Nothing Can Keep Us Together: A Gossip Girl Novel    by Cecily von Ziegesar Order:  USA  Can Little, Brown & Co., 2005 (2005) Paperback     Reviewed by Hilary Williamson This eighth in the series opens aptly with a Mae West quote, 'When caught between two evils, I generally like to take the one I never tried.' There's a lot of that in the air as the New York Upper East Side younger set prepare for graduation. Reading about relationships in this episode is rather like looking through a kaleidoscope, as they change just as fast. Nate, who starts out with Serena, is depressed and misses Blair, who hooks up with a hot British lord at the Yale Club (the episode ends with an abrupt parting but hints of more to come). In addition to Nate, rivalry for movie and Senior Speaker roles come between Blair and Serena. Vanessa has been seeing Aaron, but hasn't given up on Dan either - and her unlikely Odd Couple friendship with Blair continues even after they part as room-mates. Dan decides that 'love is all you need' and cancels college. Young Jenny, busily pushing limits in all directions, goes on quest for a wild boarding school ... so launching a new series for von Ziegesar, The It Girl. As always, this episode depicts a fairytale existence, but fairytales have their dark sides and so do the lives of these over-entitled young men and women. Blair seems to be over her earlier bulimia, but Nate's gone downhill with his dependency on drugs. Luckily his coach gets on his case - will that turn his life around and give him another chance with Blair? Guess we have to wait for #9 to find out. 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