Second Skin was a very new take on popularity. Instead of being something that was based on looks, clothes, and friends, it was based on the Second Skin. It’s like this thing that makes you popular overnight, all you have to do is wear it over your own skin. How weird is that?

From the very start of the book, I knew I wasn’t going to like Sam Klein. She was horribly rude to her friends and her whole goal in life was to become popular. I couldn’t believe how shallow and self-centered she was. She had two great friends but they weren’t popular so she wasn’t happy with them. And as soon as she got the Skin she pretty much ditched the only two people who really liked her. I found that super annoying.

Then there was the plot. I couldn’t really find one, other than Sam getting the Skin so she could be the most popular girl in school. It may be a plot but I didn’t think it was a very good one. It seemed like once she got the Skin the whole point of the book was to just talk about her new popularity. And yeah everything changes in the end, including Sam’s personality, but I didn’t think it was enough to make the book good.

Overall I was really disappointed in Second Skin and it’s something I won’t ever read again. This is another one of those books I highly recommend getting from your local library. ( )

This book was weird. It was like an extraterrestrial life-form came to Earth and crawled onto unsuspecting teenage girls.

Second Skin told of a girl who wanted to be popular and she’s desperate. Desperate enough that she’s willing to steal a Skin. Not just any skin but the Skin. The one that transform you from nobody and somebody.

Sam grows through a journey where she questions if popularity is what she truly wanted. I mean she practically destroyed her old friendship and instead made new ones that was every bit as cliché as a teenage reality TV series—bimbos. Sam develops and realizes what true friends are and is finally released from her imprisonment in the Second Skin. Because duh, that’s her heroines are supposed to do!

The book was a light and quick read from start to finish. Cute but nothing sickeningly sweet. I love the extra food fact, go green statements, and the healthy choice to support independent businesses (because we’re all about the Indie Bookstores).

Overall: Simple but cute. ( )

Reviewed by Andrea for TeensReadToo.com

Samantha Klein will do anything it takes to be popular and to be part of the "In" crowd. And when she discovers the secret to just how the current queen of the A-list got her popularity, Sam makes the secret her own.

But once she gets her wish, she might just discover that it's not all that it's cracked up to be.

I thought that this was a cute book. I liked the idea of a second skin - I thought it was a new concept, or at least one that I hadn't read before. And while there was nothing too deep in the book, the message about popularity and being yourself did come across in an intriguing way.

I read SECOND SKIN in one sitting, so it's an easy-to-read story with a great theme. ( )

Second Skin came with a great message. As Sam becomes more popular her schedule begins to fill (her priorities begin to change) and she doesn't have time for the things she used to consider important in her life. Like her adorably geeky guy friend Alex, overly opinionated, star chef, best friend Gwen, and obsessedly activist parents. Sam learns some really valuable lessons and being yourself through her popularity.

This novel was hilarious. I found Sam's voice quirky and real. With quotes like "I reasoned, thinking that my chances of becoming popular would be even more diminished if I was chopped up and living in Kylie's freezer" I couldn't help but laugh out loud. I really enjoyed the sense of humor in the novel!

The writing was simple in to the point but in no way did that take away from the story. At times I felt like the novel was a "How-to" guide to being popular but I think that's how the author intended it to be. If I had one complaint about the book it's that Sam seemed to stumble upon her popularity so quickly (which, again, were probably effects of The Skin) and I really wanted to see Alex and Sam's relationship blossom more (but the scenes they were together were extremely memorable and sweet).

This was a quick and easy read which had me up all night finishing (I read it in one night!). There was equal parts humor and sincerity, life lessons and love (mixed with a little geometry and astronomy). If you like to see the ugly side of being popular, this is the story for you! Also, if you want to read about a cast of unlikely but sweet and real characters and how they figure out who they are (with the help from each other), pick this one up right away! You won't be disappointed! ( )