Antes de salir de vacaciones, Carmen, Lena, Bridget y Tibby deciden que van a compartir un pantalón vaquero que les sienta genial a todas, y que se lo irán pasando durante el verano. Carmen se va a casa de su padre. Lena, a casa de sus abuelos en Grecia. Bridget, a un campamento de fútbol, y Tibby va a trabajar en un supermercado. Cada una va a tener mucho que contar al resto de amigas, porque va a ser un verano muy especial.

I really loved it..I'm not sure whether I'll read the whole series...but It was nice..I could relate myself to Tibby,Lena and Carmen...and Bridget is cool too... ( )

I had a really difficult time with this book - starting with the character switches every paragraph. Besides that, and this may be my age showing in addition to the fact I was never the typical girly-girl teenager, but I can't imagine having the money or wherewith-all to take a bus and plane back home after smashing a window and running away. And then, book a flight back without telling my parent. Who does that?? I liked the story between Tibby and Bailey best. ( )

I read this for a book challenge and found it to be a nostalgic and sweet read, in spite of a few sad moments. If I could be a teen again I would want friends like these around me. And oh, if only there were magic pants that looked fabulous on everyone!! ( )

Three and a half rounded up to four stars. A librarian told me about this book when it first came out. I was in sixth grade, I think, and I really wanted to read it. There were tons of other books I wanted to read as well, so I never got around to this one until now. When the movie came out, I saw it in theatres with my aunt and grandma IIRC. I remember someone started crying and I got upset because at first, I thought they were laughing. The movie, like "Crazy Rich Asians," is both a stellar adaptation and a better method of telling this actual story than the book is. Both movies do more, I mean. Onward.

I flew through this. One thing that made it difficult to read was my ebook didn't have section breaks, and the POVs switch multiple times per chapter, so it was somehting like trying to find a hidden puzzle piece. Not missing, just hiding. Other than that, this alternated between being a cute, fun read and a "damn, that is a -serious- issue being explored right now." Carmen's character has waaay more of a spine in the movie. Here, she just sucks. An enormous part of this is her bio-dad himself. WHAT AN AWFUL PERSON. SO IS LYDIA AND HER TERRIBLE DRESSMAKER. And Carmen -scolds- her own self for being angry! BE ANGRY! I remember being angry at the movie because her arc was to cry, put the jeans on, and attend a wedding of two people she barely knew and had no time or desire for her in their lives. He's stated to only visit a few weekends a year, never stated to call or write or email or perhaps most importantly, have -her- visit. None. Lena's story in this was just kind of stupid. I solidly prefer the movie's choices. It occurs to me that Lena might have been a counterbalance to all the other girls' serious issues they're experiencing. Bailey's presence in the book seemed...so Tibby could have drama, you know? But early on, she helps Tibby figure out that her parents wanted to have babies when they were more stable and that Tibby was probably an accident. My parents had my brothers and I when they were the same age as Tibby's parents, so something in me related to this. Bailey dies near the end and this turns into a Sick Lit trope. Tiny judgmental sigh.

When I saw the movie, I was instantly convinced that Bridget's mom was bipolar. Not because of her suicide, which is barely hinted at in the novel, but because I can spot my people and the movie telegraphed it. I was curious to read the book and see if Bridget's mom is named as such. Bridget has quite a few symptoms. I was -not- a fan of the coach/player romance. I am -not- a fan of power dynamic tropes like that, and if I'm reading something, it's for a reason. I felt gross when it showed up. Ugh. The book ends on a weird, abrupt note. Oddly enough, it doesn't hint that it's the first of a trilogy. I was glad to read this and am eager to rewatch the movie. ( )