ON THE FLIP SIDE

The fourth installment in Carter's (Not a Good Look, 2010, etc.) Fab Life series sees R&B sensation Sunday Tolliver starting her first year at Spelman College.

Enjoying her fame but staying level-headed, Sunday quickly makes a new group of friends at college, including down-to-earth roommate Gia, elitist Meagan, and white former foster kid Piper. Characters from previous volumes reappear, including Sunday's now–long-distance boyfriend Sam, her superstar mentor Mystique and her cousin Dreya, aka Drama. Upheaval, dubious marketing schemes and double-crosses abound at the record company that has signed the cousins to its label, and readers are treated to an insider's view of the music industry through Sunday's healthily skeptical eyes. Longtime readers of the series will notice that Sunday has grown subtly: Club Pyramids, once the domain of the adults in Sunday's life, is now a few stops away on a local party bus, and a buildup of frustrations leads to a believable slip in Sunday's normally even-keeled demeanor.

Another hit for Sunday Tolliver.