Review: Chloe by Design: Balancing Act by Margaret Gurevich

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

16-year-old Chloe Montgomery beat out the competition to win Teen Design Diva, but she already has another challenge to face — tackling her internship. After winning the first season of the fashion reality show, Chloe is ready to start her job with a famous designer, Stefan Meyers, in New York City. But with an old crush and new challenges to contend with, Chloe discovers that fast-paced fashion industry isn’t for the faint of heart. Will she be able to make it work, or will the balancing act prove to be too much for this budding designer?
For ages 9-12. From the Chloe by Design series.
*Appeals to viewers of Project Runway*Perfect for aspiring teen designers and girls who love fashion*Reality-competition setting appeals to teens by tying into current television interests*Artwork from fashion industry illustrator with experience at major magazines and TV shows*Sketchbook-style artwork encourages creativity

MY TAKE:
I remember liking the first book, so of course I just had to read this one.

In Chloe by Design: Balancing Act, Chloe is back in New York for her internship with Stefan Meyers. She's also excited to see Jake again. Things are looking great for her, but with so many things on her plate, can she do it all?

As expected, I liked this book a lot. It really makes you feel like you are right there with Chloe and feeling what she feels. I love the descriptions of Chloe's life in New York, and her descriptions of working at a fashion label make me want to work at a New York-based fashion house too. Of course, I'd be in the PR department because out of all of Chloe's experiences, that was the only one that looked doable to me based on my abilities.

I felt like while there were occasional hiccups for Chloe, there was no main big crisis and problem here. I kept expecting her to mess up royally and spend a few chapters dealing with it, but that never happened. It really was more of a day-in-the-life-of type of story, and you know what? I liked it. It was like reading a diary or watching a reality documentary show like The Rachel Zoe project. Some lives and stories are interesting enough on their own even if there's no obvious big problem or conflict to solve. Sometimes it's actually better that way.

Chloe is a likable character. Some may see she gets everything too easily, but I don't think that's necessarily true. She has a great attitude and solid work ethic, and that's why she succeeds. Usually, the right people will notice your hard work and they'll appreciate it even more if you don't announce it. On another note, I liked how the love story here was handled. That's not something you see often in YA books, so I'm glad that this book shows that that kind of thing is perfectly acceptable.

I don't consider myself a fashionista, but I can appreciate great design, and if I had more patience, I would relearn how to use the sewing machine and create patterns to make my own clothes. The clothes in this book were all gorgeous, and most importantly, wearable. I actually found a few that I would totally buy if they were affordable and available locally. The one I want the most, though, is the blue-and-white tank dress under SM Week Fashion designs.

Thanks to NetGalley and Capstone Young Readers for the e-ARC.

THE GOOD:

1. The designs and illustrations are beautiful. 
2. It really makes you feel like you are there with Chloe and you are experiencing the same thing she is.
3. It features a pretty detailed look at life for people who work for a fashion label.

THE BAD:

1. If you prefer YA books that have a central conflict instead of problems that pop up here and there and are dealt with pretty much right away, then you may not like this book as much.

READ IT IF:

1. You love reality show documentaries.
2. You love fashion.
3. You want to work in the fashion industry someday. 

RATING:


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