The Violet series is definitely one of my favorite series this year. Each of the books were brilliantly written, with flowing prose, great characters, and a unique plot. Violet in Private, the final (as of now) installment in the series, is no different.

Violet Greenfield has finally ditched modeling to go to college. At first, everything starts out great. She has awesome roommates and is making friends with other people in her hall. But in a way, she still misses modeling. Her sassy agent, Angela, continues to call her about promoting her new campaign with Veronica, and even Veronica thinks Violet is crazy for not being in New York more.

But in between her college studies, interning at a fashion magazine, and trying to figure out what exactly is happening between her and Roger, Violet still has to wonder who exactly she is, if she's not "Violet on the Runway" anymore.

VIP can be summed up in one word - Whoa. The first two books in the Violet series rocked but Violet in Private blew them all away. The characters grow more in this book than in the first to combined and their character development is great. Several new characters are introduced and they all add to the story (Kurt especially!). The plot, especially with the internship, definitely intrigued me more than the others, though they were spectacular too.

Honestly, if you haven't read any of the Violet books yet, now is definitely the time to pick one up!

VIOLET IN PRIVATE
MELISSA WALKER

Rating: 4.5 Enchantments

Teen modeling sensation Violet Greenfield's on her way to her first semester at Vassar and a surprising internship at Teen Fashionista magazine. But when Violet gets a surprise invitation to walk the runway again during fashion week at the Tracetown show, can she handle the public reaction to her `new' self? Or is model Violet a definite thing of the past?

I can safely say Violet Greenfield is one of my favorite characters and I'm so glad to see her back in VIOLET IN PRIVATE. This time around, Violet's going to school, dealing with the fact her best friend turned crush Roger is still with the annoyingly perky Chloe and trying to fit into life at Vassar. School isn't quite what she expected either when she becomes the topic of conversation during one of her classes, thanks to the ad she shot in VIOLET BY DESIGN, so much for Violet laying low in her new surroundings.

VIOLET IN PRIVATE is the third book in Ms. Walker's `Violet' series and probably the most revealing book about Violet yet. Dealing with the pressures of the modeling world, her feelings for Roger and balancing her internship with school and everything else has Violet growing up more than in any other of the previous two books. One of my favorite characters of the book was Violet's new friend at Vassar, Kurt. I thought he literally stole a couple scenes (especially during his trip to NYC) and made me laugh more times than I could count. It was also nice to see a reappearance of the other half of the `Double Vs', Veronica.

You can visit Melissa Walker's blog at http://www.melissacwalker.com/blog/ and check out the vlog she did especially for Enchanting YA at:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=259650449&blogID=422760822&Mytoken=6209A05A-6438-4124-AB92BC88779CF245226554571

Lisa
Enchanting Reviews
August 2008

I am a huge fan of the "Violet" series, so when Melissa Walker sent me a review copy of Violet in Private, I literally squealed with excitement, and of course, I dove in immediately.

I'll admit it - my first thoughts were not the most positive. My main question was "is Violet going to continue to swear off modeling, but then run back every time she has an opportunity? Is that going to be the ongoing theme to these books?" As I read on, I felt guilty for doubting Melissa Walker's ability to craft a storyline - just as the other two did, Violet in Private really blew me away.

The characters are well written, as always. As the series has progressed, we have seen less and less of Violet's best friend Julie, but it's an acceptable loss. New characters, such as Violet's hilarious friend at Vassar, Kurt, seem to fill in the gaps. Plus we see plenty of our old favorites, Roger, Aunt Rita, and Veronica. The characters are so well penned, in fact, that this is a series that I'm dying to see turned into a movie, just to see what the cast would be like!

I also like that Violet really takes a stand for something in this book. We saw the beginnings of that in Violet by Design, but she really comes out of her shell in Violet in Private. She really begins to grow up and realize that she has influence over a lot of people. She begins to fight for what she believes in, even if it means dire personal consequences. While the Violet series is about every teen girl's dream coming true, Violet really begins to become a role model to these girls in this book.

I realize this review sounds like gushing, and it is - these books are some of the most enjoyable books I've read. They're light and fun, but still tackle important subjects. The characters are smart and witty and you really begin to care for them. Above all, they actually seem real. A lot of books of the "crazy things happen to a normal person and their dreams come true" genre, while fun, aren't realistic in any sense of the word (Meg Cabot's Princess Diaries series comes to mind). But Violet seems like a real teen. She has all the insecurities and self-doubt, and is straight up about the fact that the amount of makeup she wears in her shoots can make anyone look good. Yes, the events are somewhat fanciful, but at the core of it is a real girl - that's what makes these books so compelling and so delicious!

Title: Violet in Private

Author: Melissa Walker

Rating: 4/5

My Abnormal Review:

I really really really like this series. I find it hard to write reviews on series books, though, because once you get into the series its hard to find things to say that are new. This is one of those series that is just consistently good. The story is good and funny. I love Violet as a character, simply because she's not the stereotypical model. And I was also extremely glad that there was some character progression going on. The third book didn't just go in a circle back to how it was before... things changed, Violet changed, her surroundings changed. And it was a refreshing change.

This is a good series. Definitely worth my time, and probably worth yours too.

I have been putting off writing this review for several weeks. Not because I didn't enjoy the book. I did. I really enjoyed reading it. I would eagerly start each chapter wondering what was going to happen next. The characters felt real. The situations the title character, Violet, found herself in, the self-doubt she experienced, her relationships with
friends - it all felt remarkably authentic and, better yet, entertaining.

Yet, I hesitated. Violet is a real girl, with real insecurities. She struggles to fit in and to find herself, to find the voice she needs to confidently move through life. In previous volumes, Violet became a model only to find that the glamorous life of a model was not nearly as glamorous as she thought it would be. She left modeling and enrolled in college. That's where this book begins, with Violet's freshman year at Vassar. The insecurity that she felt trying to fit in to the modeling world has been replaced with insecurity trying to fit in at college.

All of this insecurity sounds tiring, but in reality, it's very true to what teenage girls face when they transition from girl to young adult. Where I hesitated was with the blasé way that alcohol is used by Violet and her friends. All of these college freshmen are underage. Yet at party after party Violet will walk over to the keg to pour herself a beer, or the boy she is dating will have one too many. The use of alcohol as a party-time staple is woven into the plot so well that the book makes it seem as though underage drinking is a natural part of the college experience.

When Violet finally bares her soul to a good friend, she finds the courage to do so only when under the influence. She and the friend go out and share memories over a few beers. They are served in a Manhatten bar where the bartender doesn't even blink.

It's tough for me to reconcile this while at the same time reading news stories in today's papers about how underage drinking on college campuses has gotten out of hand. Walker wrote a really good story. Even though it's the third book in a series, without having read the first two I could jump in and enjoy this one. There is just enough background on established characters to fill in a new reader without making the first third of the book feel like a recap. There are some great secondary characters. Violet's experiences finding herself, making friends, learning how to stand up for herself - this is all very good stuff. I just hope that the girls who read it and relate to Violet don't also absorb the not-so-subtle message that alcohol is an undeniable part of the college experience.

Reviewed by: Marie Robinson