Violet on the Runway by Melissa Walker

Summary:

A wallflower in the spotlight can do one of two things: wilt, or blossom...

Violet Greenfield's life changes forever when a lady in giant Chanel shades tells her she could be IT, the next Kate Moss-but taller, and without the PR problems. That's how Violet winds up with a business card in the front pocket of her jeans on her first day as a senior in high school. Angela Blythe from Tryst Models in New York City wants to put Violet on a plane and whisk her into the world of high-heeled boots and oversized sunglasses. Tall, skinny Violet, who's been P-L-A-I-N practically forever.

And guess what? She's going. (from GoodReads)

Review:
I've had the Violet books on my shelves for a very long time and I finally decided to read them. This is going to be a quick review because I'm supposed to be working on a paper and I don't have that much to say about Violet on the Runway.

I thought the novel was very cute and was definitely a girl book. It's all about a teenager who feels unattractive (since she's so tall and thin) but ends up being perfect for the modeling world. Modeling always interested me, not that I wanted to be a model, but I love watching America's Next Top Model and reading books about it. So I liked learning more about the industry, though I'm not sure how much in this book is true. It just seemed like Violet became a superstar really quickly, and without doing that much. She sort of went into modeling blind and ignorant, and everyone just happened to love her innocence and inexperience. It's definitely unrealistic but this is a book so I'm just going to ignore that.

Since the book is told from Violet's point-of-view, you get to see her first reactions to everything and see her personal thoughts. I liked that and Violet had a great voice - she seemed like she could be a real teenager. I also liked that she didn't fall prey to the pitfalls of modeling: drug use, eating disorders, etc. Violet is definitely a role model for young girls.

Now I'm starting the second book and then I have third one, too, so I'll be curious to see Violet's adventures.

Rating: 7 out of 10.
FTC: bought.

2007/Berkley Trade/220 pages.