The Carrie Diaries is the prequel to Sex in the City, both books written by Candace Bushnell. Carrie Bradshaw is a 17-year-old girl from the 1980s who lives with her widowed father who is a lawyer, and her two sisters and who aspires to greater things. Living in a small town, she soon realizes that she is meant to do greater things and that she will not achieve her dreams of becoming a successful writer in the suburbs. Despite her father's reluctance to let Carrie pursue her dreams to study Journalism, she applies to a summer writing program in New York but doesn't get in. She also applies to Brown to satisfy his father's goals for her and in order to have a plan B should things not work out as planned. But her failed acceptance does not discourage her: she will become a writer no matter what.
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In addition to stressing about her future, Carrie stresses over the fact that she is the only one in her group of friends who seemingly still hasn't lost her virginity and she wonders whether she will lose it before heading off upon graduation from high school. Carrie meets a new boy at her school, Sebastian - a handsome young man who is incredibly popular with the ladies. Carrie falls in love with him and he also shows interest in her. He eventually asks her out and they become a couple. At the same time, having been to an interview at Brown in New York, following her application, Carrie met a student named George who also showed great interest in her. They remain in touch, become close friends and she starts to like him as well. The fact that he is also willing to help Carrie get into a writing program makes her like him even more. She nevertheless stays with Sebastian but their relationship weakens until Carrie learns that her best friend Lali has been dating Sebastian for a while. Carrie then refuses to stay friends with both Lali and Sebastian and become good friend with a girl who had previously been Carrie's competition for Sebastian's heart: Donna LaDonna. Carrie learns that she got into Brown and into her writing program as well - in which she got in upon reapplying. Carrie is now ready to leave her past behind and move to New York - even though she hasn't lost her virginity - and her new friend Donna tells Carrie that her cousin lives there and that she should meet her upon her arrival. When in New York, Carrie calls Donna's cousin and her name turns out to be Samantha Jones, who is going to become one of her greatest friends.
Surrounded by her four best friends Maggie, Lali, Roberta and Walt, this book takes the readers throughout the ups and downs and lives of high school students wherein boyfriends, betrayals, jealousy, popularity and competition predominate.
Best part of story, including ending:
I love this book because I am a long-time fan of the Sex and the City series. This book offers a great insight with respect to who was Carrie Bradshaw before she became this famous Manhattan columnist.
Best scene in story:
The very last scene when she calls Donna's cousin and discovers her name is Samantha Jones. Knowing the Sex and the City series, this is the part where it all made sense and where I could see the greatest link between this prequel, the book titled "Sex and the City" and the Sex and the City series.
Opinion about the main character:
I like Carrie's willingness to leave all behind in order to make her dreams come true.
