1.5 Stars for this contemporary teen story. 
 Honestly, I had a lot of trouble with this book, and considered stopping several times. I didn't, because, at some point, I (in my Pollyanna-ness) had hoped that the characters would be better, do better, learn something. I was disappointed that this was not the case. 
 Mollie, Alex and Veronica are three rich girls at an elite private girls' school outside Philly. They are supposed best friends, but the high-level competition they have with each other to be the "best" best friend is more frenemies, than besties. 
 They worry about who is closer to whom. Then, they sabotage each other. It's a masochistic spiral. 
 Alex is a virgin, unwillingly, and beginning to branch out into music, joining a band with some local public school kids. Her self-esteem is non-existent and she can't fathom how to approach her best guy friend, Drew, about her hopeless crush on him. She also begins a low pressure acquaintance with one of her band mates. 
 Alex and Mollie have been best friends since kindergarten, but Mollie's always more interested in her food intake and her boyfriend, Sam, who is as big an asshat as a guy can be. Having a teen son, I know that some guys DO act this way, all sexual manipulation and self-gratification, and I was continually frustrated with Mollie's acquiescence into Sam's sex games. 
 Veronica joined the Alex/Mollie two-some in fifth grade. She's rich and alone, with a father who works/lives on the Pacific Rim and a mother who's constantly hanging with, taking vacations with, her trainer/lover. She has a giant house in which she spends all her time alone, unless she's throwing a party or some dude shows up for a random hook-up. When Alex mentions Drew's interest in her, she tries (and fails) to have a good positive relationship with a guy. They do have a relationship but Veronica is clueless as to what it entails. Mostly, it doesn't entail having sex with other guys--especially not ones dating her friends... 
 The book is rife with sex (some unprotected), drug use, alcohol abuse and self-destructive behavior. There are two families depicted: Alex's with her concerned mother, absent father and cute brother (seriously the best character in the book!); and Drew's with his doting mother, young sisters and alcoholic father. Mollie's fam is uptight & Catholic and yet, inexplicably, has NO presence in her life (or this book), while Veronica's is utterly neglectful and absentee to a criminal degree. 
 The girls are young and dumb, jealous and bitter at the beginning, and they are even more so at the end. I had hoped, at any point that they would make better choices. Alex's really hadn't been THAT egregious until prom rolled around, and any pseudo-sympathy/connection I had developed for her character was rather blanked out. Going along with Mollie's crazytrain instead of BEING HONEST WITH VERONICA AND DREW was a deal breaker for me. Yeah, she sort of recovered, but my respect was lost, and I had had precious little to begin with... 
 I honestly can't believe this is a teen book. It's road map of THE ABSOLUTE WRONG WAY to do everything in a relationship/friendship, and I have a hard time believing teens will connect with the characters or scenarios. The only reason this got 1.5 stars instead of 1 was because the writing was clean and clear. I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley.