The Graduates #1

In the first book in the Sweet Dreams/On Our Own miniseries, best friends Jill and Toni are set to attend State U. together, where Jill's boyfriend is enrolled. Then two things happen: Toni's father suffers a heart attack, and Jill is offered a place at her first choice, Rosemont College, where she'd been on the waiting list. Toni can't go to college, but Jill bravely accepts the challenge of Rosemont, and discovers that college is more than just going to class. Her roommate, Sheridan, makes life miserable for Jill; she's messy, borrows clothes and ruins them, and invites friends over constantly. Toni comes to visit and tells Sheridan off. Jill gets a new roommate, discovers a new love interest (by this stage Jill's high school boyfriend has been almost completely dropped from the plot), starts a food fight and lands a job writing humorous pieces for the newspaper. Everything turns out just fine. Although Jill is pretty wishy-washy throughout, and Sheridan is a little too wicked, most of the first-time college experiences ring true. (12-up)