Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik

Release Date: 2nd August, 2011

Publisher: HarperTeen

Pages: 288pgs

The Story

Will Elise's love life be an epic win or an epic fail?

At Coral Tree Prep in Los Angeles, who your parents are can make or break you. Case in point: As thhe son of Hollywood royalty, Derek Edwards is pretty much prince of the school - not that he deigns to acknowledge many of his loyal subjects. As the daughter of the new principal, Elisa Benton, isn't exactly on everyone's must-sit-next-to-at-lunch-list.

When Elise's beautiful sister catches the eye of the prince's best friend, Elise gets to spend a lot of time with Derek, making her the envy of every girl on campus. Except she refuses to fall for any of his rare smiles and instead warms up to his enemy, the surprisingly charming social outcast Webster Grant. But in this hilarious tale of fitting in and flirting, not all snubs are undeserved, not all celebrity brats are bratty, and pride and prejudice can get in the way of true love for only so long.

The Review

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is one of my absolute favourite classic novels and when I found out this delicious young adult tale was a contemporary take on my favourite tale of all time, I knew straight off that this book was going to make me smile and giggle like crazy. Like a girl. Yeah I know what you're thinking. Prepare the eye-rolls, the face palms and the shaking of heads. Indeed I did all of those smiles and giggles - far more than I expected to - and it's far from an epic fail. More like an epic win for this delightful and highly entertaining author!

EPIC FAIL is the story told from Elise's point of view. She's the second oldest in the family, with her sister Julianna being the oldest. So when Julianna falls for a guy named Chase, and then Elise is forced to awkwardly hang out with the two of them, little did she know that it included the company of the high school's prince of all princes, Derek Edwards. Derek is not only rich but he is the product son of two very famous movie stars. Elise thinks he's a snob but when an unexpected 'friendship' forms between the two of them, things are about to become very complicated as Elise befriends Derek's enemy, Webster Grant, who is charming like the famous Mr. Wickham (you know who I mean Austen fans!). The characters are the reason why this book is such a winner and everything inside this refreshing story will thrill readers, and clearly I'm one of those readers who wants more from this author! I'm expecting big things from her after finishing and devouring this sweet-loveable-gorgeous story!

Overall, EPIC FAIL is everything you want in a young adult contemporary novel and it's by far my favourite contemporary novel of 2011! You have characters that are the modern versions of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice's cast of characters, you have blossoming love found in unexpected places, and of course, fun-but-so-very-cutsey-flirty read that will make you crack up in all laughs and smiles! It's a very big win for Claire LaZebnik for sure!

The Rating

5/5 stars