A Girl Like Moi: The Fashion-Forward Adventures of Imogene

A Girl Like Moi

Author Name: Lisa Barham

Age Rating: 10-13

Star Rating: ✦✦✦✦✧

Genre: Realistic Fiction, Adventure

Summary: 

Imogene is obsessed with fashion. Combine that with her talent for trouble (aka maxing out her “emergencies only” AmEx) and suddenly she’s not going to “chere Paris” with her best friend for the summer. No, she must do the unthinkable for a stylish Greenwich girl such as herself — get a job.

Favorite Character // Characterization:

My favorite character was actually Evie! She is so resourceful with her fashion and doesn’t just follow her father’s plans like a sheep. She has her own individual ideas and is always there for her best friend Imogene. If I ever wanted a best friend, I’d want Evie to be it. 

Evie is also defined by her tendency to eat in odd patterns. Like a questionable two-week diet, overeating when she compares herself to models, and just generally worrying about how she looks. It’s normal for any teen girl to worry about her weight, but since Evie’s a fashionista, you couldn’t put it past her to think she might have an eating disorder. But other than that, she is a really awesome character.

Also, did anyone make the connection that the original Evie here is fashionable just like the recent Evie from Descendants? Evie must be a pretty fashionable name!

Storyline Development:

The story developed pretty nicely, with Imogene’s fashion rival intern (Brooke) behaving in a similar way to that of your typical mean girl.

Worldbuilding:

The story takes place in New York where Imogene is interning at the forecasting agency. She is from Greenwich, Connecticut.

Feedback // Critique:

The book was pretty great, and Toy was the perfect dog sidekick! I personally think that the romance between Paolo and Imogene made absolutely no sense because they barely interacted with one another, but whatever.

Overall, the story had a nice development, with Imogene learning that fashion isn’t all about wearing the latest brand name releases. It’s about being happy with what you’re wearing.

The story teaches a valuable lesson about how people are influenced to follow the trends without considering if it is the best choice for them.

In conclusion, Lisa Barham has crafted a wonderful story (with some albeit confusing elements), that will be sure to bring you some peace in relation to the fact that you cannot afford Gucci flip-flops. (And if you’re still feeling depressed about it, you can DIY a pair with some Adidas sliders. Just make sure to cross out the Adidas logo!)