Brilliant

by Rachel Vail

Book Overview

Everybody knows who Quinn Avery is. She's the smart, calm, responsible Avery sister, the one who's kept it together in spite of all that's happened since their mom lost her job. But when the family house goes up for sale and Quinn faces the prospect of losing the home she loves, something snaps inside her, and a new, wild, reckless Quinn emerges.

Soon Quinn's lying, sneaking out, and partying with a brand-new crowd. When Quinn adds ditching...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060890517
• ISBN13: 9780060890513
• Release Date: April 2011
• Publisher: Harperteen
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.4" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 and higher

Customer Reviews

Perfect conclusion to trilogy

Reviewed by Avni Gupta (age 17) for Reader Views (06/10) When I received "Brilliant," I was so excited about reading it! I loved the first two books in the series, and I knew that I would most probably love this one as well. I definitely was not wrong! I thought that this book was simply amazing! This book starts out with Quinn, the oldest of the Avery sisters, feeling as though her parents do not care about her opinions at all, because they paint her bright red room white one day when she is at school. She does not complain, because, at sixteen-and-a-half, she feels as though it is her duty to be the obedient child who never creates a fuss. But what if she cannot keep her feelings inside anymore? She has had to keep all of her feelings about her mom getting fired and their family moving to herself, but now she does not know how she can take it anymore. Then Quinn finds the perfect outlet; Quinn becomes the bad child. She goes from being the good child to the girl who is kissing her piano teacher and her younger sister's boyfriend! In my mind, Rachel Vail used Quinn as a perfect example of how keeping your feelings inside makes things blow up in your face later on. I loved the way that she described Quinn's thoughts and feelings. This book being through Quinn's eyes shows you something that neither of the other two books in this series did; it shows you that no matter how perfect someone seems, their perfection is just a mask for their own insecurities. Another thing that I really enjoyed about "Brilliant" was the cover. The pair of shoes and the color scheme on the cover made me feel as though this book was going to be amazing, because all of the blues and purples made the book stand out for me. I loved how the shoes in the book that Quinn takes from her mom's closet were perfectly matched to the shoes that were on the cover.

A fun read

I read Lucky and Gorgeous, the first two books in this series, and really liked them, mainly because I like the way that Vail describes the relationships between the Avery sisters and their friends, so I couldn't wait to read Brilliant, the third and last one, to read about Quinn, the oldest Avery sister. If you have read Lucky or Gorgeous, which are told from the point of view of Phoebe and Allison Avery, you know that they, along with their older sister, Quinn, are going through a financial crisis because their mother, who is the primary bread winner in the family, has done something wrong on her job (we don't know exactly what) and it has jeopardized not only her job, but the financial security of the family. In this book, which is told from Quinn's point of view, we learn a little more about what Mrs. Avery did in her job that caused the problem and which now requires them to sell their house and move in, temporarily, with Mrs. Avery's parents. Her family's financial difficulties are followed by some more personal difficulties for Quinn. She has a brief romantic encounter with her sister's (ex?) boyfriend, and then has some humorous moments with the extremely good-looking but incredibly shallow and self-centered playboy, Mason. I didn't really disapprove of her conduct, though. After all, isn't being young and single supposed to allow one the freedom to experiment and not be tied down? Still, by the end of the book I was rooting for Quinn to dump the moron and go for the brilliant Oliver whom she had know all her life. I particularly liked the way that Vail describes the funny moments that arise between Quinn and her family members when, for example, Quinn discovers why the ice cubes in her grandparents' freezer are yellow. I also liked how Quinn was forced to confront her own shortcomings (why does Quinn engage in reckless behavior, including kissing her sister's boyfriend?) and the shortcomings of others (Quinn's new friend, Adriana, turns out to be a shallow and mean person). Her behavior becomes increasingly rebellious and as she tries to shed the chains of being the "good" girl that everyone expects her to be and act like a party girl, she has a brush with disaster. The issues that the books deals with are familiar but thanks to the many perceptive observations, they are shown in a new light. By the end of the book, Quinn may not have have resolved for herself, and the reader, some difficult ethical issues, but at least she has shed some light that made me feel like I understood them better. It seems to me that what sets a moral person like Quinn apart from some of the less appealing characters in the book is that she cares enough to struggle with issues of morality, and the others simply don't care, or are incapable of caring. Quinn has grown up, and one gets the feeling that she and her sisters are stronger for having gone through such a difficult experience. There is a fair amount of tension in the fam

Avery Sisters Trilogy comes to a close

Due to being part of a three girl family, I always look forward to reading books that focus on families involving three sisters. I have been especially looking to this story as it focuses on the eldest daughter, which being one myself I always can relate too. This book was a nice step back into realism as the second book in the series, which focused on Allison, involved some situations that could be as fantasy. While I enjoyed the book, I was a bit disappointed at how Quinn was portrayed in this book. I guess after reading the first two books in the series that were from the younger sisters' POVs, I just assumed that Quinn was more mature and older than what she really was. I'm not sure if it's because that's how her sisters viewed her and that's just how she came across because it was through their eyes. It wasn't anything that was traumatic but I just thought that she would have handled things differently. I was glad to finally find out what exactly the girls' mother had done to the company. The other books kept giving hints but we never knew what it was until now. I can't say that I agreed with everything that the family did but it was obvious that they do love each other and a close family. I really have loved the covers of the books of this series and Brilliant is another beautiful one. I don't even like the shoes but they look absolutely lovely on the cover. The colors just pop out at you and the simplicity of the cover really makes a statement. As I stated, this is the third book in the series about the Avery sisters. While this book could be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading the first two books in the series to get a better understanding of the entire Avery family. Knowing what happened before is crucial to understanding why Quinn acts the way she does in this book. Overall, I enjoyed her story and I'm sad that the series is ending. This isn't fluffy teen chick lit yet it's not hard core intense stuff. It's a great blend that YA readers will enjoy.