Book: Second Skin by Jessica Wollman

Rating: 3 Stars

Release date: July 14, 2009 from Delacorte BFYR

Summary: Beauty is only skin deep. Popularity goes much deeper. . . .

Appearances can be deceiving. Sam Klein’s found that out firsthand. All she wanted was to be popular. But sometimes what we want is the absolute worst thing for us.

Sam discovers that Kylie, It-girl of Woodlawn High, owes her popular status not to her expensive clothes, highlighted hair, and spot on the cheerleading squad but to a magical second skin. Nobody can actually see it—but they can feel it. And if you’re wearing the skin, you feel incredible. Invincible. Popularity is yours.

So Sam stole the skin from Kylie. Now she’s the most popular girl at school, while Kylie’s social life takes a serious hit. Sam can barely recognize herself. Her old geek clique is history—but are her new friends really people she can count on? The skin is clinging tighter to her each day . . . can Sam get it off before it’s too late?

Second Skin was a very new take on popularity. Instead of being something that was based on looks, clothes, and friends, it was based on the Second Skin. It’s like this thing that makes you popular overnight, all you have to do is wear it over your own skin. How weird is that?

From the very start of the book, I knew I wasn’t going to like Sam Klein. She was horribly rude to her friends and her whole goal in life was to become popular. I couldn’t believe how shallow and self-centered she was. She had two great friends but they weren’t popular so she wasn’t happy with them. And as soon as she got the Skin she pretty much ditched the only two people who really liked her. I found that super annoying.

Then there was the plot. I couldn’t really find one, other than Sam getting the Skin so she could be the most popular girl in school. It may be a plot but I didn’t think it was a very good one. It seemed like once she got the Skin the whole point of the book was to just talk about her new popularity. And yeah everything changes in the end, including Sam’s personality, but I didn’t think it was enough to make the book good.

Overall I was really disappointed in Second Skin and it’s something I won’t ever read again. This is another one of those books I highly recommend getting from your local library.