It Chicks Books in Order

The It Chicks books are set at Louis B. Armstrong, an elite performing arts high school in New York City, where nearly everyone wants to sing, act, dance, or at least be seen. The series has the energy of a teen soap, but it is built around real high school pressures too, friendships that shift overnight, crushes that turn into drama, and the constant fear of being left out while somebody else gets the spotlight.

This is very much an ensemble story. Instead of following one single lead, It Chicks moves through a whole social orbit of ambitious teens, including Tangie, Skye, Regina, Trey, Izzy, Eden, and CJ, plus the larger friend group around them. That wide cast is part of the fun. You are not just watching one romance or one rivalry. You are watching alliances change, feelings flare up, and private messes spill into public view.

At this school, every hallway feels like an audition.

The setting matters a lot. Louis B. Armstrong is not just a backdrop, it is the machine pushing everyone forward. Rehearsals, performances, image, talent, status, and after-school hookups all blur together. The students are trying to figure out who they are, but they are doing it in a place that rewards confidence, drama, and attention. That gives the series its tone, glossy on the surface, nervous underneath, and always ready for one bad decision to throw everything off.

The first book, It Chicks, introduces the school and the social pecking order fast. Fame is the dream, but day-to-day survival depends just as much on who likes whom, who is jealous, and who can stay steady when the pressure rises. Romance is a big part of the story, but so is friendship. The books keep asking whether these characters can chase attention without losing themselves, or each other, in the process.

Sixteen Candles picks up later, once the first-day buzz has worn off and the personal drama has only gotten louder. Skye is suddenly back in the center of attention as her sweet sixteen approaches, while Tangie's love life gets more complicated and harder to keep private. Jealousy, secrets, and hurt feelings start rippling through the group, so the second book feels a little deeper in the emotions while still keeping the fast, gossipy momentum of the first.

It gets messy fast.

If you like big casts, strong personalities, school drama, and a New York setting with plenty of style, this series is an easy one to sink into. These are books about teenagers who want to matter, and who are still learning the difference between being admired and being understood. Read them in order, starting with It Chicks and then moving to Sixteen Candles, to get the full rise-and-fall rhythm of the friendships, crushes, and rivalries.