Things are looking up for our girl, Claire. She has managed to save her friend Becca’s family — the Shuttleworths of Soul Sauce fame — from the doom and gloom through her snazzy black-and-white dreams. She managed to snag a super-cool college boyfriend, Andy (though they’re keeping it hush-hush for now). All while managing to take down the snooty bad girls at Hudson High. (End previous book plot summary.)

So, what could get in her way?

Well, lots, actually. Claire’s up and down with her boyfriend. Becca has taken to hanging out with her old prep-school friends and doesn’t have as much time for Claire anymore. She hasn’t even had any decent dreams of late. Everything seems to be falling apart. But then, Claire is initiated into this super-secret New York club, the Blue Moons, and suddenly everything picks up again. A mystery to solve! Black-and-white dreams! Socialites! Protests! Murder mystery parties!

Dream Life is much like Dream Girl, but better. Perhaps it’s because my expectations were in line with what the book had to offer — lots of fluff, a bit of action, great clothes and happening hot spots — but also because this one is a lot more fun. It’s the minor characters who stand out the most, though: Hallie, a goth foodie who’s also inducted into the Blue Moons (why couldn’t she have more to do?); Ian, Claire’s geeky comic-book sidekick from Hudson (felt like he totally had a thing for Claire… why couldn’t she get the geeky guy rather than the uber-cool college one?); and Louis, Claire’s friend from her former high school, who has a thing for Becca. The three of them make the book a whole lot of fun. But, beyond that, it’s a book with a winning combination of fashion, mystery and fun. Can’t lose with that.

Rated: Mild, for a couple instances of mild swearing.