M. Apostolina

Reviewed by Jocelyn Pearce for TeensReadToo.com

MERI STRIKES BACK is a continuation of the story introduced in HAZING MERI SUGARMAN. Meri Sugarman, evil sorority president whose downfall was brought about by Cindy Bixby and her friends, is back. Criminal charges against her amounted to nothing but a few hours of community service to be done. This time around, Cindy is being set up so that her sorority sisters will think she's the crazy one, instead of psychopath Meri.

Meri's not alone this time, either. Even though her old vice-president, Gloria, is in prison, Meri has gotten the help of some evil Catholic schoolgirls--miniature Meri Sugarmans. With their help, Meri's plan is working. Everyone sees Meri as the victim, and Cindy as the crazy girl who just won't forgive poor, apologetic Meri Sugarman. Only Cindy knows the truth, and she's got to convince her friends, the Dean of the college, and the rest of Alpha Beta Delta that Meri's just as dangerous as she ever was.

Readers of HAZING MERI SUGARMAN will love its sequel! It might be even more hilarious than book number one. The great characters are back as well. The only reason this book might not live up to the very high expectations set by the first book is the ending. MERI STRIKES BACK ends in a way that is very obviously setting it up for a continuation. Cindy's last diary entry hardly wraps up any loose ends, and even creates several more questions. Certainly, I'm glad there will be another story, but it would be nice if each book was also a story in itself, not just a continuation of one long story. HAZING MERI SUGARMAN stands on its own very well, but this novel, unfortunately, does not.

Still, though, it's a great read that is not to be missed! It's not entirely necessary to have read HAZING MERI SUGARMAN first, though it is recommended (certainly don't read that one after reading this one; there are a lot of spoilers). MERI STRIKES BACK is a fairly quick read that will have readers anxious for the next book about Meri and Cindy, DARK CINDY.… (más)

Reviewed by Jocelyn Pearce for TeensReadToo.com

Cindy Bixby has always been a loser. There may be kinder ways to say it, but that's just the way it is. All through high school, she was tormented by her classmates. At home, her sister Lisa has always gotten all the attention from her pretty, former-cheerleader mother who just can't seem to understand how she ended up with a daughter like Cindy.

Now, though, Cindy wants to change that. She's going to college at Rumson University, her parents' alma mater, and she's going to change her life! She's optimistic (rather annoyingly so, actually) about her chances of having friends (maybe even being popular), and even getting a boyfriend!

How is she going to do it? Cindy has a plan. Her mother says joining a sorority is the only way to go, so Cindy's pledging Alpha Beta Delta, the sorority of which her mother was once the president.

To her surprise, Cindy makes it. Her life is looking up; she's a member of an influential sorority, and she actually has a couple of friends! Even Alpha Beta Delta president, Meri Sugarman, seems to like Cindy. She helps Cindy to become beautiful and confident. Cindy's life is going great!

That is, until she invades Meri's territory. She was amazed when popular, handsome Keith Ryder actually liked her. It really was too good to be true. See, Keith is Meri's. Sure, they're broken up, and Meri doesn't want him, but she certainly doesn't want former-loser Cindy Bixby to have him. And just as easily as she was able to make Cindy's life fabulous, she makes it even worse than before. Meri has that power; the power to destroy anyone's life. Unfortunately, she is something of a psychopath.

So now Cindy and her new friends Patty, Lindsay, Keith, and even Bud Finger from high school have a mission. They're going to bring Meri down.

HAZING MERI SUGARMAN is a fantastic page-turner! M. Apostolina is a brilliant new writer. Cindy's character development is remarkably realistic; as she writes in her journal, you can see her change from an overly optimistic, naive, and often annoying character to one who, after seeing and experiencing something of the real world plus dealing with psychopath Meri Sugarman, actually knows more of what the world really is--and she can use that to her advantage, to stop Meri.

If you're put off by her bubbly, annoying tone in Cindy's first few journal entries, keep reading! That's just part of who Cindy is at the beginning. Honestly, even the nicest person would just want to slap her a few times. Soon, though, she becomes a much more likeable character.

HAZING MERI SUGARMAN is full of great characters! Even (or perhaps especially) the less-likeable characters had me wanting to read more and more about them. This novel is funny (at times laugh-out-loud hilarious), absorbing, and, well, fantastic! I've read a few other reviews of the book, and reviewers kept calling it unrealistic. I highly doubt it was supposed to mirror the lives of actual college students; in fact, I'd be quite frightened if it did! Suspend disbelief for awhile; you will absolutely love this book!… (más)