Girls on Film (The A-List #2) by Zoey Dean | Rating: ★★★★★

The A-List crew is back for seconds in this installment of the best selling series. It’s hard for me to believe it’s as old as it is, but in spit of its age it is still hilarious and oozes shallow rich-kid-plots goodness. Zoey Dean ups her game for this number and doesn’t disappoint fans with where she takes this glamorous series.

Often hailed as Gossip Girl for California teens, The A-List is one of the most popular young adult chick lit series and proves time and time again that sometimes it’s fun to be bad. Girls on Film is just as funny, luxurious, fashionable and scandalous as the previous book and we watch the delightful batch of characters as they cook up more drama in their final semester of high school.

Anna Percy moved to California to live with her father and start over. Always in the shadow of her dear best friend, Anna thought it was about time for an adventure of her own and a personality overhaul. With her new found confidence and new zip code, Anna has found herself in love with one boy, dating another, new friends and new enemies.

Anna has certainly sealed her place on The A-List without so much of a struggle. She hasn’t come too far out of her shell but she does have a level of intrigue that her new classmates have found. Her arrival has brought a new mix to the lives of these teenagers; a friendship has quickly formed between herself and the always entertaining Sam Sharpe. And this friendship takes the main stage in Girls on Film, as the two girls work together on a film for school – a retelling of The Great Gatsby.


Anna’s relationship, or lack thereof, with Ben is even more complicated in this one than the last and she only complicates things more by including Adam into her tangled love life. In spite of how sweet he is, she can’t shake Ben from her mind, even with the distractions of school, the arrival of her alcoholic sister and the ongoing power struggle between herself and Cammie Sheppard. But can she ever really, truly be with someone like Ben?

And can she manage to keep her mysterious sister out of trouble after Susan is kicked out of rehab? The world Anna is currently living, and working, in is very dangerous for someone with substance abuse problems and we really, really want to root for Susan in this because frankly, she is likeable. In all her flaws there is something in her that makes her relatable and honest.

Girls on Film maintains its stylish charm, easy and intriguing writing all the while mixing things up. It doesn’t slack on the dramatics we’ve come to expect and is filled with romance and friendship and reads similar to a reality show. It’s nothing extraordinary but it as entertaining as these books get and will forever be one of my favorites.

Although Anna is the main character, we do see the inclusion of more characters within the pages of this installment as usual, which serve as a welcome break from the sometimes uptight narration of Anna Percy.

Sam shines even more than the last one. She’s certainly a fan favorite and Girls on Film shows growth in her and that sparkle that is needed in books such as these. We watch as she struggles to understand whether or not she’s developing feelings for Anna or not and we see an incredibly strong friendship forming between the two.

All in all, Sam seems to have Anna’s best interests at heart and proves this in a selfless act towards the end of the book. Sam decides to take matters into her own hands when it comes to the ongoing saga between Anna and Ben; leading the two to a reconciliation and a truths and giving them the chance to explore their relationship. During this time, Anna is able to let herself go a bit and follows her heart – this is the book in which she loses her virginity.

Dee seems to be struggling with herself and we get a bit of foreshadowing when it comes down to her mental stability. Although she does a decent job in hiding it with her smile and often eccentric behavior. She is still one of the most likeable characters in this series and I personally want to wrap her up in a blanket and protect her.

Cammie is still Cammie. Although we know why she does the things she does, it doesn’t excuse it. She hits an all time low in this one by manipulating Anna’s addict of a sister, Susan, and shows very little remorse in doing so. Her actions were very dangerous in this and overall it was a little disappointing to see her do the things she does. We all understand why she’s insecure around Anna, but the things she does in Girls on Film are a whole new level of toxic and gross and hopefully she’ll learn from them.

Cammie’s main goal in befriending Susan is to cause trouble, embarrass and provoke Anna. Really, all it does is show Cammie’s dark side and possibly her true colours – is there such a thing as redemption for this bad girl?

From start to finish, Girls on Film with intrigue you and will be something you can finish in one sitting. It isn’t the next classic that will make you learn something, but it will keep you entertained without a doubt.