in her new life make for one wonderfully entertaining read. Meg Cabot did a wonderful job making me connect with Em/Nikki. All of her confusion and her joy- I was right there with her. Watching everyone run in and out of her life (from Gabriel, Brandon, Christopher, Justin and what not) had me laughing, gasping and laughing again.
At first, Lulu got on my hot damn nerves with how ditzy she was but she was a good friend to Nikki (even when Nikki didn’t deserve it) and I grew to like her. I’m mighty curious to see what happens between Gabriel and Nikki though my heart is set on Christopher.
Will Nikki tell Christopher the truth? Will she help Christopher with his plot to take down Stark Entertainment? What will happen with Brandon? All of these questions have been plaguing me ever since I finished this book and so I’m anxious to read the other books in this series. I’m telling you, Meg Cabot is a genius at hooking me into her books and this book was no different. This book is filled with Cabot’s trademark humor and fabulous characters so really, you won’t want to miss this one.
Reading Order:
definitely agree with you! meg cabot rocks the ya world.
i haven’t started this series yet, but it sounds quite entertaining. thanks for the review! hopefully i’ll find the time to start it soon.
hi ween! i haven’t read meg cabot since princess diaries but this series looks good.
p.s. i voted suzanne collins on the sidebar thing. you absolutely must read her hunger games series soon! i look forward to your thoughts on it. 🙂
Umm..her name is Emerson Watts not Watson 😛 You should definitely read Being Nikki if you liked this one though, the sequel is sooo much better
toothy,
This series starts off pretty good, I definitely recommend it.
Michelle,
HEY YOU! I started The Hunger Games for you and will be starting Graceling for Mollie after…you guys are killing my book budget, haha. But I love it!
The Know-it-all,
You sure do know it all. Good catch.