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Airhead #3
Runaway
EM WATTS IS ON THE RUN
She's on the run from school, from work, from her family, from her friends, from herself.
With everyone she loves furious with her for something she can't explain, and nothing but the live Stark Angel fashion show on New Year's Eve to look forward to, Em's reached the end of her rope... what's the point of even going on?
But when she discovers the truth about Nikki's secret, she knows there's only one person she can turn to.
Will Christopher be able to put aside his personal feelings and help her expose her employer to the world? Is it even fair to get Christopher involved - since if he agrees, there's every chance that Stark Enterprises will try to have them both killed - this time, permanently?
MAYBE IT WOULD BE BETTER TO KEEP ON RUNNING
She's on the run from school, from work, from her family, from her friends, from herself.
With everyone she loves furious with her for something she can't explain, and nothing but the live Stark Angel fashion show on New Year's Eve to look forward to, Em's reached the end of her rope... what's the point of even going on?
But when she discovers the truth about Nikki's secret, she knows there's only one person she can turn to.
Will Christopher be able to put aside his personal feelings and help her expose her employer to the world? Is it even fair to get Christopher involved - since if he agrees, there's every chance that Stark Enterprises will try to have them both killed - this time, permanently?
MAYBE IT WOULD BE BETTER TO KEEP ON RUNNING
310 pages, Hardcover
First published April 20, 2010
About the author
Meg Cabot
239 books34.8k followersLibrarian note: AKA Jenny Carroll (1-800-Where-R-You series), AKA Patricia Cabot (historical romance novels).
Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign. Fortunately she grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where few people were aware of the stigma of being a fire horse -- at least until Meg became a teenager, when she flunked freshman Algebra twice, then decided to cut her own bangs. After six years as an undergrad at Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City (in the middle of a sanitation worker strike) to pursue a career as an illustrator, at which she failed miserably, forcing her to turn to her favorite hobby--writing novels--for emotional succor. She worked various jobs to pay the rent, including a decade-long stint as the assistant manager of a 700 bed freshmen dormitory at NYU, a position she still occasionally misses.
She is now the author of nearly fifty books for both adults and teens, selling fifteen million copies worldwide, many of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, most notably The Princess Diaries series, which is currently being published in over 38 countries, and was made into two hit movies by Disney. In addition, Meg wrote the Mediator and 1-800-Where-R-You? series (on which the television series, Missing, was based), two All-American Girl books, Teen Idol, Avalon High, How to Be Popular, Pants on Fire, Jinx, a series of novels written entirely in email format (Boy Next Door, Boy Meets Girl, and Every Boy's Got One), a mystery series (Size 12 Is Not Fat/ Size 14 Is Not Fat Either/Big Boned), and a chick-lit series called Queen of Babble.
Meg is now writing a new children's series called Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls. Her new paranormal series, Abandon, debuts in Summer of 2011.
Meg currently divides her time between Key West, Indiana, and New York City with a primary cat (one-eyed Henrietta), various back-up cats, and her husband, who doesn't know he married a fire horse. Please don't tell him.
Series:
* Airhead
* The Princess Diaries
* Mediator
Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign. Fortunately she grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where few people were aware of the stigma of being a fire horse -- at least until Meg became a teenager, when she flunked freshman Algebra twice, then decided to cut her own bangs. After six years as an undergrad at Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City (in the middle of a sanitation worker strike) to pursue a career as an illustrator, at which she failed miserably, forcing her to turn to her favorite hobby--writing novels--for emotional succor. She worked various jobs to pay the rent, including a decade-long stint as the assistant manager of a 700 bed freshmen dormitory at NYU, a position she still occasionally misses.
She is now the author of nearly fifty books for both adults and teens, selling fifteen million copies worldwide, many of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, most notably The Princess Diaries series, which is currently being published in over 38 countries, and was made into two hit movies by Disney. In addition, Meg wrote the Mediator and 1-800-Where-R-You? series (on which the television series, Missing, was based), two All-American Girl books, Teen Idol, Avalon High, How to Be Popular, Pants on Fire, Jinx, a series of novels written entirely in email format (Boy Next Door, Boy Meets Girl, and Every Boy's Got One), a mystery series (Size 12 Is Not Fat/ Size 14 Is Not Fat Either/Big Boned), and a chick-lit series called Queen of Babble.
Meg is now writing a new children's series called Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls. Her new paranormal series, Abandon, debuts in Summer of 2011.
Meg currently divides her time between Key West, Indiana, and New York City with a primary cat (one-eyed Henrietta), various back-up cats, and her husband, who doesn't know he married a fire horse. Please don't tell him.
Series:
* Airhead
* The Princess Diaries
* Mediator
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 976 reviews
April 18, 2022
Emersen Watts steckt immer noch im Körper des Models Nikki Howard. Früher war sie unscheinbar, jetzt ist sie ein gefragter Star mit vollem Terminkalender. Doch einen großen Nachteil hat ihre Verwandlung: mit ihrem Freund Christopher musste sie Schluss machen. Dabei liebt sie ihn noch immer! Und dann ist da auch noch die echte Nikki Howard, die ihren Körper unbedingt zurückhaben möchte!
* Meine Meinung *
Dieses Buch ist bereits der dritte Teil der Reihe um Emersen und Nikki. Man kann das Buch durchaus lesen, ohne die ersten beiden Teile gelesen zu haben, da alles, was zuvor passiert ist, hier noch mal erklärt wird. Dennoch ist es sicherlich ein Vorteil, die Bücher der Reihe nach zu lesen, da sie dann einfach mehr Spaß machen!
Ich mag den Schreibstil von Meg Cabot sehr gerne! Sie schreibt sehr leicht, humor- und schwungvoll.
Auch „Plötzlich blond 3“ lässt sich leicht und flüssig lesen, und besonders junge Mädchen werden sich sehr angesprochen fühlen, denke ich. Die Sprache ist jugendlich einfach und angemessen.
Inhaltlich hat das Buch einiges zu bieten: es ist sehr originell und fantastisch einerseits und romantisch und spannend andererseits. Besonders das Ende wird noch mal temporeich und bietet einige Überraschungen. Mir persönlich war jetzt die Idee mit der Gehirntransplantation ein wenig zu „futuristisch“, aber dennoch hatte ich viel Freude an diesem Buch und habe es sehr gerne gelesen!
* Meine Meinung *
Dieses Buch ist bereits der dritte Teil der Reihe um Emersen und Nikki. Man kann das Buch durchaus lesen, ohne die ersten beiden Teile gelesen zu haben, da alles, was zuvor passiert ist, hier noch mal erklärt wird. Dennoch ist es sicherlich ein Vorteil, die Bücher der Reihe nach zu lesen, da sie dann einfach mehr Spaß machen!
Ich mag den Schreibstil von Meg Cabot sehr gerne! Sie schreibt sehr leicht, humor- und schwungvoll.
Auch „Plötzlich blond 3“ lässt sich leicht und flüssig lesen, und besonders junge Mädchen werden sich sehr angesprochen fühlen, denke ich. Die Sprache ist jugendlich einfach und angemessen.
Inhaltlich hat das Buch einiges zu bieten: es ist sehr originell und fantastisch einerseits und romantisch und spannend andererseits. Besonders das Ende wird noch mal temporeich und bietet einige Überraschungen. Mir persönlich war jetzt die Idee mit der Gehirntransplantation ein wenig zu „futuristisch“, aber dennoch hatte ich viel Freude an diesem Buch und habe es sehr gerne gelesen!
July 21, 2011
I was really hoping for the series to redeem itself in this book, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case. There was a lot of potential in this series, which got promptly wasted.
The big problem I keep coming back to is the characterization. It's definitely the weakest part in the series, and it shows. Em doesn't grow at all in three books; by the end, she's still dismissive of pretty famous people. Also, for someone who stresses about her intelligence and goes on about how smart she is, Em's kind of dumb. Everything important about Stark or the operation, someone has to spell it out for Em before she realizes the truth. I think the only thing she figures out on her own is the spyware on her computer in the first book. For example, when she and Christopher discover Project Phoenix, they both can't figure out what the name means. I can understand being confused with the city, but then they have to look up alternate meanings of phoenix, and they still can't figure it out. It's not until Em goes to the shareholders' auction that she finally figures out “phoenix = rebirth.” (And even then, she doesn’t make the symbolic connection.) Not to mention, I cried bullshit when Em said she didn't really know what a phoenix is. She plays a fantasy MMO, how the hell has she never heard of a phoenix. (Again, if you're going to call someone a geek, make them a geek! /tangent) She doesn't even realize Brandon's motives for keeping her and Nikki under lock and key; Em even buys into Brandon's excuse of "Oh, sure, we'll get you a surgeon to switch brains back." It would have been more believable if Em was book smart but really horrible with people, but this is never a part of her character.
