Review: Chloe by Design: Making the Cut by Margaret Gurevich

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

For viewers that love Project Runway comes a series that puts fashion at the forefront. 16-year-old Chloe Montgomery has always loved everything to do with fashion. Clothes, accessories, designing--she knows it all. And when she finds out Teen Design Diva, a new reality series for aspiring teenage designers, is holding auditions in her town, she's desperate to win a spot on the show. She knows this is her chance to finally get her designs noticed. But before Chloe can realize her dreams, she has to survive the competition.

MY TAKE:
If you're a fan of Project Runway, you will definitely like this book.

In Chloe by Design: Making the Cut, Chloe is a young girl who dreams of becoming a famous fashion designer. When her favorite design reality show reveals that it will be running a teen version, Chloe is excited to join. However, aside from the competition, she'll also have to face one of the people she dislikes the most. Will she make it to the top?

I like seeing beautiful clothes and I know what I like when it comes to fashion, but my fashion vocabulary isn't exactly stellar. That's why when I was reading Chloe's descriptions of the designs she and the other designers create, I only had a vague picture in my head of what they looked. It's a good thing that the book also includes colored design sketches, like you would see designers make to show clients or to put their ideas to paper. I was extremely impressed with the drawings and figured that it was probably drawn by a real designer. Turns out the illustrator really does do designs like these for a living.

I wouldn't call myself a huge Project Runway fan, but I did watch the first few seasons of the show. (Chloe Dao is my favorite winner.) I also watched a ton of reality shows over the years so I was pretty familiar with how the competition in the book ran. That said, while some parts were predictable (I was able to figure out who the top three would be about halfway through the competition), there were still enough fresh ideas and characters to make this worth reading. I couldn't completely relate to Chloe, but I did like her and I could imagine being her friend. At the very least, I was rooting for her.

If ever there was a book that would make a great movie or series, this would be it. Hollywood, are you listening?

Thanks to NetGalley and Capstone Young Readers for the e-ARC. Publication date of Chloe by Design: Making the Cut is on August 1, 2014.

THE GOOD:

1. The book gives a behind-the-scenes look at fashion-related reality shows.
2. The illustrations are beautiful and help you visualize what the designs look like.
3. You want to cheer for most of the characters.

THE BAD:

1. Some parts are predictable.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

I can totally see it. The glitz, glamour, lights. The loud, big-city life. All the things I've read about and seen on television.

READ IT IF:

1. You like reality shows like Project Runway.
2. You like fashion
3. You want to be a fashion designer someday. 

RATING:


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