Hot Mess: Summer in the City »

Julie Kraut lives in New York City, where she shimmies her sensible pumps up the corporate ladder, eats pizza, and writes. This is her first book for young readers.

Shallon Lester moved across the country to write and add to her shoe collection. This is her first book for young readers. She lives in Manhattan.

EMMA FREEMAN IS waving buh-bye to her standard summer of stationwagoning around the suburbs. This summer she’s heading to the big city. Emma’s totally prepped for days at a fabulous internship and nights of socialite-ing around town. But when you’re 17 and not an heiress, reality is far from pink fizzy drinks and red velvet ropes. As the summer heats up, Emma learns that glamour is hard to come by when your only friend is too boy-crazy to hang, your budget is more H&M than D&G, and you spend 8 hours a day working for a man who proves that the devil wears Dockers too. Add one little white lie told to one very hot coworker and a roommate who makes Paris Hilton look junior varsity, and this summer in the city is starting to turn into one hot mess.