2004
WISE Score
Amazon
Four best friends, one pair of thrift-store jeans, and enough teenage drama to make a soap opera look chill.
4.6
4.6View →Our reviews and ratings are 100% unbiased, but as an Amazon Associate, Screenwise earns an affiliate fee if you buy a book or game by clicking one of our links. We don't get any credit if you just Google it instead :)
This is a YA classic for a reason. While the 2004 setting means no one is scrolling TikTok or ghosting on Snapchat, the emotional core is surprisingly timeless.
It’s a much better alternative to the shallow 'influencer' fiction often pushed on teens today. It respects its readers' intelligence and doesn't shy away from the fact that being fifteen is often confusing and painful. If your kid is looking for a 'beach read' that actually has some meat on its bones, this is it.
Best for ages 12 to 17. It hits that sweet spot of 'older' teen problems that 7th and 8th graders are curious about, while remaining nostalgic enough for older teens (and even adults) to enjoy.
The series is the gold standard for female friendship. It balances messy teenage mistakes with a core of genuine loyalty and support, avoiding the 'mean girl' tropes common in the genre.
The 'magical' pants are a clever narrative device to link four disparate stories, though the book remains firmly rooted in realistic contemporary fiction rather than high-concept fantasy.
Very safe for its intended teen audience. It deals with burgeoning sexuality and heavy family issues, but it does so with a moral compass and without graphic descriptions or glorification of risky behavior.
High emotional intelligence. It tackles grief, depression, and complex family dynamics with more nuance than most modern YA, encouraging empathy and self-reflection.
Sequels usually exist to cash in on a first-hit wonder, but Ann Brashares used this second installment to actually grow the characters. If the first book was about the novelty of the pants, this one is about the mess that happens when the "magic" wears off and real life hits. It’s a rare follow-up that feels more grounded than the original.
The multi-perspective format works because these four girls aren't just archetypes. You get the internal monologue of the "pretty one" who feels hollow and the "cynical one" who is actually terrified of losing people. For a kid today who is used to the highly curated, "everything is fine" aesthetic of social media, seeing these girls fail, apologize, and feel genuinely lonely is a necessary reality check.
Reading this in 2026 feels like looking at a museum exhibit of how people used to maintain friendships. There are no DMs, no "Find My" locations, and no instant gratification. When these girls are apart, they are really apart.
This creates a specific kind of tension that modern YA often lacks. If your teen is used to the "low-spice" but high-drama romance of something like The Summer of Second Chances, they might find the pacing here a bit slower at first. But the payoff is better. Because they can’t just text, the letters they write to each other carry more weight. It’s a great way to show a kid that friendship requires actual effort, not just a streak on an app.
The "magic pants" are a total gimmick, and the book knows it. We talk about this more in our parent’s guide to The Second Summer of the Sisterhood, but the real friction here is Bridget.
Her storyline is the one that might make some parents pause. She’s impulsive, she’s grieving, and she’s pursuing an older guy in a way that feels reckless. It’s not written to be "aspirational"—it’s written to be a portrayal of a girl who is spinning out of control because she doesn't know how to handle her own pain. If your kid is into the heavier emotional stakes and identity crises found in series like The Summer Hikaru Died, they’ll appreciate that Brashares doesn't sanitize the "bad" decisions teens make when they're hurting.
The 4.6 Amazon rating isn't just nostalgia from Millennials. It’s there because the book treats teen girlhood as something serious. It deals with body image, the realization that your parents are flawed humans, and the fear that your childhood friends might not be your "forever" friends without being cheesy.
It’s the perfect "transitional" book. It’s safe enough that you don’t need to pre-read every page, but "grown-up" enough that a 15-year-old won't feel like they’re being talked down to. If they want a story where the stakes are emotional rather than supernatural, this is the gold standard.
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