The book follows four American teens as they study abroad in Paris for their junior year of high school. There’s Alex, a pretty, rich New Yorker who just wants someone to love her, Olivia, a San Diego native who loves dancing and ballet more than anything, Zach, a closeted Memphis boy, and gorgeous PJ, who seems to be running from something back home in Vermont. Let loose in the City of Love, they get themselves into quite a few messy situations.

I really liked that each chapter alternated between the four teens. Not only do we get an inside look into what they are thinking, we also see how they feel about each other. I loved that extra insight! The book is very easy to follow, everything flowed together despite the constant shift in perspective. Unfortunately, the plot wasn’t that great and it didn’t pick up for quite a while. It took me some time to get into the story, but by the end I couldn’t put the book down. That ending left me craving more!

Luckily, the characters made up for the not so great plot. My favorite would definitely have to be Olivia--though I wouldn’t have said so in the beginning. She was the most surprising of the four and I was really shocked at how much she changes (in a good way) over the short period of time she spends in France. I thought I had her completely figured out at the start which made her a bit boring to me, but boy was I wrong! I was SO glad with her decision at the end.

The other three are all great and complex in their own ways. I found Zach to be really honest and a great friend. He starts his junior year terrified to come out to anyone but Alex, but by the end of the novel, he seems to be much more comfortable with who he is. I wish he had found the love he was looking for. Alex is a very difficult character to like. She is a bit annoying and bitchy at times, but it is obvious that it is all just for show. She is extremely vulnerable and has a hard time being honest and showing people who she really is. She goes to Paris with the hopes of finding someone who will finally love her, but ends up with even more heartache. And last but not least, is Penelope Jane, better known as PJ. PJ spends the majority of her time keeping people at arms length and worrying about what is happening to her parents back home. Although she does have reason to fret, it really makes it difficult for her to enjoy her time in Paris. I don’t think she has fun once which is a real waste in my opinion. You’re young, gorgeous, and in Paris (with basically no supervision), go out and do something crazy! ( )

It took me awhile to get into this book since it's not usually what I read. Though once I got about halfway through it I couldn't put it down. I can't wait to start the next book, Wanderlust.

The characters are interesting (I love PJ) and the story is well written.

Now I need to go out and buy my own copy of this book. ( )

This book kept me spell bound from beginning to the end, I could not put it down. I love that all the characters had different personalities. Can't wait to read the sequel. ( )

Reviewed by Amber Gibson for TeensReadToo.com

BEAUTIFUL AMERICANS by Lucy Silag is the story of four very different American teenagers studying abroad for a year in Paris. For PJ, Olivia, Alex and Zack, Paris is a place to run away, reinvent oneself, find love, and discover what it really means to live. Like the Lost Generation of the 1920s, these Americans escape to the City of Lights with the hope that the joie de vivre of the city will rub off on them.

PJ is fleeing from an embarrassing family scandal and hoping that she can leave her past behind in Vermont. This year is her chance to bury her secrets and emerge as a whole new person.

Olivia comes to Paris to train at a prestigious ballet academy. Her meticulously planned out future hinges on a perfect year, but sometimes life doesn't go according to plan.

Alex is a well-coiffed fashionista - thanks to her Manhattan upbringing - looking to find the perfect guy in the most romantic city in the world. However, sometimes even Alex cannot have everything she wants.

Zack is from Memphis, where being gay was never socially acceptable. Now that he is free from his conservative background, he has the same goals as Alex - to find a boyfriend and maybe even fall in love.

The story is told from alternating perspectives among the four main characters, and Silag achieves a delicate balance between their four individual stories while maintaining a cohesive plot. Four extraordinary stories told in a surprisingly believable manner. Getting to know each character from the perceptions of the others adds a compelling layer of reality to the story, revealing the faults of each character that can only be seen through the eyes of others.

This first book in the series leaves readers dangling at Christmastime, halfway through the exchange year, with one member of the quartet running away. For the mysteries and secrets that are not yet revealed, pick up the second BEAUTIFUL AMERICANS book in Fall 2009. ( )

Honestly, when I started Beautiful Americans I was a little skeptical. I’d saw mixed reviews... the synopsis really didn’t completely catch my interest, but by the end of the novel I was ready for more!I loved the set up of the novel. The chapters alternate between the four characters, so you get to see inside their head as well as how everyone else perceives them. That in itself really made the novel for me. The writing was also extraordinary, I loved Silag’s flow. It was easy to read and entertaining, with out being superfluous.The characters are really what made this novel. It seems that all the reviews I’ve read had a problem with Alex, but I loved her. Yeah she was a bitch, but for some reason that attracted me to her character. The poor girl just wants someone to love her, sure she has a completely warped way of showing it, but that’s all she knows.Zach, was by far my favorite. I just want to wrap him up in big hug and tell him everything is going to be okay and that he’s going to find the man of his dreams one day. Zach is by far the most honest character and has his moral compass set due north. I just wish the poor guy could have found a little love!Olivia.... I thought I had her story pegged from the introduction, but I didn’t! I thought for sure Vince was going to be a cheating whore while his girlfriend was a whole continent away, but no he was a good boy. I guess Vince was different from all the those losers I dated. I will admit that I did like the outcome of Olivia’s story a lot better then the one I had thought up for her.And then there is Penelope or PJ. Now this is the character that I found annoying. Cry me a freaggin river. Let me get out the worlds smallest violin and play PJ her little sob story song. The girl drove me freaggin insane. Here is some advice for you PJ, DEAL WITH IT. Obviously the girl went to Paris to “runaway” from all the bad stuff at home, but then she just dwells on it, instead of trying to forget it. Honestly, I didn’t expect her to just up and forget everything that happened to her, I mean what person would, but the girl really needs to deal with some issues. By the time to story got around to something really disturbing happening to her, I was beyond the capacity to care at that point. I really hope she doesn’t annoy me so much in the next novel.Overall, it was better than I expected. I’m really looking forward to reading the next novel! ( )