The Secret Diamond Sisters

Book Title: The Secret Diamond Sisters

Author: Michelle Madow

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Number of pages: 382

Genre: young adult, contemporary, romance

Release date: February 25th 2014

Favorite Quotes:

“Courtney had always dismissed her younger sisters fairy-tale notion that the infamous hotel owner Adrian Diamond could be their father, never considering Savannah could be right.”

“Peyton was so angry, and Savannah was so hopeful, that neither of them could approach this rationally. Her sisters needed her to be the one in charge.”

“Courtney figured if he’d wanted them around, he would have done something about it. He hadn’t, so she’d done her best not to think about him. Getting upset about the past accomplished nothing.”

“…Peyton never felt more out of place. She wasn’t going to change for anyone, though, so she would have to act like she didn’t notice. She never let not fitting in bother her at home, and that wasn’t going to to be different now. Instead, she would see it as standing out. The thought gave her a rush of empowerment.”

“One of them looked like a total freak who had come straight off a Cirque du Soleil stage, with blue streaks in her hair, goth bracelets up her arm and so much black eyeliner that she could be on the set of Cleopatra. The petite one looked like she was trying to be fashionable but was failing miserably, and the tallest one looked like she had just rolled out of bed.”

“”I like you Madison, because you’re smart and determined, but I don’t want to change who I am to fit in with your friends. I have my own friends, who like me for who I am and who I have things in common with. If you want, you could hang out with us for a change.””

“She was Savannah Diamond, daughter of one of the richest hotel owners in the world. She could be more than the wide-eyed girl whose friends thought she needed to get her head out of the clouds.”

“Courtney had never been to a nightclub before, and Myst proved why she’d never had an interest in going to one, even on the under-eighteen nights at the club in San Francisco that Peyton frequented with her friends. Loud music, crowds of people she didn’t know, the overpowering smell of alcohol and cigarette smoke-it made it hard to hear her own thoughts. She wanted to run up to the condo, curl up on her bed and read.”

“But Brett was different; he seemed driven and goal-oriented. It was refreshing to meet someone she could relate to. He was the type of guy she would consider dating-if they weren’t about to be step-siblings.”

“Peyton didn’t understand the concept of reading for fun. If a book was good enough, it would become a movie, and she could see it that way.”

3 sisters

Okay, there a TON more quotes that I liked from this book, but I think the top quotes are my favorite.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Savannah. Courtney. Peyton.
The three sisters grew up not knowing their father and not quite catching a break. But it looks like their luck is about to change when they find out the secret identity of their long-lost dad—a billionaire Las Vegas hotel owner who wants them to come live in a gorgeous penthouse hotel suite. Suddenly the Strip’s most exclusive clubs are all-access, and with an unlimited credit card each, it should be easier than ever to fit right in. But in a town full of secrets and illusion, fitting in is nothing compared to finding out the truth about their past.

My Review:

5/5 stars

What an outstanding book! This is the first book by Michelle Madow that I have ever read and I am so happy I read it! I first heard about this book/author from my fellow blogger friend Ana Loves hosted the YA Author Event. I found out that Michelle would be one of the authors attending the Chapter by Chapter Book Rave Event hosted by Jennifer L. Armentrout in New Rochelle, so of course I knew I HAD to get her book. I was able to get my book signed and get a picture with her (both my mom and Michelle’s mom took a picture of us, which I thought was pretty funny). She is super nice, so if you ever get the chance to go to a book event where she’ll be, definitely go. I hate when you read a fantastic book and the author ends up not what you were expecting (which isn’t the case here).

Now that I am done rambling, let me move onto my review

I LOVE how the book begins with anonymous postings from students and then you are thrown right into the lives of Savannah, Courtney, and Peyton (which I absolutely love). This book was written in third person point of view, but with a twist. Each chapter focuses on a certain character, but in a third person point of view. Each chapter alternates between the three sisters as well as another female character, Madison Lockhart. I love reading books that sets them apart from other books. The way that Michelle writes this book is definitely very unique. Each chapter is very distinct and unique to each character that it focuses on.

