Brilliant - (Avery Sisters Trilogy) by Rachel Vail (Paperback)

About the Book

Sixteen-year-old Quinn struggles to maintain her image as a brilliant, good girl when her mother's major error at work leads to financial and legal troubles that turn Quinn's and her younger sisters' world upside-down.

From the Back Cover

Everybody knows who Quinn Avery is. She's the smart, calm, responsible Avery sister, the one who's kept it together in spite of all that's happened since their mom lost her job. But when the family house goes up for sale and Quinn faces the prospect of losing the home she loves, something snaps inside her, and a new, wild, reckless Quinn emerges.

Soon Quinn's lying, sneaking out, and partying with a brand-new crowd. When Quinn adds ditching her best friends and kissing the wrong boys--including her sister's boyfriend and her own piano teacher--to her list of crimes, she may finally have gone too far. Can Quinn find her way back to the family that needs her and the only boy she's ever loved?

Review Quotes

Praise for Gorgeous: "The book is charged with emotion. Allison is self-effacing and funny, privileged yet vulnerable. She and her friends are completely authentic, right down to their text messages. Those who've read Lucky will enjoy Allison's side of the story--and eagerly look forward to getting to know oldest sister Quinn in the upcoming Brilliant." - The Horn Book
"As always, Vail is spot-on in her depictions of young teen girls and their complex relationships with friends and family, and her treatment of the clichéd "girl whom everyone thinks is plain becomes successful" is fresh, innovative, and realistic. Allison is an engaging, funny character, and girls will identify with her disappointment with her looks and her longing for respect and recognition." - School Library Journal
"Vail shows a clear understanding of the everyday turmoil faced by today's teens and handles them with wit and obvious affection. If they haven't already read its predecessor, Lucky (2008), teens will want to after finishing this one." - Kirkus Reviews
"Once again, Vail authentically captures the adolescent female experience, while interweaving the important message that Allison was uniquely beautiful all along. " - ALA Booklist
"A solid, realistic account of a girl's beginning to find her own identity." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Praise for Lucky: "This is superior for its realism, its moderation, and its understated complexity of characters and relationships. Readers will drink up the drama and impatiently await the planned follow up titles." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)
"Vail (You, Maybe) again demonstrates a penetrating insight into the concerns of young teen girls, this time upending the conventions of the rich-girl novel... Readers will absorb this in one fell swoop." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Quinn's introspective search for self is realistically complex and exceptionally well drawn, and teen readers will sympathize with her urge to break free of the good-girl box her family has put her in. Like Quinn, this timely series defies the label of chick lit as Vail sensitively and accurately explores topics of individuality, social class, and what it means to come of age during a national recession." - ALA Booklist
Praise for Brilliant: "Good girls and rebels alike will be able to identify with this adolescent rite of passage. A natural choice for teens waiting for their next Sarah Dessen fix." - School Library Journal
"Vail has done a superb job. Readers who pick this title up will definitely want to backtrack to the earlier titles, and those who've heard Phoebe's and Allison's takes won't want to miss Quinn's." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Vail ends this trilogy on a high note, one that should especially resonate with teens whose lives have changed with the economy. " - Kirkus Reviews
"Here is a story that skillfully combines family, romance, and coming of age, never allowing the story to become melodramatic despite its sometimes melodramatic collection of teen characters." - Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (starred review)