Thursday 6 August 2020

Chelsea High by Jenny Oliver



This book was gifted to me by Electric Monkey for an honest review. 

Norah led an idyllic life on the river in a quaint little village. Everyone knows everyone and they all help each other out. Her parents seem to have a God like status among the neighbours.  But when her father is arrested for fraud, the village turn against Norah and her family and she finds herself in a private school in London, paid for by the very rich grandparents that she didn't know she had. Surrounded by extortionately rich students and Instagram sensations, Norah struggles to fit in, until the school put on a theatre production. Norah decides to audition, especially as there is a chance she will star opposite the rather good looking Ezra. 

I have to be honest, I thought I wasn't going to like this book. The beginning comes across quite cheesy. The school felt like it was straight out of Made in Chelsea and nearly put me off. But as I kept reading, I completely got sucked into the the world of Chelsea High. I really enjoyed it and found it easy to read. 

There was a lot more to the characters than money. They all had their own problems and Norah soon realised that the other students were no better than her. I loved the contrast between Norah's old life and new. The way she tried to fit in with the rich kids before learning that it wasn't worth it in the end. Norah also reaches a stage where she realises her parents are far from perfect. Taking off her rose tinted glasses, she finally sees what everyone else sees for the very first time. Her dad has made a huge mistake, which she constantly defended him for, until she understood that he was actually guilty. 

The school put on a production of Grease and I was totally hooked. I loved how some of the students warmed to Norah and accepted her despite being different to them. And the growing friendship between Ezra and Norah was really sweet. I also loved how Norah wins over her stuffy grandparents, especially her grandfather. 

This book felt like a combination of High School Musical and Mean Girls. Fun, dramatic and cheesy at the same time. If you are looking for an easy read. This one is for you. I read it in two days and loved it. I look forward to reading the sequel. 




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