There's no foreshadowing to any of the revelations. We find out why Em's mom was so against superficiality and a straw feminist- it's because her mother stopped telling her that she was pretty! Aside from being a bullshit Freudian excuse, there's no lead-up to it. Em's parents only show up once a book, and after their appearance in the first book, they only exist to harp on her for neglecting her schoolwork. Our villain, Robert Stark, isn't menacing or even feels like a threat- he shows up once a book and leaves. The reveal about Project Phoenix auctioning off college students to do brain implants doesn't feel as earth-shattering or has any impact on the plot. Nikki could have had a great character arc about getting over her vanity and accepting her new body, but apparently, all Lulu has to do is make Nikki over into a Goth and suddenly everyone thinks she's hot again. *headdesk*
And the plotting is just bad. The worst part is when Em sneaks into the Project Phoenix auction and secretly films it on her phone. Stark catches her and smashes it. While it's not a great plot twist, it still would have put an element of mystery to the plot- how they going to prove what's going? Can they still bring down Stark? But instead, Em goes to Lulu, calls Christopher, and reveals...that Stark broke her iPhone, but she filmed the meeting on her Stark phone. BAD WRITING 101. SHOW DON'T TELL. It doesn't help that ten pages later, Em repeats this information to Stark. There's a decent plot gun here that doesn't get used, and the whole conversation with Christopher should have honestly been cut in the editing stages.
For a series about superficiality and accepting who you are, none of the characters ever seem to get this point. Everyone (except for the bad guys, of course) ends up happy, paired off and pretty. Em's still a model, but now she can tell people who she really is and is justified being a bitchy to the popular girls. Which...really? This is the happy ending? It's almost like an aborted prequel to the Uglies series, where everyone in the country is obsessed with looking pretty, but have to be reminded that "People shouldn't be judged by their looks!" But they still want to be pretty instead of just normal. It's even the bad guys' motivation- well, Stark's is just money, but all of the shareholders are willing to kill off attractive coeds just to look pretty and young again. I feel like there's supposed to be a commentary on how we as a culture view attractiveness, but it fails so hard by making all of the main characters superficially attractive and keeping them that way at end. (I know I keep harping on about this series, but seriously- Uglies. Read it.)
There's some good points to the series, and the plot could have been decent. But Cabot drops the ball on the interesting plot threads, and the conflict never feels as big or as important as the characters make it out to be. (Not that I'm condoning the murder of attractive coeds, but you get my point.) It also feels like the books were set up to be a trilogy just for the sake of being a trilogy, and would have really worked better as just one volume. And I think I've gone on enough about how bad the characterization is.
I've mentioned in another review that I know that Meg Cabot can write good, well-plotted books, but sometimes it feels like she just writes something for the sake of publishing it and as whole, this is what the Airhead series feels like to me. There's just too much wasted potential here, and it really disappointed me.
The big problem I keep coming back to is the characterization. It's definitely the weakest part in the series, and it shows. Em doesn't grow at all in three books; by the end, she's still dismissive of pretty famous people. Also, for someone who stresses about her intelligence and goes on about how smart she is, Em's kind of dumb. Everything important about Stark or the operation, someone has to spell it out for Em before she realizes the truth. I think the only thing she figures out on her own is the spyware on her computer in the first book. For example, when she and Christopher discover Project Phoenix, they both can't figure out what the name means. I can understand being confused with the city, but then they have to look up alternate meanings of phoenix, and they still can't figure it out. It's not until Em goes to the shareholders' auction that she finally figures out “phoenix = rebirth.” (And even then, she doesn’t make the symbolic connection.) Not to mention, I cried bullshit when Em said she didn't really know what a phoenix is. She plays a fantasy MMO, how the hell has she never heard of a phoenix. (Again, if you're going to call someone a geek, make them a geek! /tangent) She doesn't even realize Brandon's motives for keeping her and Nikki under lock and key; Em even buys into Brandon's excuse of "Oh, sure, we'll get you a surgeon to switch brains back." It would have been more believable if Em was book smart but really horrible with people, but this is never a part of her character.
There's no foreshadowing to any of the revelations. We find out why Em's mom was so against superficiality and a straw feminist- it's because her mother stopped telling her that she was pretty! Aside from being a bullshit Freudian excuse, there's no lead-up to it. Em's parents only show up once a book, and after their appearance in the first book, they only exist to harp on her for neglecting her schoolwork. Our villain, Robert Stark, isn't menacing or even feels like a threat- he shows up once a book and leaves. The reveal about Project Phoenix auctioning off college students to do brain implants doesn't feel as earth-shattering or has any impact on the plot. Nikki could have had a great character arc about getting over her vanity and accepting her new body, but apparently, all Lulu has to do is make Nikki over into a Goth and suddenly everyone thinks she's hot again. *headdesk*
And the plotting is just bad. The worst part is when Em sneaks into the Project Phoenix auction and secretly films it on her phone. Stark catches her and smashes it. While it's not a great plot twist, it still would have put an element of mystery to the plot- how they going to prove what's going? Can they still bring down Stark? But instead, Em goes to Lulu, calls Christopher, and reveals...that Stark broke her iPhone, but she filmed the meeting on her Stark phone. BAD WRITING 101. SHOW DON'T TELL. It doesn't help that ten pages later, Em repeats this information to Stark. There's a decent plot gun here that doesn't get used, and the whole conversation with Christopher should have honestly been cut in the editing stages.
For a series about superficiality and accepting who you are, none of the characters ever seem to get this point. Everyone (except for the bad guys, of course) ends up happy, paired off and pretty. Em's still a model, but now she can tell people who she really is and is justified being a bitchy to the popular girls. Which...really? This is the happy ending? It's almost like an aborted prequel to the Uglies series, where everyone in the country is obsessed with looking pretty, but have to be reminded that "People shouldn't be judged by their looks!" But they still want to be pretty instead of just normal. It's even the bad guys' motivation- well, Stark's is just money, but all of the shareholders are willing to kill off attractive coeds just to look pretty and young again. I feel like there's supposed to be a commentary on how we as a culture view attractiveness, but it fails so hard by making all of the main characters superficially attractive and keeping them that way at end. (I know I keep harping on about this series, but seriously- Uglies. Read it.)
There's some good points to the series, and the plot could have been decent. But Cabot drops the ball on the interesting plot threads, and the conflict never feels as big or as important as the characters make it out to be. (Not that I'm condoning the murder of attractive coeds, but you get my point.) It also feels like the books were set up to be a trilogy just for the sake of being a trilogy, and would have really worked better as just one volume. And I think I've gone on enough about how bad the characterization is.
I've mentioned in another review that I know that Meg Cabot can write good, well-plotted books, but sometimes it feels like she just writes something for the sake of publishing it and as whole, this is what the Airhead series feels like to me. There's just too much wasted potential here, and it really disappointed me.
January 1, 2012
Being stuck in the body of a supermodel might sound like a dream come true for some girls, but for Emerson Watts, it's turning into a complete nightmare...
I was so hooked on this series that I finished book two, put it back on my shelf, and picked up book three. And kept reading. I didn't even bother changing my status on Goodreads. THAT'S how much I was in love with the story and HAD to keep reading. Oh my god.
I have to buy book one now. In hardcover. And then hunt down Meg Cabot and have her sign it and maybe beg her to bestow upon me some of her brilliance.
THIS WAS SO AMAZING!
I was (and still am actually) in a state of complete depression because this series is over. I LOVED it. Except I'm also ridiculously happy and on cloud nine and squealing every so often. Because it was just so perfect. And it was so funny. And the characters were SO wonderful! I cared about every single one! I can't believe I won't be reading about them anymore!! :(
This constant back-and-forth of being insanely happy and insanely depressed is pretty exhausting. But this is a MUST-READ for everybody. The book has adventure, romance, a tonnnnn of comedy, and a fantastic conclusion that'll send you over the moon. What's most important of all is the message it sends. I loved it. And it was all wrapped up in the most awesome story.
Oh god, I'm getting depressed again. BUT IT WAS SO AWESOME!!! One of my top ten favorite books of all time (well, series I guess, since I loved them all). And it's not the only Meg Cabot book to make that list. ;)
Go and read it. GO. NOW.
I was so hooked on this series that I finished book two, put it back on my shelf, and picked up book three. And kept reading. I didn't even bother changing my status on Goodreads. THAT'S how much I was in love with the story and HAD to keep reading. Oh my god.
I have to buy book one now. In hardcover. And then hunt down Meg Cabot and have her sign it and maybe beg her to bestow upon me some of her brilliance.
THIS WAS SO AMAZING!
I was (and still am actually) in a state of complete depression because this series is over. I LOVED it. Except I'm also ridiculously happy and on cloud nine and squealing every so often. Because it was just so perfect. And it was so funny. And the characters were SO wonderful! I cared about every single one! I can't believe I won't be reading about them anymore!! :(
This constant back-and-forth of being insanely happy and insanely depressed is pretty exhausting. But this is a MUST-READ for everybody. The book has adventure, romance, a tonnnnn of comedy, and a fantastic conclusion that'll send you over the moon. What's most important of all is the message it sends. I loved it. And it was all wrapped up in the most awesome story.
Oh god, I'm getting depressed again. BUT IT WAS SO AWESOME!!! One of my top ten favorite books of all time (well, series I guess, since I loved them all). And it's not the only Meg Cabot book to make that list. ;)
Go and read it. GO. NOW.
April 23, 2020
Is this rating on me because I waited ten years before I read this sequel? Maybe. But also... did I remember most of the plot of the previous two but simply outgrew the series? Maybe. It also just... wasn't good.
First of all, Em spends a lot of this series complaining about being a model. And then when even a hint of the idea comes up of her getting her old life back, she doesn't want to do it anymore.
Em also prides herself on being smart but she really, really isn't. She makes dumb decision after dumb decision.
Okay... dumb decisions is speaking lightly. Outrageously dumb! And her excuse is that the person's idea is crazy when literally everything in this book is off it's head mad, so she should've believed them...
And then Em spends a lot of time calling Nikki vain... and then later on in the book she goes on about how things are just easier for hot and beautiful people?? And really despises the idea of looking ugly or 'dumpy.' You can't be two faced on ideas like that.
There's also a whole speech about how she has to protect Christopher's fragile masculinity. She then proceeds to take that advice. That works. I am definitely penalising the book for this.
Also, the whole storyline and situation is kinda ridiculous and mad. It would have been exactly the thing that younger teen me would've loved. So I am not going to fault the book for this. It feels kind of laughable now and nothing they do really is plausible or smart but like... it's for young young adults and I know as a young young adult I would've eaten this up.
I found the book to be very, very predictable. It was slightly exhausting waiting for the characters to catch up with me.
I also didn't like how much the characters threw around the word love as if it's nobody's business. Single one day and in love the next. Not convinced at all. Not just the main character at fault here - but absolutely everyone. Not going to fault the book for this because older young young adult tended to be like this back in the day. But just writing it in my review as a note.
First of all, Em spends a lot of this series complaining about being a model. And then when even a hint of the idea comes up of her getting her old life back, she doesn't want to do it anymore.
Em also prides herself on being smart but she really, really isn't. She makes dumb decision after dumb decision.
Okay... dumb decisions is speaking lightly. Outrageously dumb! And her excuse is that the person's idea is crazy when literally everything in this book is off it's head mad, so she should've believed them...
And then Em spends a lot of time calling Nikki vain... and then later on in the book she goes on about how things are just easier for hot and beautiful people?? And really despises the idea of looking ugly or 'dumpy.' You can't be two faced on ideas like that.
There's also a whole speech about how she has to protect Christopher's fragile masculinity. She then proceeds to take that advice. That works. I am definitely penalising the book for this.
Also, the whole storyline and situation is kinda ridiculous and mad. It would have been exactly the thing that younger teen me would've loved. So I am not going to fault the book for this. It feels kind of laughable now and nothing they do really is plausible or smart but like... it's for young young adults and I know as a young young adult I would've eaten this up.
I found the book to be very, very predictable. It was slightly exhausting waiting for the characters to catch up with me.
I also didn't like how much the characters threw around the word love as if it's nobody's business. Single one day and in love the next. Not convinced at all. Not just the main character at fault here - but absolutely everyone. Not going to fault the book for this because older young young adult tended to be like this back in the day. But just writing it in my review as a note.
July 24, 2010
Meg Cabot is awesome. Just plain ole' freaggin' awesome. She can do no wrong in my eyes!
Runaway was a fantastic ending to this series. The secret behind the Stark Enterprises, is so simple, it's brilliant! I couldn't believe that I didn't figure it out sooner!
If you've never read Meg Cabot before, I highly recommend that you check her out! If you like something entertaining, funny and not all that serious, anything written by her would be up your alley.
As I said above this was a really great ending to the series. It wrapped everything up nicely which I so appreciated. I hate when a series ends and it leaves so many plot points open, the Nikki Howard series is not like that.
The characters seemed a little flat this time around, but I think it might have been because we have been introduced to these characters through the two previous books..... so perhaps there was a little less emphasis on character development.
The writing is the classic Meg Cabot style, it is utterly addicting, honestly when I start reading a Meg Cabot book I cannot put it down! Runaway was no different.
I'm ready for more!
I apologize that this review is absolutely horrible, but it was just fantastic! Read it!
Runaway was a fantastic ending to this series. The secret behind the Stark Enterprises, is so simple, it's brilliant! I couldn't believe that I didn't figure it out sooner!
If you've never read Meg Cabot before, I highly recommend that you check her out! If you like something entertaining, funny and not all that serious, anything written by her would be up your alley.
As I said above this was a really great ending to the series. It wrapped everything up nicely which I so appreciated. I hate when a series ends and it leaves so many plot points open, the Nikki Howard series is not like that.
The characters seemed a little flat this time around, but I think it might have been because we have been introduced to these characters through the two previous books..... so perhaps there was a little less emphasis on character development.
The writing is the classic Meg Cabot style, it is utterly addicting, honestly when I start reading a Meg Cabot book I cannot put it down! Runaway was no different.
I'm ready for more!
I apologize that this review is absolutely horrible, but it was just fantastic! Read it!
June 11, 2010
The book actually rather annoyed me. There is a lot of content I would classify as filler and it got tedious to read. For example:
Every time Em mentions her clothes while locked in Brandon's house, she has to refer back to how Brandon bought out a whole boutique of her size. EVERYTIME! So when Em brings up her clothes ten times in the first fifty pages, I get tired of the references. Because I've already read how she got the clothes, I don't need to be reminded EVERY TIME SHE MENTIONS THEM. I really don't.
And then she and Christopher get into an argument and everytime she mentions him after this argument she must tell us that he is now her ex-boyfriend because of this argument. I KNOW ABOUT THE ARGUMENT! I read it the first time. I do not need to be reminded again, and again, and AGAIN.
This repetition happened A LOT. And it really got on my nerves. I realize that Cabot probably chose every word very carefully, but to me there really wasn't enough plot to fill in the pages. So filler was used. And it made the plot drag.
A happy ending to the series.
Every time Em mentions her clothes while locked in Brandon's house, she has to refer back to how Brandon bought out a whole boutique of her size. EVERYTIME! So when Em brings up her clothes ten times in the first fifty pages, I get tired of the references. Because I've already read how she got the clothes, I don't need to be reminded EVERY TIME SHE MENTIONS THEM. I really don't.
And then she and Christopher get into an argument and everytime she mentions him after this argument she must tell us that he is now her ex-boyfriend because of this argument. I KNOW ABOUT THE ARGUMENT! I read it the first time. I do not need to be reminded again, and again, and AGAIN.
This repetition happened A LOT. And it really got on my nerves. I realize that Cabot probably chose every word very carefully, but to me there really wasn't enough plot to fill in the pages. So filler was used. And it made the plot drag.
A happy ending to the series.
July 19, 2020
Fun conclusion to this series, which started out like a fluffy, soapy bit of fun and ended with a lot of deep thoughts about family, what makes you YOU, and moral questions about groundbreaking medical procedures. Loved the characters so much, even the baddies, and the narration of the audiobook is great!
October 13, 2012
Emerson Watts had a body of a model Nikki Howard, but it seemed that the body her brain was in, was some sort of jinxed.
or maybe, it was because of Em's fault.
but Em wouldn't let people rule over her anymore, she would find a way to escape and ranaway after everything cleaned up.
and cleaned up meant, bring down Stark Enterprises.
what a very very quick reading book. very teenage-ish I read it only in two hours. but as fast-paced as it was, pretty cool full-packed in action, comedy, romance and fashion blended together!
one nice series to read.
Below here is the review. and SPOILER!!!
The characters.
one of the best thing about Meg Cabot was, she wrote so many books. and that meant, her writing style, her characterization, were much improved. in this series, the characters were all cute, lovable, and very alive . that's how much I loved them.
Emerson Watts. not many people like a girl like her I guessed, she was too impulsive and took her pride very high above anything. but did I hate her? HELL NO! for me, she was ONE OF THE BEST MAIN CHARACTER in Meg Cabot's books. just as cool as Susannah Simon but in different world.
