Book Review - The Market by J.M. Steele

Oh my goodness, I LOVED THIS BOOK!

Kate is the kind of girl that tends to blend into the hallways during her four years of high school. Not popular, but not un-popular. Smart enough to get into Brown, but not hot enough to grab the guys attention. She has a close-knit group of friends and they have a great time together, but they aren't scoring invitations to parties hosted by The Proud Crowd, the resident popular clique in their New Jersey town. Until one day Kate DOES get invited to a Proud Crowd party, and finds herself face to face with hottie Will B, who whispers oh-so-sweetly "You were always the one I couldn't see". That same night Kate learns about The Market, an on-line stock exchange where girls are considered commodities and traded according to their value. There is real money at stake too, and it's not chump change. The winner of The Market will earn $25,000 at the end of the school year. So imagine how Kate must feel when she is finds out that she is number 71. 71 out of 140 girls. This comes as a crushing blow to Kate's ego, and after discussing it with her pals, Kate and her friends decide to do something about it. She is ready to make herself over in any way to increase her stock, and hopefully earn the big bucks at the end. Of course, they all realize how awful and disgusting it is to rate girls, but there is something so alluring about manipulating the system that Kate can't resist. And once she starts her transformation, from Kate to Kat - from boring J.Crew denim jackets to sexy thrift store mini-skirts- from late nights at the diner to late nights meeting up with Will B. in her parents hammock - Kate can't resist. She sinks deeper and deeper into The Market.

Of course, this kind of story has been told before: rags to riches, Ugly Ducking turns into the beautiful swam, geek turns into the prom queen - but the story is so good I hardly noticed. A definite must read!