Girl in Development:

This is pretty much guilty pleasure fare, with plenty of appealing moments, but no real surprises. When 18-year-old Samantha's uncle sets her up with a summer internship at a movie production company, the smart, accident-prone high school graduate moves from Massachusetts to Hollywood-where she shares a room with her cool cousin, Kate. Through their influence on each other, Sam learns to loosen up, while party girl Kate realizes she is ""losing her sparkle"" and becomes determined to find a new direction. The cousins not only become friends, but eventually wage ""war"" against the guy who wronged Sam (Matt not only breaks her heart, he steals her movie treatment). Characters are as scripted as the plot, from ultra-smooth Matt, who says ""I wanted to kiss you the moment I saw you,"" to Kate's hypochondriac friend, who chicly accessorizes her ailment-of-the-moment. Even so, plenty of drama and glamour will keep readers flipping pages (the girls shop at Fred Segel, sunbathe at a private beach club and spend nights at exclusive restaurants and parties, hobnobbing with celebs). Both girls have realistic strengths and weaknesses (Sam is genuine and unique, but she has her defenses up after hard high school years amongst rich kids; Kate, on the other hand, can be fun and loyal, but also shallow and mean); by shaping them into more full-blooded characters, the author makes their bond more believable. Even so, it may be hard for many readers to buy the picture-perfect ending. Ages 14-up.