There’s a dark new trend in Tokyo’s fashion industry and it has nothing to do with little black dresses.
Jess, Blake, and Hailey are three teens modeling in Tokyo’s cute-obsessed catalogue industry. Jess can’t wait for the summer to be over so she can finally leave the business behind forever. Blake can’t wait till the weekend so she can get back to partying at the latest trending nightclubs with her fashion crew. And Hailey can’t wait for this casting to be over so she can cuddle up in a ball.
One thing they all have in common: no one wants to think about the model that disappeared last summer.
Everyone’s plans are put on hold when the girls are selected to compete for an exclusive campaign that will transform one of them from commercial nobody to international ‘model of the moment’ faster than you can say Vogue Italia. Of course, nothing is every what it seems in the fashion world…
As the girls embark upon a series of bizarre challenges, they are forced to confront their deepest secrets and ask questions they don’t want to know the answers to…like what really happened to the missing girl? And are they going to be next?
Reviews:
4.5 / 5 stars
For me, one reason to read indie is to discover new voices and stories that break the mold and are different from what the traditional market has to offer. The Tokyo Cover Girls is such a book. Told from the points of views of three western girls—Jess, Blake and Hailey—the author pulls you into a journey of jealousy, manipulation, and the harsh realities of the dog-eat-dog modeling world…Their voices are unique, and the author does an excellent job in imbuing each of them with a distinctive personality…In all, The Tokyo Cover Girls is an interesting YA read with a quick pace and great characters. It offers an enjoyable taste of Japan in all its strangeness and glory.
no rating available
This book was…somewhat reminiscent of the Pretty Little Liars collection as it had the same unknown entity, fierce girls who are looking for answers in all the wrong place, mystery, mayhem and high fashion. I really liked all of the characters and felt myself connecting with each one in some way…This book had twist after twist and I could not for the life of me keep up as to what was going to happen. The ending was such a cliffhanger that I am hoping for more!
4 / 5 stars
This was really good. It was definitely a page-turner. The suspense-mystery part worked really well. There were a lot of clues and hints and things that didn’t quite match up. I was able to guess a few things that I was surprised the characters didn’t, but I guess that would have made it too easy if they had…It did have a bit of a horror-movie feel to it at times. So many times I wanted to yell at them to run, get out of there, something bad’s going to happen…and it was always a surprise what actually happened. Kept me on my toes. I didn’t expect everything in this book to work as well as it did. I didn’t think I’d like it this much. But it was well put-together and entertaining.
4.5 / 5 stars
This was a rollercoaster of confusion and terror…Every time I thought things couldn’t get any stranger/creepier they did…Overall I did really like this story. I was constantly curious as to who was going to win and what was going to happen to the ones that lost, and where in the world had the missing girls gone to?..I was fairly happy with the ending though, but that cliff hanger at the end makes me want to read the second book now. Please!
3.5 / 5 stars
At one moment I was lost by the odd and bizarre world I found myself submerged in, and the next minute I was intrigued by same said world. This book was such a mess, but I am pretty sure I don’t mean that in a bad way, more in a “what the heck just happened” kind of way. In case you can’t tell by my rambling, I am all twisted up by this book. I love anything having to do with modeling/modeling competitions since I am in love (aka obsessed) with America’s Next Top Model (which I will miss desperately since it has been cancelled). When I first read the synopsis for this book, I knew I needed to read it, and I was hoping that it would be like a season of ANTM. Well, on one hand it kinda sorta was, with the over the top challenges and prizes as well as all the drama between house mates. But then add in the mental sabotage, lies and the murdering. This book was such an odd mix of ridiculousness and danger there was absolutely no way I could have predicted what would happen next…I still feel a little bemused and off-kilter about what I read, and I am not sure if I loved it or not, but it was definitely unique and stuck with me. I am such a sucker for this model drama/mess that I look forward to the next book in the series.
3.5 / 5 stars
The book was just like Chanel no 5- scented fodder to a fashion-obsessed mind like mine. Yes, I would totally rock pigtails, ankle socks and hello kitty barrettes, or maybe not…every chapter of the book was fun to read with a humorous twist thrown in here and there, the book was an absolute delight. And it’s no surprise since the author Jackie Amsden is herself a former model who also used to live in Tokyo. Even though at some point I wanted to grab the three girls and bang their heads really really hard against a wall. I mean girl, you can handle calculus you should have known that the offer was just too glittery to be true. Meanwhile, I’ll be busy adding Tokyo Cover Girls to my little list of top fashion books every fashionista should read in her life time.
no rating available
I enjoyed reading this book. It intrigued me right off the bat. There’s a lot going on in this novel, which can be confusing if you’re not paying attention. There was little to no romance in this book. I deeply enjoyed that because you could focus on this mystery that unravels before your eyes. Blake, Jess, and Hailey got on my nerves a lot…The girls just got annoying very quickly, but it was good characterization because it showed how damaged these girls were. The mystery aspect was a lot different than I’d read before. They were dealing with a gang, but not the gang they were expecting. This story is extremely twisted, but it makes you keep wanting more and more.
