Sequins, Secrets, and Silver Linings by Sophia Bennett

Sequins, Secrets, and Silver Linings by Sophia Bennett
"When they meet a Ugandan refugee girl who's an amazing designer, three trendy London teens combine their talents to create some kind of wonderful. A hip, cute, multiculti fashion fairy tale!

Nonie's a freak for fashion. Bleeding-heart Edie wants to green the planet. And starter-starlet Jenny has just landed a small part in a big Hollywood blockbuster. But when these trendy London besties meet a Ugandan refugee girl named Crow, sketching a dress at the Victoria & Albert Museum, their worldview gets a makeover. As they learn about the serious situation in Crow's homeland, they decide to pool their talents to call attention to the crisis. One of Crow's designs on the red carpet at the Oscars--quelle chic way to raise awareness! Now...how to "make it work"?!"- summary from Amazon

This was a really cute, fun book. I enjoyed the characters- their interactions are realistic and Bennett writes them well- and it made for such a quick read. It's pretty funny too, which I always enjoy.

I did feel though that the parts about Crow's past felt a bit shoehorned in, like the author wanted to make the book more "serious" in a way. It's mentioned near the beginning and then not touched again for over 100 pages. I will say though that Bennett weaved the two parts- fun and serious- really well in the latter part of the book. The serious part is very disturbing and the ending is a bit too tied up for me (I know, when have I ever said that?); I'd been hoping for a different direction.

Overall, I feel like this is more of a library or paperback book. It's a nice read, but not worth the hardcover price, in my opinion.

FTC: ARC received from publisher. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.