When Gemma moves from Idaho to New York City for a summer internship with a daytime TV talk show, the socially awkward 16-year-old becomes housemates with a rich, beautiful, boy-crazy friend and her sophisticated “fellow boarding school inmate.” They lend Gemma designer clothes, take her to a glamorous club opening and even introduce her to a TV heartthrob (though she meets her crush on the subway). Her job, conversely, is less than fantastic. Gemma’s internship involves hours of photocopying, coworkers who are “on friendly terms... but definitely not friends
” and a pair of scheming twins bent on outshining her. Clearly, Gemma will eventually find her way, but it is going to take her housemates’ help—and some painful moments. First-novelist Richards sketches familiar scenes: Gemma stumbles through an awkward conversation with her dream guy; thanks to those nasty twins, she must silence a ringing cell phone during her first staff meeting. A snarky narrator adds thin humor, cutting down characters with such asides as “Blah, blah, blah. Can a person die from overhypothesizing?” Some plotting seems intense for the otherwise light fare. For example, Gemma is nearly raped by a coworker at a party, and the twins falsely accuse a producer of sexual harassment. In the end, Gemma’s story will keep readers tuned in but may not draw high ratings. Ages 12-up. (July)
