Review: Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer

Gigi, Bea, and Neerja are best friends and total overachievers. Even if they aren't the most popular girls in school, they aren't too worried. They know their "real" lives will begin once they get to their Ivy League colleges. There will be ivy, and there will be cute guys in the libraries (hopefully with English accents) But when an unexpected event shows them they're missing out on the full high school experience, it's time to come out of the honors lounge and into the spotlight. They make a pact: They will each take on their greatest challenge--and they will totally "rock" it.
Gigi decides to run for student rep, but she'll have to get over her fear of public speaking--and go head-to-head with gorgeous California Will. Bea used to be one of the best skiers around, until she was derailed. It could be time for her to take the plunge again. And Neerja loves the drama club but has always stayed behind the scenes--until now.
These friends are determined to show the world that smart girls really can get what they want--but that could mean getting way more attention than they ever bargained for. . . .

Publication Date: June 26, 2012

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Pages: 352

Source: Arc sent to by Anna at Literary Exploration

I was so excited when I got this book in the mail. While I loved the overall story, Smart Girls Get What They Want is filled with nerdy tidbits that just made me love it even more. Things like, "Odd how quickly guys can worm their way into your brain -- like that bug in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan". I was geeking out the entire time. It was a huge relief to read about smart girls who actually focused on school work. Not that the other girls in young adult novels are dumb, but they are usually more worried about when a zombie will come crashing through, finding out who the killer is, or what vampire will find them next. So it was great to read a cute, smart contemporary. It had me laughing with the characters and rooting for them at the same time.


The main character is Gigi but we also get an in-depth glance at the lives of the two other smart girls, Neerja and Bea. They are the best of friends and I love how they would do anything for each other. There are few things I love more in books than amazing best friends. It brings the book to a whole other level for me. I also loved that Gigi was confident in how she looked. Not only was she smart, but she was pretty and she knew it. I've been known to put books down because the main character was so insecure about herself that she was basically acting like she was a hideous beast. This said, Gigi does have her insecurities but they are more about stage fright and having all eyes on her. 


After a revelation that people might not even remember her after graduation, Gigi decides she wants more out of her high school experience. She doesn't want to just fly through with her head stuck in a book having no semblance of a social life. Although maybe running against uber confident Will for student rep wasn't what she had in mind. When it came to love interests I wanted to shake Gigi sometimes. She was so oblivious to what was right in front of her but that is just typical girl behavior. Let me be cliche here for a second and say, sometimes we don't know what we have until it slaps us in the face.


Another thing I loved about this book was how the characters changed. Throughout the book every character had to face difficult situations from social awkwardness to difficult parents situations. I think every character grew and developed in such a great way. Overall, I enjoyed this book way more than I first expected to. It is one that will definitely go on my favorites shelf. If you haven't picked this one up I suggest you do asap. Even if you aren't a big contemporary reader you won't regret it!

5 stars