Suze, was a fighter in boots with spikes, and axes in her bags. while Em fought in high heels, bikinis, and of course, her straight A's brain.
Christopher stated that Em was too loose, even after Nikki tried to brained her every moment they met. but I thought, it was one of the best thing about Em. she was very independent and sometimes, thought too highly of herself she didn't even try to ask anyone's help. but how could she anyway, asked for help? it wasn't like anyone could help her. she was always fight on her own, since her mother always taught her so, even though she made so many mistakes, after all she would try to clean up the mess she made. plus, she was brave. very, very brave girl.
and the part she blown up Brandon's new car? that's so cool I wanted to clap!
for someone who was on the edge of everything, the part she could turn everything to be her weapon mercilessly, she was just as dangerous as anyone could be.
that's a note for Robert Stark: Don't ever try to mess with Emerson Watts's brain.
Christopher Maloney. I guess he had been a little annoying at first, but I didn't take any of it on mind since he's always be one of the BEST MALE. not just in Meg Cabot's books, but in many young-adult books. if you wanted to compare him with... maybe even Jesse de Silva from Mediator by Meg Cabot? Jesse was totally blown up. and I assure you, I'm a fan of Jesse. or maybe, it was just because I liked bad boys more in fictions.
I could understand why he was mad at Em, he was just trying to help her but Em was always been too reckless and independent to ask for his help. and that made him frustated, how could he help someone who didn't even trust him?
well, he wasn't as mature as Em, but still he was just 17th year old guy. and normal. and not someone whose brain was put in someone else's body.
Brandon Stark. it was weird enough to see a villain this idiot, but since he was an airhead, the kind of popular jock who liked to bully, just... well.
like everyone who reads this book, at first I hated him. and always, thought of him as an idiot (which didn't improved till the end). and then, we knew like any other jocks, he was a scaredy-cat and we liked him more. and at the end, we saw how much useless this guy to like and wondered how could a jock like this being the head of Stark Entreprise.
I was thinking that Stark Enterprise was going to fall.
but with Felix and Christopher? maybe not fell so down.
Nikki Howard. he was just like Brandon Stark. idiot, airheaded, popular kids who liked to bully. and whiny creature I wondered how could she have a brother like Steven.
but as evil as she was, she was getting better. though still, I didn't care what Em said about 'high self-esteem' or whatever. I didn't like her.
it just made me think that maybe boys like a girl this whiny.
Frida Watts. at first, I was sceptical, thinking she had another evil plans behind saving her sister. since she had been the main person I wanted to smack since the beginning of this series. but here, in Runaway, she acted much better I was thinking maybe some aliens kidnapped her and replaced with different person.
but it was nice, though still felt weird. maybe the thing of her sister's brain transplanted beginning to made some sense in her mind.
still, how could she fell in love with Felix? we didn't know anything about that! it was just... buzz! dang! Felix and Frida.
whatever.
Lulu Collins. cute girl, nice, even if she was an airhead, she was still one of my favorite. because she was true with herself and pretty loyal. she was a nice side character, seriously.
Stephen Howard. the part he was being with Lulu was so predictable but lovely too, seriously. I really wanted a brother like him, though Em wasn't his real sister, he treated Em even better that his real one. maybe because Em was much less whiny than Nikki. I understand that much.
Gabriel Luna. poor guy, he didn't know anything and then bunch of strangers bumped into his house. still, I appreciated how he could handle it well.
though it was weird, I liked Gabriel-Nikki couple. maybe Gabriel was too good for abitch, but they were a cute couple it was funny to see.
Robert Stark. he was evil, but smart too. I didn't understand why he had such an idiotic son.
still, we saw how much similiar they were, they underestimated people much. he didn't know, that Em wasn't an airhead he could push around. he had to learn to be not so prideful.
The story
whoa, so much to tell!
this book, I thought have one of the nicest ending in young-adult series. maybe it was too happily-ever-after, but we didn't left being confused and everything was set at the right place. because every problems were answered very clearly. there were no gaps we wanted to smack. it was like everything was real, and I loved it.
okay, happily-ever-after part was a little... you know, sad. but hey, this is an young-adult book. what are you expecting anyway? plus, it was the best clear ending to made. though, of course. the I had never been an epilog's fan. that's why I tried to not roll my eyes much, when read it.
but, the romance part? I thought that was too much. I could roll my eyes back and forth when Em and Christoper arguing over and over again. I thought they were too hot-headed to be together, but maybe that was just because they were being pushed to the edge. I mean, they were bestfriends back then, and they were fine. it was just because all the problems in the air.
well, this is just a great as Mediator series, or maybe, even better (since I love the fashion part and Mediator has too much books). I hoped Abandon would be as good as this series.
or maybe, it was because of Em's fault.
but Em wouldn't let people rule over her anymore, she would find a way to escape and ranaway after everything cleaned up.
and cleaned up meant, bring down Stark Enterprises.
what a very very quick reading book. very teenage-ish I read it only in two hours. but as fast-paced as it was, pretty cool full-packed in action, comedy, romance and fashion blended together!
one nice series to read.
Below here is the review. and SPOILER!!!
The characters.
one of the best thing about Meg Cabot was, she wrote so many books. and that meant, her writing style, her characterization, were much improved. in this series, the characters were all cute, lovable, and very alive . that's how much I loved them.
Emerson Watts. not many people like a girl like her I guessed, she was too impulsive and took her pride very high above anything. but did I hate her? HELL NO! for me, she was ONE OF THE BEST MAIN CHARACTER in Meg Cabot's books. just as cool as Susannah Simon but in different world.
Suze, was a fighter in boots with spikes, and axes in her bags. while Em fought in high heels, bikinis, and of course, her straight A's brain.
Christopher stated that Em was too loose, even after Nikki tried to brained her every moment they met. but I thought, it was one of the best thing about Em. she was very independent and sometimes, thought too highly of herself she didn't even try to ask anyone's help. but how could she anyway, asked for help? it wasn't like anyone could help her. she was always fight on her own, since her mother always taught her so, even though she made so many mistakes, after all she would try to clean up the mess she made. plus, she was brave. very, very brave girl.
and the part she blown up Brandon's new car? that's so cool I wanted to clap!
for someone who was on the edge of everything, the part she could turn everything to be her weapon mercilessly, she was just as dangerous as anyone could be.
that's a note for Robert Stark: Don't ever try to mess with Emerson Watts's brain.
Christopher Maloney. I guess he had been a little annoying at first, but I didn't take any of it on mind since he's always be one of the BEST MALE. not just in Meg Cabot's books, but in many young-adult books. if you wanted to compare him with... maybe even Jesse de Silva from Mediator by Meg Cabot? Jesse was totally blown up. and I assure you, I'm a fan of Jesse. or maybe, it was just because I liked bad boys more in fictions.
I could understand why he was mad at Em, he was just trying to help her but Em was always been too reckless and independent to ask for his help. and that made him frustated, how could he help someone who didn't even trust him?
well, he wasn't as mature as Em, but still he was just 17th year old guy. and normal. and not someone whose brain was put in someone else's body.
Brandon Stark. it was weird enough to see a villain this idiot, but since he was an airhead, the kind of popular jock who liked to bully, just... well.
like everyone who reads this book, at first I hated him. and always, thought of him as an idiot (which didn't improved till the end). and then, we knew like any other jocks, he was a scaredy-cat and we liked him more. and at the end, we saw how much useless this guy to like and wondered how could a jock like this being the head of Stark Entreprise.
I was thinking that Stark Enterprise was going to fall.
but with Felix and Christopher? maybe not fell so down.
Nikki Howard. he was just like Brandon Stark. idiot, airheaded, popular kids who liked to bully. and whiny creature I wondered how could she have a brother like Steven.
but as evil as she was, she was getting better. though still, I didn't care what Em said about 'high self-esteem' or whatever. I didn't like her.
it just made me think that maybe boys like a girl this whiny.
Frida Watts. at first, I was sceptical, thinking she had another evil plans behind saving her sister. since she had been the main person I wanted to smack since the beginning of this series. but here, in Runaway, she acted much better I was thinking maybe some aliens kidnapped her and replaced with different person.
but it was nice, though still felt weird. maybe the thing of her sister's brain transplanted beginning to made some sense in her mind.
still, how could she fell in love with Felix? we didn't know anything about that! it was just... buzz! dang! Felix and Frida.
whatever.
Lulu Collins. cute girl, nice, even if she was an airhead, she was still one of my favorite. because she was true with herself and pretty loyal. she was a nice side character, seriously.
Stephen Howard. the part he was being with Lulu was so predictable but lovely too, seriously. I really wanted a brother like him, though Em wasn't his real sister, he treated Em even better that his real one. maybe because Em was much less whiny than Nikki. I understand that much.
