We as readers aren't necessarily supposed to recognize the world in which the protagonists live but we need to be able to identify with their need for order and stability, for example, or with their need for an aggressive outlet. What differentiates good dystopian fiction from bad dystopian fiction is, in my mind, all in the characters and how they see their world. Will their new “eco-chic” trend subversively resist and overturn the industry that controls every part of their lives? Smart, provocative, and entertaining, this thrilling page-turner for teens questions the cult like mentality of fame and fashion. Both girls are pawns in a calculated but seductive system of corporate control, and both begin to question their world’s aggressive levels of consumption. A top fashion label employs sixteen-year-old Marla to dictate hot new clothing trends, while Ivy, a teen pop star, popularizes the garments that Marla approves. In Marla Klein and Ivy Wilde’s world, teens are the gatekeepers of culture. What happens when the obsession with fashion and fitting in goes too far? Thank you to Netgalley and HMH for providing me with a copy of the book.

Similar to other good dystopian books, Material Girls picks up on a current trend or current set of behavioral rules and takes them one step further. Perhaps the most puzzling aspect is that in this world that is so focused on the novelty of fashion trends, no actual new ideas appear-Disco, Bohemian, and even 'Eco-Chic' are all old news to any reader with a genuine interest in fashion.When I saw this book on Netgalley I was immediately interested in it. The climax and conclusion are muddled by too many competing plotlines. The protagonists lack the charisma of dystopian heroines and the romantic triangle that emerges among Marla, Ivy, and their mutual friend, Felix, feels formulaic and lacks tension. Mara is a supreme-court judge for a fashion design firm and Ivy is a superstar singer living a manufactured life as a glorified spokes-model for the corporate 'Silents.' Following Marla's fall from favor at her company, and encouraged by her new coworkers in the 'drafting' department, Marla and Ivy have a chance encounter at a fashion show that leads to a collaborative attempt to break the cycle of injustices that plague their society. Both teens were chosen in a ceremony to work in the all-powerful creative sector of society. Told in alternating perspectives of Marla Klein and Ivy Wilde, this preposterous premise only gets more convoluted as the story progresses. The failing economy was supposedly reinvigorated by adding children to the workforce, and all of society is controlled by fashion trends. Gr 9 Up-In this debut novel, the setting is a future world that is suspiciously like our own.

Material Girls by Elaine Dimopoulos