Review: The Clique by Lisi Harrison

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I can’t remember the book that made me fall in love with reading nor can I remember when it happened. However, I can remember that The Clique was a book series that I immediately took to in middle school. As the years went on, I forgot about these books. Until recently, the movie adaptation was posted on Netflix. I excitedly clicked on it, and I had a great time. I was transported back to middle school me, who didn’t have grown up problems. Instead of digging through my endless piles of books to find the paperback, I purchased the first book in the series for kindle. I had a great time.

The Clique is a young adult series that focuses on five girls as they mirage the halls of Octavian Country Day (OCD). Their names are Massie Block, Alicia Rivera, Dylan Marvil, Kristen Gregory, and Claire Lyons. Since The Clique is the first book in the series, it spends time introducing us to the cast of characters. Massie Block is the leader. Everyone follows her command. That is until Claire arrives. After leaving Florida and moving to NY, the Lyons’ family decides to stay with an old family friend- William Block. Immediately upon meeting her, Massie decides that she doesn’t like Claire and for the rest of the book spends her time making Claire’s life miserable. All Claire wants to do is fit in with the group known as The Pretty Committee.  

Like mentioned earlier, I enjoyed myself while reading this book and I’ll probably continue on with the series. I don’t believe I read them all back in middle school. It was a solid story and there was some humor- most of it due to Massie’s witty comments. Trust me, they are stellar. 

And even though I’m older and can’t quite relate to some middle school issues, I think that one thing that never changes is our desire to fit in. And despite how much it will pain some people to admit, we don’t like seeing our friends get new best friends. We sort of feel left out. Those are some things that don’t always go away with age. So yes, there were some parts of this book that felt relatable. 

And it was also interesting to read about the lives of the wealthy. Even if fictional, it is always interesting. Massie Block was the blueprint. She was wealthy. She wore designer clothes. She had power. She had influence. She had everything. Middle school me wanted to be her. And it might be sad, but a part of me now may still want to be her. 

She can be extremely rude, but that wasn’t all she was. Like the rest of the characters, she was a three dimensional character. 

Dylan was struggling with her weight due to having a mother obsessed with being skinny. Kristen is constantly stressed about her grades. Alicia feels uncomfortable with her body at times. Claire is adjusting to a new life and struggling with making new friends. 

And I had forgotten about how badly Massie and friends treated Clarie in the beginning. It was awful. And I felt so sorry for Claire, because she didn’t deserve that treatment, especially since all she wanted to do was fit in. 

Final Thoughts 
The Clique is an entertaining and sometimes heartbreaking story about young girls growing up in the 21th century navigating the waters of middle school as they try to find friends, gain confidence, and fit in.