Meg Cabot has written a number of great series for children,
young adults, and adults. My personal favorite is the
Heather Wells series, featuring a former pop princess whose
mother ran off with her money and who caught
now-ex-boyfriend (and boy band heartthrob) Jordan Cartwright
cheating. Heather is taking ownership of her life by
working as an assistant residence hall director at New York
College in exchange for tuition and a small salary. For
free rent, she does administrative work for private
investigator Cooper Cartwright, brother to her ex-boyfriend,
friend, and most recently secret fiancé.
Heather is spending her summer taking Psych 101 and
overseeing a small staff of misfit students who are keeping
things running while Fischer Hall, aka the Death Dorm, is
being renovated. She can handle the unexpected, including
unauthorized paintball wars, a painting crew made up of the
troubled basketball team, and even the filming of a reality
show featuring Jordan and his pregnant girlfriend Tania
Trace. All she hopes for is that the Death Dorm doesn't
live up to its name...no more grisly murders! Heather's hopes
are dashed when the producer of the show is murdered in what
appears to be an attempt on Tania's life. To feel safe,
Tania insists that the first "Tania Trace Teen Rock Camp" be
moved to Fischer Hall. Soon, Heather finds herself helping
to protect Tania, playing den mother to a bunch of spoiled
teens and their moms, and trying to figure out the identity
of the murderer. Lucky for her, hot PI Cooper is by her
side the whole way.
SIZE 12 AND READY TO ROCK is funny, exciting, and charming;
everything I have come to expect from the Heather Wells
series. Heather is smart, confident, and sure of herself
without taking herself too seriously. She has a snarky edge
that makes me laugh and wish we could hang out. Cooper is
sexy and supportive while dealing with some of his own
family issues. One thing I love about series is having the
chance to see how relationships develop over time, in this
case Heather and Cooper are sorting out what it means to be
engaged (even in secret). The supporting characters are
entertaining and complex, each with his/her own quirks and
issues. The tone is more humorous than suspenseful but that
doesn't detract from the threat posed by the killer.
Heather doesn't seek out danger but she more than holds her
own when it finds her.
Just because the students at New York College have gone
home for the summer doesn’t mean assistant residence hall
director Heather Wells gets to relax. Fischer Hall is
busier than ever, filled with squealing thirteen- and
fourteen-year-old girls attending the first ever “Tania
Trace Teen Rock Camp,” hosted by pop sensation Tania Trace
herself-who just happens to be newly married to Heather’s
ex, heartthrob Jordan Cartwright. But the real headache
begins when the producer of a reality TV show starring
Tania winds up dead… and it’s clear that the star was the
intended victim.
Grant Cartwright, head of Cartwright Records, wants to keep
his daughter-in-law (and highest earning performer) alive.
So he hires his black sheep other son, private investigator
Cooper Cartwright-who just happens to be Heather’s new
fiancé. Heather should leave the detecting to Cooper. But
with a dorm-full of hysterical mini-divas-in-training, she
can’t help but get involved, especially after Tania lets
slip her shocking secret, and Heather realizes her reality
is far more dangerously real than anyone ever anticipated.