The Unofficial Lola Bay Fan Club, C. M. Surrisi
The Unofficial Lola Bay Fan Club, C. M. Surrisi
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The Unofficial Lola Bay Fan Club

Author: C. M. Surrisi

Narrator: Jess Kaliban

Unabridged: 5 hr 21 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/18/2023

Synopsis

The intensity of tween fandom collides with the shifting friendship dynamics of middle school as Iris comes to terms with all the ways friendships can be good and bad.

Pop star Lola Bay is everything to Iris and her best friend, Leeza. Her songs speak right to their souls and they can’t wait to start a Lola Bay fan club when middle school starts. But then mean girls take over the fan club and Leeza seems to be interested in other things.
 
Enter Dana. She’s bold and cool and not afraid to stand up for herself. Plus, she’s a massive Lola Bay fan and knows how to get free merch online. She even has big ideas for getting them to a concert.
 
When some of Dana’s ideas make Iris a little nervous, she pushes the feelings down—Dana seems to know what she’s doing. Only as Dana’s plans get bigger and bigger, Iris feels worse and worse. And then Dana crosses a line that causes trouble for Iris’s whole family.
 
How could someone who is supposed to be a friend do that? And, Iris wonders, how did I let things go this far?

About The Author

C.M. Surrisi is the author of the Agatha Award nominated middle grade Quinnie Boyd Mysteries series and is also the author of the Junior Library Guild Selection picture book The Best Mother, illustrated by Diane Goode. She is a former lawyer and holds an MFA from VCFA. She is a member of the Author’s Guild, Mystery Writers of America, The National League of American Pen Women, and a past president of the Minnesota chapter of Sisters in Crime.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Eleanor on February 15, 2025

I thought it was gonna be more of like a cute kids book i found it more as a Document......more

Goodreads review by Afoma (Reading Middle Grade) on June 14, 2023

The Unofficial Lola Bay Fan Club is a chilling look at the power of celebrity fandom and toxic friendships. I see many tween girls devouring this title! It was one of this year’s summer reading guide picks [URL not allowed] If you’re looking for an immersive summer middle gra......more

Goodreads review by Jenn on February 24, 2023

When Iris falls in with Dana, one year above her at school, in their fan club for famous pop star Lola Bay, she doesn't know she's getting in over her head. But boy, does she ever! Anyone who's suffered at the hands of a manipulative friend or worshipped a pop star as a tween (::raises hand, shows o......more

Goodreads review by Charles on March 08, 2023

I have had three kids go through middle school and all faced rough friendship issues. This book really tells it in a realistic way. Today, middle school is even more complicated by an onslaught of media and too much questionable content streaming out of phones. The characters are genuine and the iss......more

Goodreads review by Robin on February 21, 2023

This is such a fun book. Lola Bay captures female friendship in an accessible, nuanced way. The story also captures how it feels to have a pop star "crush" and feel swept away by it. Surrisi's writing is light but not without some of the more challenging parts of being a girl in middle school. I thi......more

Quotes

Praise for The Unofficial Lola Bay Fan Club:
  
“An accessible relationship-centered novel exploring the perils of tween friendships. The conversational tone is reader friendly, and many young people will recognize the issues that are explored, from shifting social status to online bullying.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Iris’s vulnerability to Dana’s tactics, her genuine remorse for her actions, and her love for Lola Bay are plainly rendered, making for a distinctly real-life portrait of one middle schooler finding her way in a new and ever-changing environment.” —Publishers Weekly

“A brilliant portrayal of how easy it is to get sucked into a toxic friendship and how painful the consequences can be. It's an emotionally riveting swim through dark waters that ends with a long, deep breath and a poignant reminder: There's always a way out.” —Carrie Firestone, author of Dress Coded
 
“Get ready for a trip to middle school and buckle your seatbelt. Surrisi packs a punch with this romp: old friendships tested, new friendships gone wrong, and enough teenage angst, lies, pop stars, and computer wizardry to keep the pages turning.” —Barbara O’Connor, author of the New York Times bestseller Wish

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