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Gigi, Bea, and Neerja are best friends and total overachievers. Even if they aren’t the most popular girls in school, they aren’t too worried. They know their real lives will begin once they get to their Ivy League colleges. There will be ivy, and there will be cute guys in the libraries (hopefully with English accents)! But when an unexpected event shows them they’re missing out on the full high school experience, it’s time to come out of the honors lounge and into the spotlight. They make a pact: They will each take on their greatest challenge—and they will totally rock it.
Gigi decides to run for student rep, but she’ll have to get over her fear of public speaking—and go head-to-head with gorgeous California Will. Bea used to be one of the best skiers around, until she was derailed. It could be time for her to take the plunge again. And Neerja loves the drama club but always stayed behind the scenes—until now.
These friends are determined to show that smart girls get what they want—but that could mean getting way more attention than they ever bargained for…
Kirkus Review…
What smart girls like Gigi, Neerja and Bea want is smart boys, although they’re hard to find.
After following in Neerja’s sister Parad’s Ivy League–bound footsteps for years, the friends stumble upon Parad’s signature-less yearbook, making them think that maybe studying isn’t everything. Gigi, who rocks Latin and chemistry, narrates this clever, Glee-like romp through sophomore year. The only relationship on her Facebook page is with Petunia, her basset hound. Her social nonexistence is epitomized by the girls she sits between in homeroom, who ignore her while they pass a phone back and forth across her. Her take on their account of a Halloween party prompts the question, “Where is a deus ex machina when you need one?” When Gigi is accused of cheating on the AP Chemistry midterm along with Mike, a Man Clan wannabe who calls her “Einstein,” the girls launch into action. Gigi finds herself running for student rep against Will, the new guy from California she’s fallen for who’s unafraid to use the word “metaphor” in conversation. Neerja tries out for the lead in Romeo and Juliet and Bea convinces Gigi to join the ski team with her, all in the name of establishing their cred.
The author of The Cinderella Pact (2006) shows a humorist’s ear for the cadence of teen language in this smart foray into teen literature. (Fiction. 12-17)
“Sarah Strohmeyer gets what readers want: a fresh, funny book full of likable characters, drama, and plenty of romance that kept me turning pages until late into the night.”
Meg Cabot, bestselling author of ABANDON and THE PRINCESS DIARIES
“This realistic novel, with touches of humor, is a welcome addition to bookshelves.”
Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)
“The author of The Cinderella Pact (2006) shows a humorist’s ear for the cadence of teen language in this smart foray into teen literature.”
Kirkus Reviews
“What a refreshingly realistic story about accomplished, ambitious and unapologetically intelligent teen girls! Full of wry observations about high school politics and drama, Smart Girls Get What They Want is for any reader still figuring out who you want to be.”
Megan McCafferty, New York Times bestselling author of BUMPED and the Jessica Darling series
“Sex and the City meets Pride and Prejudice in this funny, smart and heart-warming book. Brainy babes, unite! This book is for you.”
Patricia McCormick, author of SOLD and NEVER FALL DOWN