8. Natural Bri – Pursuits of Life
4 / 5 stars
This was such an interesting read! I don’t know a lot about the Tokyo modelling scene, so all of this was new to me, but I was so drawn in by the blurb, that I just had to read. I was pleasantly surprised to find the thriller aspect of this book, especially as I love thrillers.
The pace of the book was perfect. I found that it was written very well, in order to add to the suspense of the story. I liked that it was a bit crazy. At many moments, there were quite a few things happening, all of which sort of seemed to crash together, giving the would-be models a lot of excitement. I am very excited to see what happens in the future of this series, as I think it is only going to get crazier, more exciting and harder to put down!
no rating available
Tokyo Cover Girls is told in alternating 3rd person perspectives between three girls. (Blake, Jess and Hailey) I don’t want to give anything away, but the girls are approached by a mysterious business man about a job and are told not to reveal this secret to anyone. It almost has a “Saw” horror movie feel to it when they first meet – and then the surprises start popping up at every turn! What stood out to me about this novel was how realistic and well-researched it was. The author, Jackie Amsden, is writing this from experience, having worked as a model in Asia before writing this book. I’m really looking forward to what comes next – we need more books set in Japan!
10. Book Addict Live
4 / 5 stars
When I started reading this book I didn’t know I would be completely surprised. I knew we would have an insight into a culture and the modelling world…This book put you in with all the action, and makes you realize What would you do for a million Dollars?
no rating available
Fashion and modeling gain a whole new bite in this suspenseful story of three teenage models as they go head to head against each other in ways they’d never even dreamed.
The colorful cover mixed with models in Tokyo and mystery is an attention grabber, and the story offers every bit of this. This isn’t the modeling of super thin catwalk models, but rather takes more of a dive into the cutesy, cut throat, pigtail culture… That Tokyo has a subculture, and a dangerous one at that, adds the perfect twist of danger and mystery…Colorful details and descriptions bring the pages to life, and the exotic circumstances are presented as if they are as natural as everyday life. It’s no problem to sink into the three girls’ world and understand where they’re coming from…In general, it’s a thrilling read with a wonderful leap into an exotic and greatly unknown world. Especially younger teen girls will enjoy the glimpses into the modeling industry, and the mystery and tension adds the perfect touch to make this a book not easily put down.
5 / 5 stars
When I saw this book advertised, I knew I wanted to read it as I quite enjoy reading novels that are set in the fashion world and about modelling. What I didn’t expect and I am sure a lot of readers will be surprised was that it would become quite an intense suspense novel that would delve not only into the world of Japanese gaming shows and we all know how crazy they can be but also into Japanese gangs and missing persons all in the name of entertainment purposes. For three girls Hailey, Blake and Jess – they thought that coming to Tokyo would help set their careers off on the right path and help set them up for the modelling world…I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to seeing what else Jackie Amsden brings to the table and particularly interested in the next in this series as it ended with a slight cliffhanger.
20 / 20 stars
Voilà une série qui me touche en plein cœur. Voilà une histoire qui a su me captiver. Japon, mode, star et céréale killer, quoi demander de mieux dans une histoire. Franchement, Jackie Amsden assure grave de chez grave. J’ai juste hâte de connaître la suite de leur aventure parce que mine de rien cette fin… elle me laisse avec plein de questions. Mais que s’est-il passé après cette histoire ? Je veux la suite !!!
3 / 5 stars
While reading it, I had this feeling that someone was looking over my shoulder, and following me everywhere I was going. Literally any noise would make me jump a couple feet in the air. So if that was the intention of the book, they totally nailed it….I recommend it to people who..like to read books about mystery, people going missing, murder, blackmail, etc…
14. YA Book Divas
4 / 5 stars
…an interesting read. Well written and each of the girls; Jess, Blake and Hailey have their own characteristics that shine through. Fast paced story line that is full of intrigue and mystery.
15. No Shelf Control
3 / 5 stars
his book is about model’s life which we all know was never been so easy, the author gives a twist by supplying different challenges for the characters. Be captivated by their journey to modeling as they go around Tokyo. A different type of reading that models will surely pick up because if curiosity. This Contemporary ya book is far different from contemporaries I have read before.
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