Beautiful World by Anastasia Hollings

This book is the beginning of a series but I disliked the characters so much, I don't know that I want to read any more books. The only reason I would pick up a sequel would be to see the one character get her just desserts, but what's to say that it will only be a two book series? I don't think that I could stomach much more of these characters' deception and naivety.

Amelia will do anything and everything to live the life of the rich and glamorous, including lying, cheating, and stealing. On vacation in St. Bart's (her father is a tutor), she and her brother meet Courtney - a wealthy heiress. With a few calculated compliments, Amelia befriends Courtney - partially because Courtney thinks Amelia's brother is hot - and continues to plot her way into the wealthy lifestyle. Courtney's suspicious best-friend Piper might throw a kink into her plans, but Amelia is always on her guard, ready to do whatever it takes to keep this life she's created.

This whole novel is about Amelia befriending Courtney and suckering her into doing whatever she wants. I ended up disliking Amelia - which I think is the point - but I also disliked Courtney. I think you're supposed to feel sorry for her because she's being taken advantage of - and I do, a bit - but the girl is a complete sucker! At the beginning of the novel she came off as weary of new people, but yet she's so willing to accept Amelia. She isn't the least bit suspicious when everything out of Amelia's mouth is dead on to Courtney's likes (only because Amelia knows everything there is to know about the heiress.) I understand the desire to want to have friends, but Courtney needs to stop and smell the roses, especially when everything seems too good to be true.

This novel ends with Amelia fearing she'd been found out, but that's not the case because if the truth comes out, there can't be another novel. The problem is, though, that the story is going to get old really fast. I'm already sick of Amelia's lies and Courtney's gullibility. It is sad that Courtney and Amelia's brother are going to suffer for the girl's deception, but I want nothing more than to see this girl's downfall. I just don't know that I can sit through multiple more books of her lies. One book would have been more than enough to do tackle this subject.
MMK