Mates, Dates, and Sequin Smiles

Rating:
Summary: My All Time Favorite!
Review: I love this book! Out of the whole Mates, Dates Series, Mates, Dates, and Sequin Smiles is by far the greatest. You're able to see a whole new side of Nesta and I thought that this story was a lot deeper than any of the others. Nesta no longer seems shallow anymore and she finds out some heartbreaking things about her family's past. If you're out and you see this book, I highly recommend buying it! Applause for Cathy Hopkins!

Rating:
Summary: A sure hit for the Mates, Dates series
Review: The Mates, Dates series about four British friends rotates again to feature Nesta. Unfortunately, her friends seem to think she's all about makeup, clothes and boys. To top it off, she now has to wear braces! What's the good of worrying about image when it's ruined by metal tracks in her mouth anyway?

Nesta soon realizes that she's wrong about the limitations of braces. A new acting class that she and Izzie sign up for brings her into contact with Luke, and future meetings with him cause a hot connection to form. He doesn't care about her braces, and he's passionate about acting and film, making him a great match for her. A few catastrophic and humorous attempts to impress him with cooking and knowledge of films make her realize that Luke is interested in her for herself.

However, problems crop up when Nesta's formerly cool father forbids her to see Luke or anyone in his family again. She defies this and discovers that Luke's dad has a history with her own father --- a long and sad history. Nesta realizes that this is more important than anything that's going on in her own life, and she tries to help repair a wide breach between the two childhood friends.

Cathy Hopkins encourages readers to look for the value behind seemingly shallow people, or possibly books! The Mates, Dates series is good fun, and this installment is sure to be a hit with fans.

--- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

Rating:
Summary: Nesta Gets Braces -- The Funniest One Yet
Review: While talking with her friends, Nesta begins to worry that she might be shallow and superficial. All of her friends' efforts to cheer her up backfire. But Nesta does take some advice and join an acting class. There she meets a fab boy.

But disaster quickly strikes as Nesta finds out she needs braces. They are immediately installed and Nesta becomes afraid to open her mouth. Then there seems to be something wrong with her dad. He hates her new boyfriend but will not say why.

Boy trouble, dad trouble, and self-esteem issues all need to be dealt with before the end of the book.

This one seems a little lighter than the rest of the series with the troubles being more superficial. Also, the author seems to be a little unclear on braces other than how they look. The title actually only makes sense in the final chapter when Nesta gets it all together. Still, it was a fun read and actually had me laughing out loud (a first with this series).