Gabriel Luna. poor guy, he didn't know anything and then bunch of strangers bumped into his house. still, I appreciated how he could handle it well.
though it was weird, I liked Gabriel-Nikki couple. maybe Gabriel was too good for a
Robert Stark. he was evil, but smart too. I didn't understand why he had such an idiotic son.
still, we saw how much similiar they were, they underestimated people much. he didn't know, that Em wasn't an airhead he could push around. he had to learn to be not so prideful.
The story
whoa, so much to tell!
this book, I thought have one of the nicest ending in young-adult series. maybe it was too happily-ever-after, but we didn't left being confused and everything was set at the right place. because every problems were answered very clearly. there were no gaps we wanted to smack. it was like everything was real, and I loved it.
okay, happily-ever-after part was a little... you know, sad. but hey, this is an young-adult book. what are you expecting anyway? plus, it was the best clear ending to made. though, of course. the I had never been an epilog's fan. that's why I tried to not roll my eyes much, when read it.
but, the romance part? I thought that was too much. I could roll my eyes back and forth when Em and Christoper arguing over and over again. I thought they were too hot-headed to be together, but maybe that was just because they were being pushed to the edge. I mean, they were bestfriends back then, and they were fine. it was just because all the problems in the air.
well, this is just a great as Mediator series, or maybe, even better (since I love the fashion part and Mediator has too much books). I hoped Abandon would be as good as this series.
July 13, 2016
Meg Cabot is, for me, a guilty pleasure. Pure chick-lit escapism, I read her books when I really just don't want to have to think much. So I'm not against her books in general. I just really did NOT enjoy this series.
It felt like there wasn't actually too much story, so Ms Cabot had to do some SERIOUS filling in.
I just couldn't stand the constant references to actually being dead. Like, 'Oh I could totally go and do that. If I wasn't dead already, that is.' EVERY TIME there was even the slightest opportunity to mention it. Along with the constant referencing to events that had just happened, it got exasperating, then old, then I just didn't want to read the book any more and to be perfectly honest, I pretty much skipped through the last half of this book.
To like a book it's kind of essential you like the main characters. And apart from Lulu (who was only occasionally annoying) there really weren't any I sympathised with, cared about, or enjoyed reading. Most of them just seemed confused and did things without any reason or explanation...
My main problem was with Em. She was unintelligent, poorly spoken, selfish and irritating for a supposedly smart person. She whinged and whined and only occasionally actually kicked butt - verbally or physically. She treated Christopher terribly, (although he wasn't much better, they both acted like a pair of five year olds), she treated her family terribly, and on the whole made me slap some sense into her.
I generally feel, with Meg Cabot characters, that if I met them in real life, I'd be friends with them. If I met any of these characters in real life, ESPECIALLY Em Watts (whose very NAME just annoys me) I would probably just like to punch her.
It felt like there wasn't actually too much story, so Ms Cabot had to do some SERIOUS filling in.
I just couldn't stand the constant references to actually being dead. Like, 'Oh I could totally go and do that. If I wasn't dead already, that is.' EVERY TIME there was even the slightest opportunity to mention it. Along with the constant referencing to events that had just happened, it got exasperating, then old, then I just didn't want to read the book any more and to be perfectly honest, I pretty much skipped through the last half of this book.
To like a book it's kind of essential you like the main characters. And apart from Lulu (who was only occasionally annoying) there really weren't any I sympathised with, cared about, or enjoyed reading. Most of them just seemed confused and did things without any reason or explanation...
My main problem was with Em. She was unintelligent, poorly spoken, selfish and irritating for a supposedly smart person. She whinged and whined and only occasionally actually kicked butt - verbally or physically. She treated Christopher terribly, (although he wasn't much better, they both acted like a pair of five year olds), she treated her family terribly, and on the whole made me slap some sense into her.
I generally feel, with Meg Cabot characters, that if I met them in real life, I'd be friends with them. If I met any of these characters in real life, ESPECIALLY Em Watts (whose very NAME just annoys me) I would probably just like to punch her.
June 22, 2018
Good conclusion! I liked this much better than book 2. This is like the Original Get Out haha. Em, Lulu, Nikki, and Frida were total badasses and I loved it! Meg Cabot is so great about writing strong female characters who can save the day, it makes me so happy. This book was a quick read; the plot moved quickly and there was a lot going on to keep my interest. I'm glad everyone paired up and got their happy ending. The concept is pretty cool and I wonder how long until scientists and doctors can do an actual brain transplant? Maybe they already can... dun dun dun!
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May 21, 2009I really want to read this book! I also want to be the first to review it, so here it is. Runaway is the third book in the airhead series. I still haven't read the second yet unfortunately, but I heard it was better then the first book(which I enjoyed). Now if this is better then the second book, which was better then the first, then I'll probably rate it four stars. Hence my rating :D So anyway I was wondering, in the second book does she tell Christopher or does he figure out that she's really Emerson Watts(which I think is a way better name then Nikki Howard)? Well OK that's that. My review of a book which sadly enough I have not read yet and doesn't come out for a year. The end.
March 11, 2010
At long last comes the final book in the AIRHEAD trilogy, and it closes this series with a satisfactory bang. Everything you love about Meg Cabot is here—the voice, the boys, the romance, the misunderstandings—and the ending is clever without being seeming overly plotted, shocking yet unforced.
As is typical of Meg Cabot’s books, everything is wrapped up nicely without overexcessive drama and writing. Em’s down-to-earth attitude paired with Cabot’s usual “teen girl” voice—y’know, the tangents? the silly yet sweet assumptions and misunderstandings?—provides for a great narrator. As this is the last of a trilogy, I have to say that the ending was good, if not, perhaps, worth getting through two books of mostly drivel to get to this point. It’s shocking, it’s smart, and it’s totally plausible within the realm of Em’s world.
The biggest problem that remains with me after reading this trilogy is that this could’ve easily been a one-book storyline, and RUNAWAY does give the impression that Cabot intentionally stretched it into a trilogy for financial reasons. Still, fans of the AIRHEAD series will love the way the plot develops throughout the course of these three books. If you’ve made it through BEING NIKKI, then you should definitely read RUNAWAY: it’ll satisfy all your questions and leave you content.
As is typical of Meg Cabot’s books, everything is wrapped up nicely without overexcessive drama and writing. Em’s down-to-earth attitude paired with Cabot’s usual “teen girl” voice—y’know, the tangents? the silly yet sweet assumptions and misunderstandings?—provides for a great narrator. As this is the last of a trilogy, I have to say that the ending was good, if not, perhaps, worth getting through two books of mostly drivel to get to this point. It’s shocking, it’s smart, and it’s totally plausible within the realm of Em’s world.
The biggest problem that remains with me after reading this trilogy is that this could’ve easily been a one-book storyline, and RUNAWAY does give the impression that Cabot intentionally stretched it into a trilogy for financial reasons. Still, fans of the AIRHEAD series will love the way the plot develops throughout the course of these three books. If you’ve made it through BEING NIKKI, then you should definitely read RUNAWAY: it’ll satisfy all your questions and leave you content.
April 30, 2021
I first discovered this series quite a few years ago in the school library. I remember really enjoying the first book. I think I may have simply outgrown the series though since I did not like this one as much. It is a satisfying conclusion to the series but I just could not enjoy it. There were quite a lot of pages where all I read was the protagonist's internal monologue - I think this made up at least half the book and it was annoying. Mostly because she either thought about the subjective idea of prettiness or the guy she was pining over. And it was really crazy when I realized all the main characters here were eleventh graders. I am in college and it still made me feel quite old. Anyway, as unenjoyable as the book itself was, there were a few interesting scifi-like ideas to think about which made the reading experience a little more bearable.
February 29, 2020
This book picks up right after the second one lets off, with just a day or so in between. If you plan to read this series and don't want to know anything ahead of time, stop right here. If you don't mind knowing a little, just skip the spoilers.
Em is at a summer home owned by Brandon the son of the fourth wealthiest man in the world
December 29, 2011
(Spoiler Warning! Do not read unless you have read the previous Airhead novels).
Well things aren’t looking good for Emerson Watts. Not only has she been kidnapped by Brandon Stark, but she’s also been forced to break the heart of Christopher (the one boy she loves). All so she can keep the real Nikki Howard safe. For those of your reading who haven’t read the Airhead series Emerson’s body was destroyed and her brain was transplanted into Stark supermodel, Nikki Howard’s. Emerson was forced into Nikki’s life just to discover everything was not what it seems. She and her family were informed Nikki was brain dead when Emerson’s brain was put in—that wasn’t the case. Nikki was murdered by Robert Stark to keep her quiet because she was trying to blackmail him. But the real Nikki Howard is alive and kicking in a new body.
