The Daughters, Joanna Philbin

Book: The Daughters
Author: Joanna Philbin Her Site
Series: Daughters (#1)
Genre: Growing Up/YA Fiction
Rating: 5/5
Moral: 5/5

The only daughter of supermodel Katia Summers, witty and thoughtful Lizzie Summers likes to stick to the sidelines. The sole heir to Metronome Media and the daughter of billionaire Karl Jurgensen, outspoken Carina Jurgensen would rather climb mountains than social ladders. Daughter of chart-topping pop icon Holla Jones, stylish and sensitive Hudson Jones is on the brink of her own music breakthrough. By the time freshman year begins, unconventional-looking Lizzie Summers has come to expect fawning photographers and adoring fans to surround her gorgeous supermodel mother. But when Lizzie is approached by a fashion photographer who believes she’s “the new face of beauty,” Lizzie surprises herself and her family by becoming the newest Summers woman to capture the media spotlight. In this debut young adult series tailored for younger teens, author Joanna Philbin explores what it’s really like to grow up in the thick of the celebrity world. As Lizzie and her two best friends (and fellow daughters-of-celebrities) juggle normal high school events with glamorous family functions, they discover the pitfalls of fame and the importance of friendship.

The Daughters was fun, sentimental and girly without being flat. 

The Plot:
This is different from action fantasy/sc-fi. It's slower, and has more developing feelings. Time was put into the delicate wording and the beautiful characters. The plot mainly focused around the three girls, with a couple added characters. It was upbeat and had moral that people can compare to. It was about finding who you are in the mess of fame. It also reminds you what is really important. It's not anything material, it's the people you love.

The Characters:
Lizzie was funny. She was realistic and brave. Her friendship with Carina and Hudson I felt mirrored the close bond I have with my own friends and I really loved it. Parent problems. Oh, so familiar. I love my parents dearly, but even I feel like they don't get me once in a while. It's a part of growing up. Nobody is going to understand you perfectly, but your parents are the people who really try. And sometimes, not understanding goes both ways. Joanna has written a story that explains that. I think teens everywhere need to read this book.

The Setting:
Living with famous parents is obviously uncomfortable and intense. No privacy, zero trust and a lot of sky scrapers and red carpets. The story takes place in the New York City. It's very busy and big. There is lots of driving and buses and street shopping. I didn't get bored.

The Standout:
I feel like I haven't dolled out enough praise for the amazing story Joanna has written. The thing that stood out to me, was something that discarded and unimportant. It is this: Every time someone would talk to Lizzie and her friends my first thought was always that they were trying to use the girls. I never trusted anybody. I was always, "Watch out Lizzie!" I realized, one, that I never want to be really famous. Two, that some superstars are just snotty because they have to be. Three, stop snap judging. It's stupid and immature.

The Moral:
As I mentioned earlier, Joanna has written an inspiring and convicting novel. The moral of the story was driven with the idea of understanding. Lizzie had to learn to understand her mother, understand her friend and understand the people who treated her wrongly. She had to learn to judge if someone had her best interests in mind or if they were just using her. I loved the moral, the lack of heavy language and the absence of sex. It was appropriate for the age group it was written for.

So I loved this book. It's a great read and I recommend it to everyone. No matter what genre you like. Give this book a chance, and maybe you will read the next one.