BOOKS

Fun, fearless and flirtatious, Riley Swain is the glam queen of Manhattan—and she’ll never let you forget it. Whether it is the right clothes, the perfect hair or the most expensive pair of Jimmy Choos, Riley’s got it all. Except of course, the love of her best guy friend, Michael “D” Hammond, parents who pay attention to her and a trim size zero bod. 

In This Book Isn’t Fat, It’s Fabulous, by Nina Beck, Riley’s glamorous world is rocked when her soon-to-be-stepmother, Elizabeth, signs her up for a two week stint at New Horizons, a school in upstate New York which specializes in teaching girls to get healthy. In other words, a fat camp.

Not only is Riley furious that her stay at New Horizons interferes with her spring break plans in Mexico, she’s mortified. So she lies to her friends and says that she’s got “family plans” at a spa. She even drops major dough to reserve a room at this spa—all just to save face in case her friends get suspicious and call the spa to check up on her (which her best frenemy, Marley, does).

But New Horizons proves to be slightly more interesting than Riley ever imagined. Despite a small clique of nasty girls, hours of exercise and flavorless food, Riley meets Eric, an adorable guy who appreciates her biting wit but shocks her with his honesty and blatant interest in her.

When she does, Riley discovers that her time at New Horizons has helped her to shed not just pounds, but also her shallow perspectives on friendship, honesty and love.

—Amy Wilson

9/14/2008 4:59:00 AM