Violet in Private

Synopsis:

Violet Greenfield knows she's supposed to be a super-confident nineteen-year-old because she's done runway shows in New York and internationally. But now that she's finally headed to college, she's afraid she'll turn back into that girl who blended into the walls in high school. Vassar is just two hours away from New York City—her friends in fashion think she's crazy to stop modeling now. And her old friend Roger is there...but things have been weird ever since they kissed. The real question is if she's not going to be "Violet on the Runway" anymore...who is she?

Review:

First off, let me just say I loved the first two installments of the Violet Series, Violet on the Runway and Violet by Design. So it was no surprise to me when I thought the third and final installment lived up to every expectation I had. Melissa Walker managed to wrap up the story and keep me on my toes at the same time. Throughout the first two books I would get frustrated with Violet because of some of the decisions she made in regards to her body and her friendships. Sometimes I just wanted to throw the book at the wall! But this is part of the charm of Violet. You can relate to her and to her choices, whether good or bad.

In Violet in Private, we were introduced to a variety of new characters: Kurt, the flamboyant, over the top, hyperactive boy who becomes quick friends with Violet; Chloe, Roger's girlfriend who also works at Teen Fashionista with Violet; and then there is Oliver, a fellow classmate in Violet's sociology class who has taken a liking to her. Out of these three characters the one who stood out the most ot me was Kurt. This could be because he was the most annoying character...but yet he was so hilarious. Sometimes I just wanted him to shut up and others I was so glad he was Violet's friend. Oliver, on the other hand, was just a sensitive guy who got caught up in a love triangle going on between Chloe, Roger, and Violet. He tried so hard to win Violet over, and, for a while there, it looked as though he might have...but no. He didn't have a chance against Roger. Chloe is just a sweetheart. At first she might seem a bit annoying, but as the book progresses you can see she really does love Roger and wants to be a good friend of Violet's.

Throughout the book Violet was waging war agaisnt the fashion industry and their impossible expectations of models and their bodies. She was avoiding her manager and most of the modeling world, as she was now considered 'plus size' by their standards because of the ten pounds she put on. All the while, she is trying to cope with Roger and his new, lovey dovey relationship with Chloe...which doesn't seem like it was going to work out the way she wanted it to, which was not at all. In the end, Violet managed to find where she wanted to be in her life with real friends, a magazine intership, a job with the Dove Campaign (one of my favorite's I might add), and leading a college life at Vassar.

Melissa Walker has manage to bring this series to a brilliant end, leaving readers with an open ended epilogue, allowing us to draw our own conclusions about some aspects of Violet's life. I think this book, this entire series, can be used as an empowering tool for young girls as it gives the message to never change who you are for what someone else wants you to be.

If you haven't picked up this book yet I highly suggest you do so. And also, how about you swing over to Melissa Walker's Myspace as there is always something going on over there!

Other books by Melissa Walker:

• Violet on the Runway
• Violet by Design
• Lovestruck Summer ('09)