Now Emerson must get Nikki to share the secret worth being killed over. Nikki’s willing to give up that information—but only if she gets her real body back. Things don’t get easy for Em who now is dealing with problems with her parents, her own broken heart, keeping Nikki and her family safe, all the awhile dealing with Brandon.
With the help of her sister and Lulu Em gains the upper hand. And soon enough, with the help of Christopher and his cousin Felix, Em has a lead on the secret that got Nikki killed (well kind of killed). Now they need to fit the pieces together and expose Robert Stark. But it’s a fight against the clock, if Robert Stark got away with murdering Nikki Howard once he can surely do it again. Not to mention Em (well Nikki) is set to walk the runaway at the Stark Angels New Years Eve show in the million dollar bra—something Em’s feminist mother does not approve of.
Runaway is filled with action, suspense and some all around hilarious dialog. While Christopher’s supervillian/superhero mood swings get old, Em begins to understand why he is that way. With this being the third and final book in the series, readers can be assured they’ll receive closer and not a cliffhanger. All around Runaway leaves you with a happy ending for all. But at the same time, leaves you wanting one more book (or even mini book) of life after controversy for Em and Nikki. Perhaps maybe even a spin off book about the adventures of Nikki pre and post “death”.
Book Rating 8.5/10
Well things aren’t looking good for Emerson Watts. Not only has she been kidnapped by Brandon Stark, but she’s also been forced to break the heart of Christopher (the one boy she loves). All so she can keep the real Nikki Howard safe. For those of your reading who haven’t read the Airhead series Emerson’s body was destroyed and her brain was transplanted into Stark supermodel, Nikki Howard’s. Emerson was forced into Nikki’s life just to discover everything was not what it seems. She and her family were informed Nikki was brain dead when Emerson’s brain was put in—that wasn’t the case. Nikki was murdered by Robert Stark to keep her quiet because she was trying to blackmail him. But the real Nikki Howard is alive and kicking in a new body.
Now Emerson must get Nikki to share the secret worth being killed over. Nikki’s willing to give up that information—but only if she gets her real body back. Things don’t get easy for Em who now is dealing with problems with her parents, her own broken heart, keeping Nikki and her family safe, all the awhile dealing with Brandon.
With the help of her sister and Lulu Em gains the upper hand. And soon enough, with the help of Christopher and his cousin Felix, Em has a lead on the secret that got Nikki killed (well kind of killed). Now they need to fit the pieces together and expose Robert Stark. But it’s a fight against the clock, if Robert Stark got away with murdering Nikki Howard once he can surely do it again. Not to mention Em (well Nikki) is set to walk the runaway at the Stark Angels New Years Eve show in the million dollar bra—something Em’s feminist mother does not approve of.
Runaway is filled with action, suspense and some all around hilarious dialog. While Christopher’s supervillian/superhero mood swings get old, Em begins to understand why he is that way. With this being the third and final book in the series, readers can be assured they’ll receive closer and not a cliffhanger. All around Runaway leaves you with a happy ending for all. But at the same time, leaves you wanting one more book (or even mini book) of life after controversy for Em and Nikki. Perhaps maybe even a spin off book about the adventures of Nikki pre and post “death”.
Book Rating 8.5/10
May 13, 2011
Unfortunately, I read this book before I read the second book of this series - "Being Nikki". I finished "Airhead" and was dying to read "Being Nikki" and "Runaway", but the person who borrowed "Being Nikki" has not returned it yet, so I borrowed "Runaway". To my dismay, I couldn't help myself from taking a peek at this book, and then obviously not being able to tear myself from it. I only stopped once I reached the end, and unfortunately, it was a loose ending, but it was also very sweet.
This book was a little confusing since I haven't read "Being Nikki" yet, but I did understand it a bit more when I did the worst thing ever, go on wikipedia and read the entire plot summary. I then knew exactly what would happen, but I will definitely still read the book. This is only a trilogy, so there's only three books. I would really love to keep reading about Em/Nikki's life, but for some reason, I think I've sort of read enough!! But of course if Meg Cabot miraculously decides to extend the trilogy to a ten book series, I would jump at a chance to get my hands on those book!
This book was a little confusing since I haven't read "Being Nikki" yet, but I did understand it a bit more when I did the worst thing ever, go on wikipedia and read the entire plot summary. I then knew exactly what would happen, but I will definitely still read the book. This is only a trilogy, so there's only three books. I would really love to keep reading about Em/Nikki's life, but for some reason, I think I've sort of read enough!! But of course if Meg Cabot miraculously decides to extend the trilogy to a ten book series, I would jump at a chance to get my hands on those book!
June 25, 2011
It's official I can't give more than three star rating to this series but I have got to say this series gets more interesting with each book. "Runaway" is the best book in the series not just because the series ends with this book but because it lacks all those redundant narratives that rendered the previous books less enjoyable. The story is fast paced and the characters less annoying although I can't say the same for Christopher because he is by far one of the most annoying characters that I have ever encountered and sorry to say he still holds the title. I was very impressed with how all the loose ends were tied together to give a satisfactory finish. Although towards the middle you kind of get what the story leads to before the characters in the story and it all becomes predictable after that but still you never once feel like putting down the book. I still maintain my view that the main protagonist is hypocritical and her hypocrisy is more illustrated in this book. Nevertheless I think this book is worth a one time read.
September 27, 2018
The story kicks up in this book. There are planned murders, blackmail, and romance. Just as our heroine learns the ins and outs to her new life, things shift again. Great story with wonderful characters.
July 5, 2023
Runaway was a good conclusion to the Airhead trilogy. I found that the plot twist was surprising, but not too shocking. It seemed to come out of nowhere. Furthermore, throughout the entire Airhead trilogy, I just didn't believe Christopher and Em's relationship. Sure, they were friends for a long time, but I just didn't feel that there was enough of a background given about them and their platonic relationship for the reader to see the development into more. That being said, I enjoyed the Airhead trilogy. It was an entertaining and lighthearted read. If you stumble across this book like I did, I encourage you to pick it up.
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April 25, 2017Uma das piores coisas que já li na minha vida. Obrigada, Ana Carolina.
March 3, 2017
Airhead is really fun. I love how it has this dark premise with brain transplants and an evil MNC but tonally it's... Meg Cabot. The strength of the series is how readable and enjoyable it is, but its weakness is its mixed messages.
Thematically Airhead is about the destructive power of MNC's on America and the environment, but the main company Cabot uses as the antithesis to cheap mass-produced goods is... Apple. Like, yes, a Macbook Air is in a different price bracket than a Stark Quark, but both are still Fortune 500 companies relying on cheap overseas labour before selling goods for vastly inflated values? What?
Not to get started on the straw feminist mum/the makeover thing. Putting on lipstick is Still Not Feminism. I think the message Cabot was going for was "looks don't matter", but it ended up being somewhere in the valley of "it's important to do whatever you can to your vile ugly face to make it respectable enough to show in public!"
Finally, Christopher was rubbish? Had no redeeming qualities? He spends the whole book acting like Em owes him something when she owes him nothing. I at least expected him to have to apologise for his appalling behaviour before the inevitable ending, but apparently not. What a dick. Em could do so much better than him oh my god.
But I mean, listen: I really, really, genuinely did enjoy this read. Like, I've read the Princess Diaries 10 at least twice now, and I'm going to read it again this year, because I genuinely love it, but through my love I can recognise that the moral of that book kind of ended up as "you should just sleep with your teenage boyfriend when he wants". So in summary: Airhead was fun but don't look too closely.
Thematically Airhead is about the destructive power of MNC's on America and the environment, but the main company Cabot uses as the antithesis to cheap mass-produced goods is... Apple. Like, yes, a Macbook Air is in a different price bracket than a Stark Quark, but both are still Fortune 500 companies relying on cheap overseas labour before selling goods for vastly inflated values? What?
Not to get started on the straw feminist mum/the makeover thing. Putting on lipstick is Still Not Feminism. I think the message Cabot was going for was "looks don't matter", but it ended up being somewhere in the valley of "it's important to do whatever you can to your vile ugly face to make it respectable enough to show in public!"
Finally, Christopher was rubbish? Had no redeeming qualities? He spends the whole book acting like Em owes him something when she owes him nothing. I at least expected him to have to apologise for his appalling behaviour before the inevitable ending, but apparently not. What a dick. Em could do so much better than him oh my god.
But I mean, listen: I really, really, genuinely did enjoy this read. Like, I've read the Princess Diaries 10 at least twice now, and I'm going to read it again this year, because I genuinely love it, but through my love I can recognise that the moral of that book kind of ended up as "you should just sleep with your teenage boyfriend when he wants". So in summary: Airhead was fun but don't look too closely.
