A Shore Thing by Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi

Published January 4, 2011 by Gallery
3 Stars

Goodreads Review
It’s a summer to remember . . . at the Jersey Shore.

Giovanna “Gia” Spumanti and her cousin Isabella “Bella” Rizzoli are going to have the sexiest summer ever. While they couldn’t be more different—pint-size Gia is a carefree, outspoken party girl and Bella is a tall, slender athlete who always holds her tongue—for the next month they’re ready to pouf up their hair, put on their stilettos, and soak up all that Seaside Heights, New Jersey, has to offer: hot guidos, cool clubs, fried Oreos, and lots of tequila.

So far, Gia’s summer is on fire. Between nearly burning down their rented bungalow, inventing the popular “tan-tags” at the Tantastic Salon where she works, and rescuing a shark on the beach, she becomes a local celebrity overnight. Luckily, she meets the perfect guy to help her keep the flames under control. Firefighter Frank Rossi is exactly her type: big, tan, and Italian. But is he tough enough to handle Gia when things really heat up?

Bella is more than ready for some fun in the sun. Finally free of her bonehead ex-boyfriend, she left home in Brooklyn with one goal in mind: hooking up with a sexy gorilla for a no-strings-attached summer fling. In no time, she lands a job leading “Beat Up the Beat” dance classes at a local gym, and is scooped up by Beemer-driving, preppy Bender Newberry. Only problem: Bella can’t get her romantic and ripped boss Tony “Trouble” Troublino out of her head. He’s relationship material. Suddenly, Bella’s not sure what she wants.

The cousins soon realize that for every friend they make on the boardwalk, there are also rivals, slummers, and frenemies who will do anything to ruin their summer—and try their relationship. Before July ends, the bonds of family and friendship will be stretched to the breaking point. Will the haters prevail, or will Gia and Bella find love at the Shore?

For everyone who loves MTV’s hit reality show, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi’s sweet, funny, and sexy novel perfectly captures the heat, the energy, the fun, and the drama of Jersey Shore.

Review:  I have a confession.  I love Jersey Shore.  I mean, freaking LOVE it.  I don't know why, but I can't get enough of this fist pumping, hair poofing, GTL-ing mess of a show.  If you're like me and have no idea why you love Jersey Shore as well, then A Shore Thing will be a great summer read for you.

 

A Shore Thing may be a fictional story starring Gia and Bella, but it reads like any episode of Jersey Shore starring Snooki and J-Woww, the obvious inspirations for the characters.  In A Shore Thing Gia/Snooki and Bella/J-Woww get a house on the Jersey Shore for the summer to party and hook up with hot guido gorilla juice-heads, but nothing ever goes smoothly for these two.  I had a lot of fun reading about all of the crazy antics Gia and Bella got up to and I also loved how they were able to charm their way out of pretty much everything. 

 

A Shore Thing isn't a perfect book by any means, the plot is ridiculous at times but always predictable, the writing can be a little clunky, and let's be real this isn't going to be winning any great literature awards anytime soon, but it does address topics like confidence and body issues, friendships and healthy relationships, and what it means to be independent women, and it does it a lot more smoothly than I expected.  If you're looking for a funny summer read with a heart A Shore Thing may be just right for you.