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Book Review of Top 8 (Top 8, Bk 1)

Top 8 (Top 8, Bk 1)
Top 8 (Top 8, Bk 1)
Author: Katie Finn
Genre: Teen & Young Adult
Book Type: Paperback
GeniusJen avatar reviewed on + 5322 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1


Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

TOP 8 was a book that I didn't want to put down once I started reading.

Madison MacDonald is stuck going on a trip to the Galapagos Islands with her family for spring break. She's not thrilled about it at all. She's recently started dating Justin Williamson (seventeen days) and doesn't want to leave him or her friends. And to make matters worse, she can't take her cell phone or laptop with her because they'd be useless.

The trip turns out to be okay, and there was even a sort of cute boy about her own age on the trip, but the whole time she just wanted to get home. Had she known what was awaiting her return, she might have changed her mind.

The minute she got home, she ran to her temperamental laptop to check her Friendverse account. She can't believe what she sees. She's so stunned that she reboots her laptop to make sure she logged onto the correct profile. Friendverse is the latest in the Facebook/MySpace trends. Someone has totally changed her profile! The photos that are uploaded are the most unflattering possible. And the comments she's received from her friends leave her flabbergasted. The things that they're saying she's said about everyone. This just can't be right! And Justin has broken up with her!

Madison calls an emergency session with her three best friends: Schuyler, Liz, and especially Ruth. After struggling to explain the situation, all three friends believe her and vow to help her discover the culprit. Madison can't imagine why anyone would do such a thing to her. The four girls come up with a list of two possible perpetrators: Kittson Pearson, who is in charge of the junior prom and has just stolen her boyfriend, and Connor Atkins, who has lost the student secretary election to Madison.

Madison vows to discover the evildoer and to get Justin back. But what she doesn't count on is running into the sort of cute boy from her trip. He's not just sort of cute, he's really cute, and his family lives in the next town over!

Madison is far from perfect and comes to realize her faults by the end of the story. The things her friends accuse her of saying are true, in a way. But she doesn't deserve the headaches that the hacker sets her up for.

TOP 8 moves so quickly that you will find yourself determined to finish the book in one sitting. I thought I had the culprit figured out early on, but I was totally wrong in my assumptions! Ms. Finn wrote an amazing first novel. Having enjoyed this as much as I did, I can't wait to see what her future books will bring!