REVIEW: Model Behaviour by Jo Cotterhill

'I'm going to be the only one with a rubbish work experience.' Her eyes filled with tears again. 'It is so unfair.'

Lola Cassidy has it all. Model looks, fabulous friends - life is perfect . . .

Until she finds herself Ugg-deep in mud at the local animal sanctuary, that is.

But will the week show Lola that there's more to life than handbags and highlights? And could the mysterious Harry, a boy with his own special talents, change the way she looks at the world?

I really love this series! It's so sweet and the romance is cute. I'm a big middle grade fan and a sucker for a good love story! - as well as being an animal (and fashion!) lover, so 'Model Behaviour' was perfect for me!

Although I didn't feel a real connection with any of the characters, I still thought they were all well-built and believable. The main character Lola was lovely, although she was quite naive at the beginning of the book. She changed a lot throughout the book, becoming interested in more meaningful things, and just generally a better person! Harry was...meh. Not the best love interest ever. I didn't get what Lola saw in him! His character was a bit flat for me. Although I began to like him a little more towards the end of the book, overall he just didn't really do it for me.

I liked the cast of supporting characters. Lola's sisters, Quinn and Sienna, were nice, and pretty funny! Ruth was really kind and lovely. But Naiha and Samir were both utter pains! Samir was so full of himself, while Naiha was an annoying, moaning spoilt brat! She didn't care about anyone but herself, or even the animals - how could she be so heartless???

I liked the 'guest appearance' of Tania Dunn, from 'Ice Dreams', too. Tania is a fab character, one I loved in 'Ice Dreams' and it was a nice touch to add to the book!

The romance in Model Behaviour fell a bit flat for me. It didn't feel like there was much emotion or excitement between Harry and Lola, at least, I didn't think so anyway. Honestly though, I wasn't too bothered! Everything else was brilliant, so it didn't matter that much to me!

The writing wasn't overly complicated or descriptive, but since the book is aimed at a young audience, it didn't need to be. I actually liked it a lot, because the descriptions were short and sweet and there was lots of conversation, which is what I like to read! The writing flowed nicely and I read the book very quickly. It is an easy, light and fun read!

'Model Behaviour' was predictable, I pretty much knew what was going to happen just from reading the synopsis! There was no exciting twists or turns in the plot, but I still loved it. I actually can't explain why I loved this book so much, I don't understand it myself! I just enjoyed everything I read and I just think that deserves five stars! I would really recommend it, to girl of all ages. I must read more of this series soon. It's becoming a firm favourite of mine!

Rating: 5/5

Source: For Review - thanks to Random House for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

Format: Paperback
Pages: 304

Age group: 10+
Official Publication Date: 2nd February 2012
Publisher: Red Fox (an imprint of Random House Childrens Books)
Author Website: www.ilovesweethearts.co.uk

Challenges: British Books Challenge, ABC Reading Challenge