Because I'm Worth It: A Gossip Girl Novel    by Cecily von Ziegesar Order:  USA  Can Little, Brown & Co., 2003 (2003) Softcover      Reviewed by Hilary Williamson This fourth in the Gossip Girl series goes down as easily as one of the many glasses of bubbly imbibed inside it. Serena, Blair and their friends are second semester seniors, all 'suffering from late-winter waiting-to-hear-from-colleges cabin fever'. They're anxious to hear about early college admissions - for themselves, not their friends! Valentine's Day approaches and love is in the air, though it's all very transitory with this crowd. Blair and Serena have signed up as peer group leaders for juniors, and poor Jenny is in their group. Serena only wants to talk of her love for Aaron, 'Blair's new pseudohippie, guitar-playing, dreadlocked stepbrother', while Blair (still looking for volunteer activities to add to her college entrance resumé) tries to take the role seriously. Though they are friends once more, they make an Odd Couple here. The artsy duo, Dan and Vanessa, are an item, but their attachment is soon strained by too speedy success, when they both hit the big time (as does Serena). Though Vanessa keeps both feet firmly on the ground, Dan gets carried away. Jenny makes a new friend who wants to experiment beyond her comfort level, and Blair tries out an older man, with equal disappointment. Nate is busted and then falls for someone in rehab, with more serious drug problems than his own. Because I'm Worth It shows friends who are insecure and jealous of each other's successes, experimenting with love and life. Fortunately for the series, it looks like it will be a long time before they get their acts together. Gossip Girl is always entertaining, and there's a hilarious twist at the end of this episode - it will be fun to see how that develops. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Teens books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews