I Will Always Love You (GG #12) created by Cecily von Ziegesar | Rating: ★★★★★

They chose each other.

Just then, the dark sky lit up with fireworks. A cab sailing the street honked in celebration . In the night air, Nate thought he could hear Serena and Blair's laughter, though he knew that was impossible; they were too far away by now.

But as we know, in this city anything is possible.

Flashback to 2008 or 2009: in a surprising move due to the popularity of the then-hit television series, Gossip Girl came back for one final look into our beloved teenagers lives as they explore adulthood and come home for the holidays during breaks in university. Much like the final books and spin-offs of the original series, it is penned a ghost writer and not Cecily herself.

I Will Always Love You, or as I like to call it: the pitiful (but still fun) attempt at drawing in fans of the television series and unnecessarily destroying the characteristics of the books, takes place over the course of four years and is told in the usual rotating narration and blog entries. We’re split up to focus ONLY on the four years of holidays our kids have as breaks from classes.

(I’m being a bit dramatic: the installment wasn’t horrible it just wasn’t Gossip Girl in the way longtime readers wanted it to be. There were some redeeming qualities to it, though, like the endgames. Which is why I've still given it a high review like the rest of the series.)

Only in Your Dreams (GG #9) created by Cecily von Ziegesar | Rating: ★★★★★

Summer is here and things are heating up for our recent high school graduates in the ninth book of the pop culture phenomenon that is Gossip Girl. Sadly, Only In Your Dreams is the first of the series to be written by a ghost writer instead of Cecily von Ziegesar and it definitely shows.

But the ghost writer does capture Cecily’s series in a way the mimics her style perfectly. While it isn’t the best of the series, it is still juicy and stylish in the way that only Gossip Girl can be.

Everyone’s favorite Upper East Siders are nearing adulthood and have vowed to make this summer their best yet. Serena’s begun production as the lead in Breakfast at Fred’s, only to find out acting isn’t quite as easy as she thought. Her only saving grace is her looks and her ridiculously adorable and sweet costar, whom she definitely develops a crush on.

But is this something she can pursue? Or is he just not that into her?

And then there’s Vanessa who, after getting booted from her apartment by her older sister Ruby’s return, finds herself temporarily homeless.

Luckily for her, with Serena’s help, she is able to land a job on the movie set. And she moves in with the Humphrey’s. Rufus is surprisingly cool about it and soon she finds herself staying in Jenny’s old room. It’s a cozy little set up and things look up for our favorite edgy, badass, bald, budding filmmaker.

Nothing Can Keep Us Together (GG #8) by Cecily von Ziegesar | Rating: ★★★★★

After the not-so-shocking dramatic end to Nobody Does It Better, Gossip Girl heats up as high school graduation approaches, their futures now closer than ever, new and old romances ignite, long standing friendships fall apart and Jenny looks into various boarding school options.

And word on the street is that a certain filmmaker is looking to remake Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Any guesses as to who is one of the many, beautiful, hopeful young actresses? Breakfast at Fred’s seems to be generating a ton of buzz and this serves as a central plot point along with graduation.

With Nate and Serena as a couple, Blair decides to take her life into her own hands and start fresh. Yale has accepted her and she finally feels as though she’s gotten back into her groove; although it’s clear that she feels the sting of Nate and Serena’s newfound couple status.

Nobody likes to see their two best friends date, especially when one of those best friends is the love of her life. But luckily for B, Nate is just as devastated by this turn of events as she is. He so clearly misses Blair. Surprisingly, the same could be said for Serena. In fact, their so-called romance is built more on the point that both want to prove to Blair that their surprise hookup in the last book was more than just a hookup between two friends.

Nobody Does It Better (GG #7) by Cecily von Ziegesar | Rating: ★★★★★

Nobody Does It Better is serving up the scandal and luxury Gossip Girl is known for. Things are looking up for our favorite Upper East Siders as graduation nears and their futures become all the more clear. In these teens charmed lives, anything goes and it’s clear that anything can happen in the city that never sleeps.

But even in all their glamorous exploits, decisions have to be made. So what does the future hold for Blair, Serena, Nate, Jenny, Dan, Vanessa, Aaron and Chuck? Where will their lives lead them next? It’s bound to be juicy and Gossip Girl is there to report everything.

Where we left off in You’re the One That I Want: Blair and Nate finally have sex and are stronger than ever–or are they? Blair’s expectations are high and notoriously framed around her favorite films… but is it possible for her to have it all? Or is she destined to become just another society princess in a sea of designer wearing women?

As for her relationship: Gossip Girl’s it-couple has always been up and down. And that is no different in Nobody Does It Better, in spite of the romantic and picture perfect ending to the previous installment.

You're the One That I Want (GG #6) by Cecily von Ziegesar | Rating: ★★★★★

You’re the One That I Want is the sixth installment in the pop culture phenomenon that is Gossip Girl and is my personal favorite of the series of books. For a series that is as messy and poorly written as GG is, it’s still thoroughly entertaining, stylish and engaging.

And in this installments case, the writing has improved immensely.

In true GG fashion, its main plot line is fueled by teenagers misbehaving and narrated by the queen of gossip herself. Most of our favorite UES teens are nearing the end of their high school careers (graduation is just months away!) and seem to be branching out more and more as they discuss what their adult lives will soon hold for them.

YTOTIW promises its usual array of scandal, gossip, fashion, luxury and sex. It’s the perfect combination of teenage angst, hormones and boredom. Which is what makes it fun and appealing to teenagers. Each character is different and yet still obtainable. They can all be extremely horrible to each other, yet you want to root for them in many ways.

I Like It Like That (GG #5) by Cecily von Ziegesar | Rating: ★★★★★

I Like It Like That welcomes you back to the scandalous lives of Manhattan’s elite and promises to be the juiciest installment yet as everyone’s favorite filthy rich teenagers are looking forward to a steamy spring break away from school and even their families. Nothing says fun like a weeks break from the lives they lead.

As Nate tries on the clean and sober route; taking on the role of white knight to his current (and completely wild) girlfriend Georgina, whom he met in rehab, Blair and Serena make sure their friendship is solid as ever as they move in with one another after Blair needs escape from her crazy family which is only growing.

Because it is spring break, most of the gang leave the city for a much needed vacation – and as it happens, Blair, Serena, Nate, Chuck and Georgina all wind up staying in Sun Valley while Jenny, Vanessa and Dan stay in he city.

Fortunately for Blair, and unfortunately for Serena, Serena’s older brother Eric van der Woodsen is joining them on their little trip and boy has he grown up nicely. College just really suits some people, you know?

Eric and Blair quickly take on a flirtation and hook up on the trip, thrilling Blair to have a distraction (and to hopefully lose her virginity to) from Nate and his disastrous girlfriend. Eric is more than pleased to be put in this situation as he assesses just how much his little sister’s best friend has grown up since he left. Their scenes are fun, flirty and lead to a steamy moment towards the end.

Now, I know what you're thinking: how bored was I to attempt to do this with no artistic ability whatsoever? It was mostly inspired by simplistic redesigns I've been seeing on Tumblr for quite some time and with all the storms we've been getting, I've found myself with some massive free time on my hands. And so I figured, eh, what the hell? If I can't go outside as often as I'd like to, why not give this a go?

Naturally, I started with the first three Gossip Girl books from Cecily von Ziegesar's bestselling series. Gossip Girl has gone on to be something of a pop culture phenomenon by hand of the bestselling books, the spin-off books it then spawned ("The It Girl" and "Gossip Girl: The Carlyles), the one-time immensely popular CW adaption (RIP!) and lastly the adaptions in other languages, most recently the fabulous Gossip Girl: Acapulco which was cancelled far too soon.

Gossip Girl will always have a special place in my life due to the fascination I've held with it since my preteen years and it felt only appropriate to use these as my first few tries. I mostly used photos from promo images, stills and behind the scenes looks at the series' original run on the CW.  One of the things that annoyed me about the repackaging designs the book series was handed during the second season of the adaption was that there wasn't barely any covers which actually fit with what would be happening in the novels.

Because I'm Worth It (GG #4) by Cecily Von Ziegesar | Rating: ★★★★★

Because I’m Worth It takes things up a notch for our favorite Upper East Siders. Time has passed rather quickly and the more things change, the more they stay the same. Some are given second chances, some are cleaning up their acts and some are exploring whole new worlds to discover themselves no matter what it costs those they love. As usual, we can expect a luxurious setting with tons of backstabbing, sex and rich teen angst.

(And we see the age old statement: give a girl a new haircut and she can take on the world. Wait, that’s not a thing? Oh…)

With a budding romance in rehab just beginning, other relationships fall apart. There’s plenty of romantic plots as per usual in this installment, and while some of it seems excessive and silly it still serves as an trashy entertainment at its finest. There’s a reason these books, and the “adaption”, are so popular: they are scandalous and reminiscent of a train wreck you can’t help but to watch.

On the topic of romance, something unexpected happens to our favorite teen queen B: Blair meets someone who has such a classic handsome tone to him that he just may be the next leading man to her Audrey Hepburn; the only catch is massive seeing as he is a friend of her fathers and is the man who is giving her a second chance at her Yale interview.

Take A Chance On Me (GG: The Carlyles #3) created by Cecily von Ziegesar and written by Annabelle Vestry | Rating: ★★★★★

In the third installment of Gossip Girl: The Carlyles, things continue heating up on the Upper East Side and these new scandalous teenagers just won’t quit. Everything has been up in flames since the arrival of The Carlyle triplets and Take A Chance on Me is quite possibly the best in this spin off and dishes us a hefty helping of drama, betrayal, romance and power struggles.

Say hello to your next best beach read, ladies and gentlemen. Although this next generation of kids don’t quite reach the level of awesomeness that our original group did, this installment certainly takes things to a whole new level and is classic Gossip Girl. It’s stylish, witty, light and will have you glued to the pages until the final chapter.

As for the kids…

Owen has officially snagged the girlfriend of his ex best friend, and with this betrayal and the entire UES teenage population knowing this, he no longer has to hide his attraction to Kelsey. No matter who he hurts, he flaunts this relationship and finds himself blissfully at ease. Love is a powerful thing, my friends. Powerful and brutal.

But is it love that two share or is it just lust? Was their romance a classic case of “you want what you can’t have”? Owen soon can’t help but wonder how well he really knows Kelsey. Now that he is friendless and in a relationship, Owen begins to have second thoughts. Kelsey doesn’t seem to ever want to just talk to him and after Rhys quits the team; he becomes captain to a group of guys who seemed to have picked sides.

All I Want Is Everything (GG #3) by Cecily von Ziegesar | Rating: ★★★★★

Following the events of You Know You Love Me, everyone’s favorite group of partying, reckless, intriguing teenagers are still the hot topic on the infamous Gossip Girl blog.

Which is not at all shocking, given their lives are as entertaining and stressful as your favorite handy dandy soap opera. It’s just as dishy, catty and sarcastic as ever and once more an absolute delight to pick up where we left off in the wild happenings of this batch of characters. Yes, Gossip Girl is the ultimate trash favorite.

All I Want Is Everything is YA chick lit at its finest. Even all these years later, this series is still fun and enjoyable and cringe worthy, i.e: a total beach read. So grab your shades, that new bikini and your favorite drink – it’s time to dive back into this dishy world and gossip our cute little butts off. Who doesn’t love a good gossip?

Winter break is nearly here and with the end of the year drawing closer, there's plenty of room for these kids to ring in the new year with dramatic sparks. Some will stay in the city for the holidays while others will be jetting off for a vacation in the sun and the world at their feet.

Thankfully for us, and the entire Upper East Side, the loveable pair of best frenemies, Blair and Serena, have patched up their friendship. Now that both girls are single and BFFs again, they’re looking to spend their winter holidays in the sun and to enjoy themselves thoroughly. They’ve earned it, right? With Nate no longer in either girls romantic lives, they’ve retracted their claws and maybe, just maybe, their eyes will meet another special someone’s.

You Just Can’t Get Enough (G.G: The Carlyles #2) created by Cecily von Ziegesar, written by Annabelle Vestry | Rating: ★★★★☆

In You Just Can’t Get Enough, the second book of the Gossip Girl spin off, Gossip Girl: The Carlyles, readers see things heating up once more in the lives of this batch of wealthy teenage Upper East Siders. And it’s oh-so-obvious that the drama that blew into the city with the arrival of The Carlyle triplets is only just getting started. But how much drama can one set of siblings really bring to Manhattan?

We’re greeted once more by the familiar voice of Gossip Girl as she reports to us the scandalous happenings of this next generation of up-to-no-good kids – and things are certainly far more entertaining in this installment than the last one. Back are the same group of teenagers from this generation – Baby, Avery, Owen, Rhys, Jack and a variety of other side characters and as always, this second book picks up right where we left off.

Jack is losing heat – her home life, ballet, her social life and now her boyfriend have all seemingly fallen from her grasp. And she’s on the ultimate war path when it comes down to the Carlyles. What happens when she falls upon a piece of information that will certainly come in handy about Owen Carlyle and what – or who – he did last summer? And how can she use it to her advantage?

More importantly, what happens when it all backfires? And what sassy entries does Gossip Girl have planned for these kids?

You Know You Love Me (GG #2) by Cecily von Ziegesar | Rating: ★★★★★

You Know You Love Me serves as the second installment of the original Gossip Girl series and comes with the return of fan favorites Blair, Serena, Nate, Dan, Jenny, Vanessa and Chuck. After the excellent start to the series, one can tell instantly that these scandalous teenagers and their lives are only just getting started. Get ready for more sex, more betrayal and more fun.

The title of this book is, perhaps, the most iconic of the series due to the phrase “you know you love me” that frequents the ever mysterious Gossip Girl’s blog and also makes its appearance in dialogue for both Blair Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen. You don’t think of Gossip Girl without this phrase.

It reminds me of middle and high school; the way you feel when you're just discovering the world for yourself and how odd and intriguing life can really be. It reminds me of the autumn and the very first pair of heels I'd purchased as a teenager; it reminds me of the thrill of doing things you shouldn't be and the exploration of it all. Plot wise, it picks up right where the first of the series left off and throws us right into the mix of these teenagers scandal filled lives.

Blair and Nate are back together, Nate is as fickle as ever, Serena is kind-of-sort-of with Dan (but for how long?), Vanessa has an older boyfriend and Jenny is looking for a way in as usual. And Chuck Bass is still a dirt bag dressed up with a pinky ring and scarf.

Gossip Girl: The Carlyles created by Cecily von Ziegesar and written by Annabelle Vestry | Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5)

I'll be honest here, guys. I am complete and utter Gossip Girl trash and always will be, but it took me years to actually pick up this spinoff and give it a go. The Carlyles came out not too long after the television adaption of the original series was running and at the time, I just wasn't feeling the idea of it. Gossip Girl already had a killer spinoff in Jenny's adventures at boarding school called The It-Girl and I saw no real point in introducing a batch of new characters.

So for years, I procrastinated reading this series. And by chance, a couple of weeks ago while thrifting, I found all four of The Carlyles books in perfect condition and for a wicked $3. How could I pass that up? Short answer: I couldn't. At least, I found myself giving this next generation a chance and while it doesn't quite live up to the original series, I was pleasantly surprised.

Although Cecily wasn't the author of this spinoff, Annabelle Vestry provides the same snarky voice to Gossip Girl and the world of Manhattans elite perfectly. Just as the original series, it's cringe worthy and has just the right amount of teen angst that it feels undeniably teenager. If you didn't notice that this spinoff wasn't written by Cecily, you honestly wouldn't be able to tell -- she has a very similar vibe in her writing and it's all in good fun. Vestry captures the scandal and intrigue and fashionable adventures we came to know in the original series and builds onto it perfectly without interrupting what we already knew.