GGRP: I Like It Like That.

That's right, it's that time again. It's time to see if Chuck Bass is actually doing anything interesting yet, and let me tell you, we're all going to be surprised.

Synopsis

It's spring break and, of course, all the super rich kids are spending it skiing. Georgina has been given a pass out of rehab for the break and invites Nate to spend the time with her at her parents' holiday home in Sun Valley, but fails to mention that Chuck Bass and the entire Dutch Olympic snowboarding team will be there the whole time. Serena invites Blair to stay with her parents in Sun Valley and Blair spends the entire time flirting with Serena's brother, Erik. Vanessa's parents are in town and bothering her. Dan gets an internship at a literary magazine, working for someone who we are supposed to think is an asshole but compared to book-Dan most people seem fine to me. Jenny and Elise spend most of their holiday stalking Jenny's new boyfriend.

Familiar scenes

Nada. This is all new territory.

What's different?

I mean, aside from almost everything? Erik. Erik almost sleeps with Blair. As any show watcher will know, this was never going to happen with their tv show counterparts for a multitude of reasons. Also Dan just starts throwing the mail his boss asks him to post into the river instead of mailing it. Apparently book-Dan has no work ethic whatsoever.

Fanciest fancy party

The Virtue Vs Vice party at The Frick. Chuck spends most of the time gossiping with his mother, Vanessa's parents attend in slightly unconventional outfits and get all mad that their old ex-hippy friends don't recycle anymore, and Serena and Blair accidentally flash everyone.

Most conniving scheme

Technically not a scheme, but Jenny follows her boyfriend around the city and then when she figures out where he lives she emails him to tell him that she's coming over, even though she hasn't been invited. Which is just rude more than anything.

What is Chuck Bass up to?

Really pushing those bisexual stereotypes. Replying to Blair and Serena's accidental flashing with "It's all right, we're all girls here," referring to the Dutch snowboarding team as "too yummy", and pinching Georgie's breasts under the hot tub water moments later. He and Georgie later both got arrested for being naked in public and stealing a ski patrol toboggan, and then Georgie's parents buy his parents a monkey to say thank you for getting their daughter out of jail. Chuck finally has the pet monkey I've been waiting five books for!!!

How off the rails is Jenny Humphrey?

She stalks her poor boyfriend just because he hasn't told her anything about his home life, then gets it into her head that he's super rich, then discovers that he isn't and that the real reason he hasn't invited her back to his house yet is because his parents are a lot older than most parents of kids his age and their basement apartment is kind of sad and empty and falling down. Then Jenny runs away and stops talking to him. Because he turned out not to be some secretive rich guy. Get it together, Jennifer.

There is not one character who didn't annoy me in this book. Well done, Cecily. But this is the most we've seen of Chuck Bass yet and so I am going to have to declare this my favourite so far. Although I do wish she would calm down on him being such a caricature, but I guess I should know by now that that would be too much to ask for.

I'm going to be so mad if the monkey doesn't stick around.

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