Another reason why I loved this book so much was how Michelle was easily able to paint a vivid an accurate portrayal of Las Vegas. As someone who has been to Las Vegas before, I thought it would be difficult to write about a novel taking place in this kind of setting because there is soo much going on that it seems impossible to narrow down what to include. Not this book. Michelle was able to capture the essence of Las Vegas in describing everything that these characters saw and felt upon arriving in Las Vegas. If you’ve never been to Las Vegas before, you can easily picture yourself there because of how Michelle is able to describe everything in detail, to the floor tiles to the enormous hotels on the strip. I read that Michelle even took inspiration from hotels in Las Vegas for her book.

This book  is very reminiscent of Gossip Girl, which I absolutely love. This was a great idea to do, because Michelle is able to capture those readers who are currently in high school, but also readers who may have been a fan of Gossip Girl when they themselves were in high school (me included). There was never a dull moment in this book!!

Now the characters. Boy, I could not keep up with them! As a reader,this really kept me on my toes not knowing who would end up with who. There are of course the sisters: Savannah Diamond, Courtney Diamond, and Peyton Diamond. As I began reading this, it was almost disturbing how similar aspects of each character reminded me of myself or even people in my life. I was able to relate to each of the sisters in some way, and one of them more than the other two. I related to Savannah in her idea of being in a fairy-tale and that people are genuinely good and kind. I related to Courtney in that she is focused very much on her academics, is a bit awkward around guys, and would much rather read than go to a club. I would say that I can relate more to Courtney now than I did when I was in high school. Courtney is the rational sister and is able to go about situations more logically than her sisters. Peyton is by far the rebellious one out of the bunch. She is tough and strong, and does care for others but in her own way. I would say that I am only similar to Peyton in that I wore a LOT of black and dark clothes, and those infamous bracelets from Hot Topic (I even had purple hair in college). Peyton’s personality is very similar to someone that I am close to in my life, which made me even more fascinated with this book. Michelle did an excellent job in being able to capture the sisters personalities based on their age but also what they are like due to their circumstances. It was all written very realistically. Madison Lockhart is the typical A-list it girl and reminded me very much of Blair Waldorf, who stops at nothing to get her way, especially when it comes to the guys. I’m shocked that she can even keep track of what she does. I do like her character in that you can tell that she only reveals her true self to people, but she allows what others think of her stop her from showing what she is truly like. She doesn’t realize that if she just lets go of the control a little bit she may have been able to be with who she wanted to be with, but she is so focused on what others think that she won’t. I do look forward to see what happens with her character in the second book, and hope that she may let go just a little bit.

The guys: I am completely taken by Brett Carmel. He is definitely a guy that is fiercely protective of those he cares about, but is never someone that you would every be afraid to be around. He is so sweet and goal driven. I loved the moments between him and Courtney, but their situation makes me very sad. I also liked Nick Gordon. He also seems like another very genuine and sweet guy, even if he was involved with Madison Lockhart. I wish that there was more of him in the first book, but of course you’re only given a little smidgen of him…. so I guess I’ll just have to wait and get the second book (very sneaky Michelle). Now the other guys. Damien Sanders and Oliver Prescott. Even from their names I knew I wouldn’t like them (yeah, I was right). These two are the typical elite teens who act like they never do a single thing wrong and that they are gods gift to woman. Can you tell I really dislike these two. I really hate the way they treat the sisters throughout this book.

I think that I could just keep writing and writing about this book and these characters. I was very happy and satisfied with what happened in this book. I was also shocked when I realized that this book only took place over the course of a week (and boy does A LOT happen over that time!).  This book sort of ends on a cliffhanger, but not a cliffhanger that you may see in other books, where you’re left saying “omg, wait, what just happened!? What did I just read?!” Luckily, I only have to wait until October 28th to be able to get the sequel Diamonds in the Rough and find out what happens to our beloved and not so beloved characters

So readers, if you were a fan of Gossip Girl, or even of stories with incredible, edge of your seat plot lines, and unique writing styles then I would HIGHLY recommend this book to you!!

Happy Reading!!

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