Liberty, Nora and Leo Lawrence meet their cousin Laila for the first time at her mother's funeral. They knew about Laila's existence by overhearing their parents talking about her, while Laila didn't even know they existed. Laila's father had a fallout with his wealthy family before she was born and moved his family from Manhattan to Michigan where she grew up. During the two years after their first meeting, the cousins keep in touch and when Laila divorces her husband, she moves to New York to live with Nora. Laila feels that because of the rift in the family, she missed out on all the money and opportunities her cousins had and now she has every intention of getting what she feels is rightfully hers, no matter the consequences.
If you love Gossip Girl, you are going to love this. Not only the shopping trips to Bergdorf, the expensive clothes and the fabulous parties, but it also has the same level of drama as the TV show. I didn't particularly like any of the characters, except Liberty, who felt more real and more innocent. Laila is very manipulative while the other characters are shallow and only interested in class and money. The plot is intricate and very well-written and there are a few twisty moments that will keep you glued to the page of this sharp and entertaining novel. (NP)
