Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com

It's the end of her junior year, and Adora Benet can't wait for the fun in the sun to begin. Just being able to spend even more time with her best friends gets her excited. That is, until she finds out that each of them have their own plans.

Liza is going to stay with her parents earlier than expected in Bermuda to help them with the snorkeling business down there.

Eli applied to be in the Salzburg Youth Orchestra and finally got the callback. Her dream is beginning to come true faster than she expected - who wouldn't want to learn and play where Mozart lived?

Since both of her friends have deserted her, all Adora has left is her boyfriend, Noel. Unfortunately, even Noel has plans. He and his dad are going to hike the thousand-mile long Appalachian Trail. Of course, Adora knows that this is the perfect opportunity for Noel to spend time with his dad. If only it didn't last the entire summer!

Everyone is going away, even Joya, who is attending an art camp in Vermont. So what's Adora to do with all this free time? Her parents think that instead of volunteer work, Adora should get a job to learn what responsibility really is. At first, Adora is totally against the idea; but, unfortunately, she has no choice since her parents have cut her off. After applying to a couple of places, Adora finally lands a job as a waitress at the local country club, Brick. Although skeptical at first, Adora quickly discovers that a job that has hot guys walking around, mature co-workers, and cool parties isn't so bad.

This will be one summer Adora will never forget - let's just hope that she remembers that responsibility is what she is trying to learn.

Valerie Frankel takes us back to when we all had to learn the value of a dollar and the whole responsibility spiel that our parents reiterated from time to time. We all know that Adora has never had any trouble making new friends and adapting to her surroundings. And this summer right before her senior year is no exception.

Fast-paced and highly enjoyable, FRINGE BENEFITS lets readers finally get a glimpse of Adora outside her high school life and into the one where the real world awaits. After reading this novel, most will wonder why their summer vacations were never as exciting! ( )

Adora Benet will be spending the summer alone. She initially thought her two best friends, Eli and Liza, and her boyfriend, Noel would be in town for the summer. That was until Eli announced that she would be heading to New York for the youth’s orchestra, Liza is going to Bermuda to spend the summer with her parents and Noel is going to be hiking the Appalachian Trail with his estranged father. It couldn’t get much worse... but it does.Her mom and dad have cut her off, financially and insist that she will be getting a job this summer. But what Adora thinks is going to be the summer from hell, ends up being a summer to remember!I have to say that I haven’t read any other books in this series! And I hate to do it, but my library didn’t have the other titles, either did bookswim and I didn’t have the extra cash to buy the first three books. So, I did something that I’ve never done before.... I read a book out of order! But I have to say, I didn’t feel lost at any time and I really enjoyed it! I might just have to find a way to get the first three books, because I would love to read them! Fringe Benefits was funny and entertaining. It had interesting and memorable characters, and a fast paced story line. Frankel’s writing was enjoyable and easy to read. She made me feel like these characters were real people! Adora’s problems aren’t unlike what many teens face and she finds her way through adversity, resulting in the ultimate understanding what makes her, her! ( )