February 16, 2016
The book “Runaway” is the third book in a trilogy written by Meg Cabot. I wish I would have known it was from a trilogy, because when I started reading it, I was very confused. I felt like I could not follow the plot very well, so I was unsure how I felt about the book at first. It turned out to be much more interesting in the end; maybe because I could understand it better or maybe because the plot picked up. The main character Em, was forced into a brain transplant into a supermodel’s body by a corrupt billionaire entrepreneur. The main plot of the story centered on her escape, which proved to be more difficult than she thought it would be. She made her way to New York City but did not find much peace there because she was living inside of a famous supermodel's body. The book discusses a lot of social issues that women face about being thin and beautiful.
At one point in the book, Em says, "Am I pretty?". Even in the body of a supermodel, she is still questioning her beauty. This leads to the question of how people develop values and beliefs. In our society, so much of what we think about ourselves comes from the opinions of others. I think this is especially true for young girls who are told from a very young age that we are supposed to be skinny if we want to be beautiful. Beauty is much deeper than the surface for women. Women have to take on a lot of pressure and even if the world thinks we are beautiful, we are still very hard on ourselves. The fact that the character is still questioning her beauty shows how much impact others in society can have on a person. That is why it is very important for us to have someone in our lives that can teach us positive values and beliefs.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the modeling world. I think young women around the age of 14 to 18 would be the most interested in this book because the material is very relatable to that age group. It talks a lot about the social issues that young women have to go through and the pressures of what it means in our society to be beautiful. For any girl who is struggling with her identity or struggling with issues related to her weight, this would be an excellent book to read.
At one point in the book, Em says, "Am I pretty?". Even in the body of a supermodel, she is still questioning her beauty. This leads to the question of how people develop values and beliefs. In our society, so much of what we think about ourselves comes from the opinions of others. I think this is especially true for young girls who are told from a very young age that we are supposed to be skinny if we want to be beautiful. Beauty is much deeper than the surface for women. Women have to take on a lot of pressure and even if the world thinks we are beautiful, we are still very hard on ourselves. The fact that the character is still questioning her beauty shows how much impact others in society can have on a person. That is why it is very important for us to have someone in our lives that can teach us positive values and beliefs.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the modeling world. I think young women around the age of 14 to 18 would be the most interested in this book because the material is very relatable to that age group. It talks a lot about the social issues that young women have to go through and the pressures of what it means in our society to be beautiful. For any girl who is struggling with her identity or struggling with issues related to her weight, this would be an excellent book to read.
November 14, 2010
Runaway is third and last book of the Airhead series by Meg Cabot. This series was about how Emerson Watts, a normal teenage girl, who got killed in a tragic accident. When she died, Nikki Howards, a supermodel, also dies in the same room, at the same time. When Emerson dies, they had to perform a surgery that put her brain into Nikki's body. It was the only way that Em could survive. Nikki was considered braindead already. In Runaway, Em has to worry about Robert Stark, the man who killed her, not killing the important people in her life. She has to worry about that because he might them if he tells the whole world about his secret. His secret is that he has been killing and performing the brain surgery for years. The surgery is actually illegal and the whole world doesn't know what he is doing. When he performs these surgeries, he murders innocent people so they become his "donors".
I LOVED this book and its series. It was an amazing book. It had romance, comedy and even a little bit of science/technology. You don't get that in many books, do you? But in this one you do, and it'll probably keep you turning the page every second. My favorite part of this book was seeing Em's relationship with everyone. I loved her relationship with Steven, her (Nikki's older brother, but since she's Nikki, "her" older brother. Confusing? @_@ ) older brother. I always wanted an older brother like him. In the book, he listens to Em and asks her if she needs him to beat someone up when he saw that she was sad. He was the perfect older brother. I loved her relationship with Christopher too! Christopher is Em's boyfriend who she's known for a LONG,LONG time but has recently became her boyfriend. In the book, he seems very stubborn but he's very romantic. He "swoops" in and comes to rescue Em when she's stuck in a house with paparazzi everywhere. In the end of the book, he also gives her a bracelet that said "Em Watts" because he knew that she was still having a hard time being Nikki Howards. It was SOOO sweet.
So in conclusion, this book was fabulous. Six out of five stars!
I LOVED this book and its series. It was an amazing book. It had romance, comedy and even a little bit of science/technology. You don't get that in many books, do you? But in this one you do, and it'll probably keep you turning the page every second. My favorite part of this book was seeing Em's relationship with everyone. I loved her relationship with Steven, her (Nikki's older brother, but since she's Nikki, "her" older brother. Confusing? @_@ ) older brother. I always wanted an older brother like him. In the book, he listens to Em and asks her if she needs him to beat someone up when he saw that she was sad. He was the perfect older brother. I loved her relationship with Christopher too! Christopher is Em's boyfriend who she's known for a LONG,LONG time but has recently became her boyfriend. In the book, he seems very stubborn but he's very romantic. He "swoops" in and comes to rescue Em when she's stuck in a house with paparazzi everywhere. In the end of the book, he also gives her a bracelet that said "Em Watts" because he knew that she was still having a hard time being Nikki Howards. It was SOOO sweet.
So in conclusion, this book was fabulous. Six out of five stars!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 11, 2016
Em's character became more annoying than the past two books. There was a lot of references to real life celebrities and TV shows which was a bit out of character seeing as Em used to diss them. Em became this snarky and ditsy damsel in distress. The other characters weren't much better. The more I got to know the other characters, the more shallow I felt they were.
The underlying plot was quite good but the book was filled with pointless babbling and repetition by Em of her situation. Some potential character development was wasted. I was looking forward to Em's unlikely ally Nikki's brother Steven helping out to make a stand against Stark but he was practically missing throughout the whole novel and turned out to be minor to the whole plot. The twist at the end of Being Nikki was ruined. There was so much potential for the storyline but nothing came of it.
The climatic events at the end of this book were dramatic but frankly quite ridiculous. I felt that in order to tie up the series in a big bow, the corruption happening at Stark corporation was too easily fixed. . Furthermore, every single person was paired up no matter if they'd never even met each other . Yes, let's create a lot of couples and let them skip away into the sunset (and skip writing their development)! Overall, a fun series though the conclusion left me quite unsatisfied.
The underlying plot was quite good but the book was filled with pointless babbling and repetition by Em of her situation. Some potential character development was wasted. I was looking forward to Em's unlikely ally Nikki's brother Steven helping out to make a stand against Stark but he was practically missing throughout the whole novel and turned out to be minor to the whole plot. The twist at the end of Being Nikki was ruined. There was so much potential for the storyline but nothing came of it.
The climatic events at the end of this book were dramatic but frankly quite ridiculous. I felt that in order to tie up the series in a big bow, the corruption happening at Stark corporation was too easily fixed. . Furthermore, every single person was paired up no matter if they'd never even met each other . Yes, let's create a lot of couples and let them skip away into the sunset (and skip writing their development)! Overall, a fun series though the conclusion left me quite unsatisfied.
April 19, 2010
As Meg Cabot’s newest release “Runaway,” opens, we see that Em Watts is hiding, from the paparazzi, from her family, from her friends, and even from her own life. Forced into an unhappy partnership with her non-boyfriend (who just happens to be the power hungry son of her evil employer), Em is at her breaking point. Now she’s just waiting her time out, but the waiting is taking to look. She is, in fact, waiting for the live Stark Angel fashion show and for the real Nikki to stand up and reveal what she found out about Stark Enterprises, as well as what led to this whole predicament. Her dilemma is that she is stuck between the desire to protect those she cares about and the determination to expose Stark’s wrongdoings. Em will have to decide if she can take a stand, or if she’s better off running away from it all.
“Runaway,” third in the Airhead series, was preceded by “Airhead” and “Being Nikki” and closes this trilogy off nicely. The storyline was fascinating and Cabot still managed to surprise her readers with tidbits. I don’t like to reveal anything substantial about the book, its progression, or its ending, but this one does end happily ever after. Em’s character goes through quite a bit and with this last book of the trilogy, readers will applaud her ability to hang in there. Also, a big driver of this book was the background discussion about business ethics, identity theft, and even reclaiming a new identity. It’s the gift that Christopher gives to Em at the end that is so thoughtful and touching, and it reminds readers that we are who we are, not matter what crosses our path in life.
