Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik

Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik
Release Date: August 2, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 288



Summary: At Coral Tree Prep in Los Angeles, who your parents are can make or break you. Case in point:

• As the son of Hollywood royalty, Derek Edwards is pretty much prince of the school—not that he deigns to acknowledge many of his loyal subjects.

• As the daughter of the new principal, new-girl-on-campus Elise Benton isn’t exactly on everyone’s must-sit-next-to-at-lunch list.

When Elise’s beautiful sister catches the eye of the prince’s best friend, Elise gets to spend a lot of time with Derek, making her the envy of every girl. Except she refuses to fall for any of his rare smiles and instead warms up to his enemy, the surprisingly charming social outcast Webster Grant. But in this hilarious tale of fitting in and flirting, not all snubs are undeserved, not all celebrity brats are bratty, and pride and prejudice can get in the way of true love for only so long. 


Fans of Susane Colasanti (When It Happens), Polly Shulman (Enthusiasm), and, of course, Jane Austen will love finding out if Elise’s love life will be an epic win or an epic fail.


My Thoughts: We are introduced to Elise and her older sister Juliana. Elise is a junior and Juliana is a senior. They also have two younger sisters. Their father is the new teacher while their mother is the new principle. They transferred to Coral Tree Prep in Los Angeles from the other side of the country.  

It's the first day of school and Elise meets two hot but very different guys. First, there is Derek. Derek is the son of royalty or so you would think if you attended their high school. Derek comes off as snobby but in reality he just wants to be left alone and have girls stop throwing themselves at him 24/7.  Than, there is Webster. Webster is charming and Elise instantly likes him. He's funny and knows how to make her laugh. 

Of course, Juliana also starts to date someone new. His name is Chase, and he's Derek's best friend. Talk about awkward. Elise doesn't really get along too well with Derek. They just say all the wrong things to each other. 

Elise is thrown together with Derek a lot because Chase is hanging out with Juliana. She also likes to hang out with Webster, but Derek and Webster hate each other so that makes things a little tough on her.   

I loved the chemistry between Derek and Elise. You could tell it was there from the get go, they just didn't know how to approach each other without fighting. If only he would tell her why he doesn't like Webster or why he acts the way he is. But everyone has their secrets and he has a big one. 

Elise tells herself she is just going to ignore Derek but than Chase and Juliana have a fight and she knows she has to intervene and see what is going on and how to get them back together. With the help of Derek of course.  

I really liked Epic Fail. As soon as I read the description I knew it would be cute. It was definitely cute! It was a sweet read and I was sucked in from the first page. Elise is snarky, fun, and smart. She doesn't let peoples fame get to her, she is her own person. She's shy but once you get to know her, its fun to be around her.  

A fun and entertaining read. If you want to know what happens between Derek and Elise, read the book! 


Overall: I really enjoyed Epic Fail! I loved reading about Derek and why he was the way he was! I liked finding out his secrets and I was glad Elise was an independent girl. Really enjoyed reading this!


Cover: Its super fun! I love how his shirt is rolled up and I love the letter they are holding! And how its split in half! Very cute!

What I'd Give It: