Finished Secret Society Girl by Diana Peterfreund. I wouldn’t exactly classify this as a YA novel, but it’s not really romance either. Collegiate lit? Chick lit?

Amy Haskell is a typical junior at Eli University, editing the college’s lit magazine and wondering whether she wants to have a real relationship with her “friend with benefits” Brandon.

Then, Amy gets “tapped” or chosen to join Rose & Grave, the most elite secret society at Eli. And her whole life changes. Suddenly, all the cool, rich kids on campus are her friends, and she’s riding around in limos and drinking champagne.

At least until the older members of the society decide to shut Rose & Grave down. Seems the old, white guys don’t think women should be allowed into their club. Sexist pigs! 👿

But Amy, with the help of her new friends, manages to change their minds — or at least circumvent their scheming.

A prestigious, Ivy League-type college that has a plethora of secret societies isn’t a world I’m familiar with, since I attended a Southern university where most of the students were commuters (including moi). But hey, that’s why we read books, right? To get transported to other worlds.

I enjoyed a lot of things about SSG. The college atmosphere was nicely done, as was Amy’s worry about how her new “status” would affect her relationship with her best friend. Amy was a smart, believable character who wasn’t afraid to stand up to people who had a lot more power than she did.

The only thing I didn’t like about Amy was the way she treated Brandon. The nicest, sweetest guy in the world, and she messes up their relationship. I know Amy has her issues, but I wanted to reach into the book, take her by the shoulders, and say “What the heck are you doing?” Then again, most of us don’t know a good thing when we see it.

(And I wanted to know Poe’s real name. If it was in the book, I missed it.)

Anyway, thumbs up.

BTW, the second book in the series, Under the Rose, was just released. Got to help a fellow Chick-Lit writer out. 😀

Up next: The Devil in the Junior League by Linda Francis Lee.

What about you? What are you reading this summer? Inquiring minds want to know …