I actually thought this was non-fiction when I decided to read it... but it was just a fun, quirky little book about a high-school girl who falls in love with a college-age fashion designer. Surprisingly engaging. ( )

Reviewed by Steph for TeensReadToo.com

Quigley and her best friend, Anne, want amazing dresses for prom. Good thing Anne's mom is a famous fashion designer, right? Wrong!

Wanting to be independent, Anne created the Betterment Plan for her and Quigley. This plan involves dieting so they will look great on prom night, getting part-time jobs so they can buy their own amazing dresses, and flirting with guys so they can land a date.

What seems good in writing isn't practiced perfectly, however, especially when Quigley gets fired from her first job (making frozen pizzas) and suddenly has two amazing guys who might want to go to prom with her.

WILL WORK FOR PROM DRESS is a quick and easy read, and brings back all of those memories for those of us who are old enough to have been to a senior prom. Quigley is a quirky character who you can relate to from the first chapter, and you're rooting for her until the very last page. Filled with some surprising twists and a good ending, this book is definitely recommended for anyone who wants a quick escape. ( )

WILL WORK FOR PROM DRESS, by Aimee Ferris, is an absolutely charming story about a normal girl who works hard to buy a perfect prom dress for a perfect prom. Quigley and Anne are best friends who are seniors in high school. They offer up most of their spare time to part-time jobs to get money for prom. With school, boys, and work piling up, Quigley is on a path of discovery that even she didn't see coming.

This book was chock full of hilarity and bittersweet moments. Ferris charmed me right away with the ridiculous jobs that these girls took on. Quigley was the type of girl who was clumsy and sometimes a bit naive, but I related to her. I felt bad when she was embarrassed and I reminisced to a time where everything was wrong and awkward (AKA high school!). She was the perfect friend to Anne, even when sometimes it wasn't reciprocated. And she managed to be humble with her amazing artistic talent. I think many girls and women alike will enjoy Quigley as much as I did.

I loved the relationship dynamic between Quigley and Zander. It was a typical slow moving type of romance but both of them carried secrets that consistently threatened the couple. Zander was handsome, talented, and an absolute sweetheart. I definitely developed a character-crush on him.

Ferris truly created a fantastic novel. There were unexpected twists and turns that I could not have imagined but added such a great depth to the book. I highly recommend this one!! ( )

Such a cute story! Fast-paced and funny, WILL WORK FOR PROM DRESS satisfied my need for a light read with great characters (and no cliffhanger--yay!).

Quigley is kind of an "every girl" character--nice girl, pretty, artistic, but nothing too stand-out, at least in her mind. (I was kind of curious about the origins of her name, though. Cute but made me think of that cheesy Tom Selleck movie, Quigley Down Under.). She's content to let her best friend, Ann, take the lead in their relationship which, at this moment, involves buying fabulous dresses for prom. A dance that they do not as yet have dates for. Despite the fact that Ann's mom is a famous designer who'd be more than happy to create dresses for them.

Ann's plan to earn money for said dresses involves some pretty wacky jobs including acting in a dinner theatre play and working on a pizza assembly line (Quigley gets creative with the toppings--she is an artist, after all). The last job--model for a fashion design class--puts Quigley in the hands of adorable budding designer Zander. Lucky her. Unfortunately, she thinks of him as more of a friend, one who may or may not play for the other team (she kind of assumes...and you know what happens when people assume things). Then there's David, her nemesis, the jerk, the one who she's always been in artistic competition with. He's being nice and...wait, is he flirting with her? (Personally, I rooted for Zander to make his move and get past that "friendship" stage. He's so cute!)

This story made me giggle quite a bit. Quigley always seems to get the short end of the stick when it comes to Ann's plans (the time she had to face-plant into a plate full of dressing comes to mind) but she keeps her sense of humor, especially since Ann wants what's best for both of them. Then there's Ann. She's the secret daughter of a liaison her mom had with a famous actor, she's got big plans for her life, and she's just one of those people who lights up a room. A great character. There's a bit of a serious sub plot interwoven through the story but it doesn't dominate and it doesn't scream "There's a moral here, people". It does, however, add an extra layer to the novel.

So, if you're looking for an adorable story with characters you can totally root for, check out WILL WORK FOR PROM DRESS by Aimee Ferris (who also wrote the awesome book, GIRL, OVERBOARD). ( )

Absolutely full of adorability, Will Work For Prom Dress will appeal to both young and not-so-young readers who enjoy a bubbly high school romance with a dash of thoughtfulness. By far, our main character has a rather quirky name, but it works for her - and Quigley will surely steal your heart away without really meaning to.

Aimee Ferris provides us with a colorful cast of characters with memorable personality traits. Even though there wasn't much in-depth characterization, I still thought that the characters sparkled - and I had so much fun in their company that I wasn't bothered by not knowing everything about them. I especially loved Anne's love interest T-shirt, so aptly nicknamed for the catchy quotes on his shirt, and how he was often immature but surprisingly well-meaning throughout the story.

As for the love triangle involved Quigley, David, and Zander, I thought Ms. Ferris handled it quite well - and the resolution surprised me! What is more appreciated is how much Quigley matured by the end of the story, partly from her relationships with both boys as well as finally realizing that the world isn't high school for much longer (yes, I know sometimes high school is still happening in the "adult" world).

I was a little disappointed with how little the "working for a prom dress" angle was worked. I thought there'd be more funny job anecdotes, but sadly the number of jobs could be counted with one hand. Don't get me wrong - the jobs that Quigley and Anne did work were hilarious, but I was hoping that they'd work a few more before landing the modeling opportunity.

Will Work For Prom Dress will be a perfect read if you are in the mood for frothy fun and a love triangle that will keep you on the edge of suspense. ( )