Blair Waldorf’s New Gossip Girl Book Gets Early Review From OG Star

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Upper East Siders, Gossip Girl‘s latest addition, is the talk of the town.

The original Gossip Girl aired from 2007 to 2012 and starred now-famous actors like Blake Lively, Penn Badgley, Ed Westwick, Chace Crawford, Leighton Meester, Taylor Momsen, and the late Michelle Trachtenberg. The show has become a beloved classic and really shaped the teen culture of its time. It’s found a new wave of success since becoming available on popular streaming platforms.

I recently chatted with Leighton Meester at SXSW while promoting her new film, Basic. We talked about working with Ashley Park and Taylor John Smith, but the conversation naturally drifted to some very exciting news: a brand new book focusing on her unforgettable Gossip Girl character, Blair Waldorf. It’s amazing to see Blair still resonating with audiences – she was a total style icon and queen of the quick comeback for so many of us growing up in the early 2000s, and still is! I asked Leighton about the upcoming novel, and here’s what she had to say:

I thought it was good! I got a chance to read some of it beforehand – they sent it to me early so I could get a preview. I read the first seven chapters, and it looks like they’re planning to publish it as a book.

Cecily von Ziegesar is writing a new book called Blair, a standalone novel planned for release in 2027. It’s based on her original adult novel series, which follows the dramatic lives of privileged teenagers at exclusive private schools on New York City’s Upper East Side. A mysterious figure known as Gossip Girl fuels the drama by sharing scandalous information about the students, often disrupting their carefully constructed worlds.

The new story of Blair appears to begin two decades after the original series. The character, now in her forties, is back in Manhattan, hoping to regain her former high-society standing. Interestingly, the original books concluded with Blair not marrying Chuck Bass and completing her education at Yale – a different path than what viewers might expect.

The original Gossip Girl was a huge hit, so HBO tried to revive it, but the reboot was canceled after just two seasons. Viewership and audience reactions weren’t strong enough, and many felt it didn’t live up to the quality of the first series. It’s very unlikely the show will be renewed for a third season.

Basic premiered at SXSW on March 16.

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2026-03-17 19:28