Are you a gawky teen trying to fit in? Or a quirky-looking girl wondering if she has any natural beauty? Are you struggling to differentiate yourself from your parents who seem to be perfect? Or are you just trying to find your place in the world?

Fourteen-year-old Lizzie Summers is the daughter of supermodel Katia Summers and best friends with Hudson Jones, the daughter of a pop star, and Carina Jurgensen, daughter of the multi-media mogul. Lizzie looks more like her father—a short, frizzy redhead freak with bushy eyebrows—than her mother with her tall, blond, lithesome grace. Lizzie hates being part of her mother’s glamorous modeling world until she is discovered by a talented photographer who specializes in showcasing ordinary people for their extraordinary uniqueness.

Plunged into an alternative world of “ugly modeling” where freaks are fabulous, Lizzie’s success catapults her into becoming the face of New Beauty. But with her sudden success comes a price: the relationship with her mother with its fragile understanding, the love of the boy she has always known although only recently loved, and the respect of her English teacher.

The Daughters is the first book in a four book series by Joanna Philbin, daughter of television host Regis Philbin. Joanna knows first-hand what it means to be a daughter of a mega-star and the friendships needed to survive in that peculiar world.

But Joanna also remembers the universality of what it is like to be a teenager. It’s her deep understanding of the issues important to teens: discovering yourself while also trying to fit in, speaking your truth while also respecting the rules and wisdom of your parents, and making mistakes along the way and learning the power of love and forgiveness that makes her story resonate with a deeper, more lasting truth than the latest fashion trends.

Although not The Great Gatsby, The Daughters is a great story about individuality, family relationships, career choices, crushes, and best friends set against the backdrop of a glamorous world.

My twelve-year-old daughter has challenged me to read all four books in the series, so look for my reviews on the other three as I finish them.

Happy reading!
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Fans of "Gosssip Girl" and its ilk will likely enjoy this novel of three best friends, all daughters of rich and famous parents (thus the title). Lizzie's mother is still supermodel-stunning in her late 30s, and Lizzie feels completely invisible beside her. She's uncomfortable attending fashion shows and red-carpet events with her mother. Then a nurturing photographer discovers Lizzie and unveils her "real beauty," and Lizzie begins to feel she might be able to hold her own in the fashion world. There's a certain appeal about glamorous Lizzie and her friends being portrayed as "regular girls" (Lizzie rips a fashion designer's sample dress when trying it on...she's no size 4 or even 6, and 8 is cutting it close). But considering they're supposed to be 14 years old and in middle school, their interactions and responses are as sophisticated as 20-somethings. (Todd almost admitting he could never love Ava as much as Lizzie did not sound like something a 14-year-old boy would even think to say. And their common passion for "The Great Gatsby"? Really?) However, young teen readers will be fascinated and inspired to fantasize about being a New York City glamour girl with a hot and sensitive boyfriend. Lib notes: unsupervised teen parties with alcohol, mention of hook-ups. ( )

Lizzie Summers isn't famous . . . but her mother sure is! As daughter of supermodel Katia Summers, Lizzie learned red carpet etiquette and how to deal with the media from a young age. The problem is, Lizzie doesn't take after her mother much at all, and as an awkward teenager, those red-carpet photo sessions with her mom are misery. When Lizzie accidentally lets slip to a reporter her real opinion of her mother's new lingerie line ("a little slutty"), she becomes the kind of YouTube sensation that nobody wants to be. While she's dealing with her parents' reaction to her faux pas and the usual pressures of school, friends, and boys, she is contacted by a photographer who is interested in using her as a model -- the photographer works with real people, not supermodels, and she says that Lizzie is "the new pretty." But if Lizzie agrees to model, what will her mother think?

Though this is definitely aimed at teens who are interested in stories of the rich and famous, it is refreshingly low on Mean Girls. In terms of content, this reads closer to The Clique than Gossip Girl -- there's a little boy drama, but nothing that should make younger teens too uncomfortable. I liked that the story focused mostly on Lizzie's potential modeling career, and though she made some cringe-worthy bad decisions, I felt that they were generally in character. While the plot is a little predictable, it's no worse than most of the popular books in this genre, and I would recommend it to teens who can't get enough of this sort of thing -- though I probably won't read any more of the series. ( )

A book about the bonds of friendship when you have famous parents. A good read for those who like girl books. Much like the secrets of my Hollywood life series. ( )

The book The Daughters was written by Joanna Philbin. She grew up in New York City. She got her Bachelor’s degree from Brown University and her Master’s degree from the University of Notre Dame. Joanna Philbin now lives in California. Her dad became a famous television star on ABC’s Live with Regis and Kelly. When she was a kid she had braces and bad acne. This awkward stage pushed her even more to writing. Joanna Philbin lived a pretty average life, except the fact that her dad was a star on ABC. In the book, The Daughters, the main character, Lizzie, also led an average life behind the shadow of her famous mother. You can see how her book and her life connect, but does that mean it is a good book?
In this story, Lizzie is forced to come to special events with her mother, Katia Summers, as her “date”. Lizzie repeatedly tells her mother that she doesn’t want to go to the events or take pictures by the paparazzi with her. Her mother ignores her and brings her anyway. She keeps thinking that her mom is using her bad looks to promote her good looks. Once her mother finally understands, she doesn’t make Lizzie go anymore to the events any more. However, Lizzie started to get recognized by the paparazzi and other people, so she changed her mind about wanting to go to the events. This angers and confuses her mother. Lizzie is also going through some trouble with her least favorite person in the school, Ava, and her old neighbor that just moved back from England, Todd. Lizzie’s feelings for Todd have grown stronger, but when Ava meets him everything starts spinning. To complicate things even more, Lizzie also gets a big modeling contract that her mother doesn’t want her to take. However, Lizzie was really looking forward to working with them. This confusion leads Lizzie to have some ups and downs in the book.
The book The Daughters by Joanna Philbin was a good book, but I would have to give it a 7 out of 10. It should relate to kids who didn’t live a life close to fame. It also needed a little more excitement. I also thought that some of the parts were a little bit too predictable, but otherwise Joanna Philbin did a great job of creating the story of these three girls and their thrilling lives. People who are into fashion, gossip, and everything in between will absolutely love this book.