Finally done!It is a bad sign that it took me a week and a half to finally finish this book. (I can read through a Sophie Kinsella in about 3 hours).
First of all, I have to mention that the storyline is a familiar one: In New York, a working-class plain Jane is befriended by socialites who make it their project to introduce her into their new-moneyed world of designer clothing, trend-of-the-moment nightclubs and spoiled rich boys. After a crash course in this new scene, Jane is now unknowingly chic and gorgeous and scores a particularly jackass prince of a boyfriend, all the while she tries to ignore the cute but working-class but working-hard boy under her nose who turns out to be her soulmate. Of course Jane always has a couple of sidekicks: her best friend from college, a rare Park Avenue princess who is down to earth and rejects the New York social scene (against her mother's wishes), and either a friend, stylist, uncle or someone or the other that is flamboyantly gay, fabulous, whiny and, well, a b*tch.
I can name you 3 books within the last year with this same storyline but slightly different details. Okay make that 5. But that's why we read chick lit, right? Unfortunately this novel seems too affected and too scripted compared to her last one (The Devil Wears Prada). There was incessant name-dropping... I actually had to pause during my reading to reflect on this. Is it because I've read so much chick lit and tabloids that I feel like there was too much product and people placement? (Birkin, Page Six, Grey Goose, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton) No, I'm pretty sure it was because it was done in a tactless and very predictable way. In fact the entire book was predictable. Within the first 10-20 pages you pretty much have all the characters figured out, you know who she will end up with and you can guess all of the conflicts and even the twists.
So anyhow, to keep this short, my take on this book is:: "SKIP"