“Runaway,” third in the Airhead series, was preceded by “Airhead” and “Being Nikki” and closes this trilogy off nicely. The storyline was fascinating and Cabot still managed to surprise her readers with tidbits. I don’t like to reveal anything substantial about the book, its progression, or its ending, but this one does end happily ever after. Em’s character goes through quite a bit and with this last book of the trilogy, readers will applaud her ability to hang in there. Also, a big driver of this book was the background discussion about business ethics, identity theft, and even reclaiming a new identity. It’s the gift that Christopher gives to Em at the end that is so thoughtful and touching, and it reminds readers that we are who we are, not matter what crosses our path in life.
August 21, 2010
With this series, I thought the books lost something each time the next one came out. I loved the first book, it was hilarious and sweet. The second one wasn't as good, but I enjoyed it all the same. With Runaway, I was, instead of enjoying the book, annoyed at the main character for being so whiny. Not in the selfish ditz-y blonde kind of way (that was Nikki), but the 'Oh, why does everyone hate me I'm just trying to be nice...' kind of way. Em lost some of her charm in Runaway, and so did many of the characters. This whole book felt a little rushed to me to be honest. Lulu was adorable and hilarious as usual, but what happened to Christopher? Gabriel? Christopher said so many somewhat ridiculous things that were never really explained, and Gabriel was hardly present at all. Most of the character were like cardboard really- they lost their depth. They ending was kind of obvious as soon as Em found out everything Stark was doing- it was kind of disheartening. And what about Christopher and Em's relationship issues? It was like, 'Oh it's New Years...let's make out' and all those 'trust issues' went down the drain. The was Em was so sarcastic and the way she kept throwing around the term 'I love you' was sort of annoying in this time, even though I usually find it cute in Meg Cabot's other books. It just happened too many times in Runaway. One more thing- I love the covers of this series the US versions. But the UK/Australian covers? Soooo bad. They make the book look like it's targeted at 9 year olds. Overall, a disappointment, but- it could've been worse.
February 4, 2010
If you're having any doubts about Runaway not living up to the previous two books in this superb series by Cabot, well, let me tell you, Runaway is just as addicting and fab as the previous two, if not more; leaving me to think Runaway will be a runaway hit. (haha)
Em, as well as her other wacky, adorable chums, proved to be a riot to read about, yet again. It was a blast reading Lulu's laugh-out-loud funny lines and all about the different situations the characters got themselves in to trying to figure out what Stark Enterprises was up to.
The plot, as well as the writing, kept this book at a fast pace, which allowed me to finish Runaway in less than a day. I loved all the twists and turns Meg Cabot added in to the story, and the resolution to what exactly Stark was hiding behind the sceanes. It was definitely something I didn't see coming. Plus, I loved all the different hook-ups between characters that I hoped would fall for each other in the end.
The ending was the typical and happy ending Cabot usually has at the ends of her books. Though, it didn't detract to my love of the book one bit; actually it added to it. Since, I personally tend to love those type of endings, especially when Meg's the one behind them.
In all, Runaway is a great ending to a trilogy I have come to love, and while I'm extremely sad to see it end, it left off on a great note. Plus, maybe we'll get lucky and Meg will write more. :)
Grade: A+
Em, as well as her other wacky, adorable chums, proved to be a riot to read about, yet again. It was a blast reading Lulu's laugh-out-loud funny lines and all about the different situations the characters got themselves in to trying to figure out what Stark Enterprises was up to.
The plot, as well as the writing, kept this book at a fast pace, which allowed me to finish Runaway in less than a day. I loved all the twists and turns Meg Cabot added in to the story, and the resolution to what exactly Stark was hiding behind the sceanes. It was definitely something I didn't see coming. Plus, I loved all the different hook-ups between characters that I hoped would fall for each other in the end.
The ending was the typical and happy ending Cabot usually has at the ends of her books. Though, it didn't detract to my love of the book one bit; actually it added to it. Since, I personally tend to love those type of endings, especially when Meg's the one behind them.
In all, Runaway is a great ending to a trilogy I have come to love, and while I'm extremely sad to see it end, it left off on a great note. Plus, maybe we'll get lucky and Meg will write more. :)
Grade: A+
June 29, 2010
Man, I missed Meg! I was so excited to see what would happen in the final installment of this series, especially with the semi-cliffhangery ending of the 2nd book. It wasn't one of my favorite series by Cabot, not by far, but it held my interest, and I did keep reading, and I'm glad I did so. Right off the bat, my first thoughts before reading were a hope and a prayer that Meg would include Christopher through the whole book, instead of just bringing him in for a satisfying romantic conclusion, and I was very glad to see this hope come true, as he is my favorite character of the series. I did feel that he acted strangely out of character at random times, but it was still nice to see more of him, and I liked how his and Em's relationship evolved and grew through the duration of the novel. Overall, it was a good novel, I was glad to see it be very high-paced. I wasn't really a fan of everyone randomly pairing up at the end of the book and I felt like it may have cheapened Em and Chris's relationship a little bit, but hey, it's Meg Cabot, can't read her books without expecting amazing mindless fluff in massive amounts, right? I think the whole big scandal and resolution with Stark could have had more...epicness, for lack of a better word, to it, but was still happy with the way the story was resolved.
Rating: 4/5
Rating: 4/5
May 27, 2013
I cannot even explain how I feel about this book.
I mean, is Em really that simple minded? She's constantly saying she's a smart girl, and I always thought of her as one, but this book just...
Let's just say I don't like Em much. Not anymore.
My next favorite character would've been Christopher, but he's too busy giving "devilish grins" which is supposed to make him sound sexy, or being mad at Em because "men just don't understand feminism and they need to feel like they're needed." And of course women have to pretend to be stupid for this.
I thought the whole first and second book was about how Em didn't want to be Nikki anymore. And then in this book she's like, "No one's touching my body!"
Most books have the lesson "You are beautiful no matter what" or "It's what inside that counts", and this book completely goes against all that. Em wants Nikki's body because Nikki's beautiful, and Nikki hates Em because she's not beautiful anymore. Obviously in the end it's supposed to say how it doesn't matter what you look like, but instead Em keeps modeling, even though she's been saying she hates it for all three books.
Besides that, it's not always funny to have Em be smushing her boobs against a guy so they can go all googly-eyed. In fact, it's REALLY annoying.
I just don't understand this!
I mean, is Em really that simple minded? She's constantly saying she's a smart girl, and I always thought of her as one, but this book just...
Let's just say I don't like Em much. Not anymore.
My next favorite character would've been Christopher, but he's too busy giving "devilish grins" which is supposed to make him sound sexy, or being mad at Em because "men just don't understand feminism and they need to feel like they're needed." And of course women have to pretend to be stupid for this.
I thought the whole first and second book was about how Em didn't want to be Nikki anymore. And then in this book she's like, "No one's touching my body!"
Most books have the lesson "You are beautiful no matter what" or "It's what inside that counts", and this book completely goes against all that. Em wants Nikki's body because Nikki's beautiful, and Nikki hates Em because she's not beautiful anymore. Obviously in the end it's supposed to say how it doesn't matter what you look like, but instead Em keeps modeling, even though she's been saying she hates it for all three books.
Besides that, it's not always funny to have Em be smushing her boobs against a guy so they can go all googly-eyed. In fact, it's REALLY annoying.
I just don't understand this!
April 22, 2010
RUNAWAY surprised me. Usually, you have a real feeling for where a trilogy is going by the third book, and AIRHEAD and BEING NIKKI, though they definitely had their serious moments, struck me more as bubbly and frivolous. So I wasn’t prepared by just how deep RUNAWAY was and by how well it works as a social commentary (and warning?). I spent a couple hours discussing the ethics issues it brings up with Daniel (and yes, you do wish you could have been a fly on the wall for those conversations…they were fab!)
I really liked how Cabot resolved all the various plot lines and character arcs – and the story feels liked it reached a very natural conclusion. I can’t say I have any complaints with this last installment (though as always, I COULD have had more Lulu – love her!).
But here’s the thing…I kind of wish this series could have been edited down to just one book. Honestly, there was quite a bit of filler I could’ve done without in the first two books. And ok, my imaginary one book story might have clocked in at 550 pages or so, but it would have packed so. much. more. punch.
Still, the first two books are fun enough that it’s no major sacrifice to wade through them to get to this awesome conclusion.
I really liked how Cabot resolved all the various plot lines and character arcs – and the story feels liked it reached a very natural conclusion. I can’t say I have any complaints with this last installment (though as always, I COULD have had more Lulu – love her!).
But here’s the thing…I kind of wish this series could have been edited down to just one book. Honestly, there was quite a bit of filler I could’ve done without in the first two books. And ok, my imaginary one book story might have clocked in at 550 pages or so, but it would have packed so. much. more. punch.
Still, the first two books are fun enough that it’s no major sacrifice to wade through them to get to this awesome conclusion.
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