I bought this on impulse walking by a Bargain Books rack in my local Hastings…after all, is it really possible to walk past a Bargain Books rack and not purchase something? I digress.
This book was terrible. The first few chapters were about getting reacquainted with Andy, the protagonist from the Devil Wears Prada (one of my favorite books, I might add) and how much PTSD she still suffers 10 years later. I was down with that. It’s been years since I read the first, and though her “Miranda Priestly traumatized me” rants and flashbacks were a little bit obnoxious, I dealt.
I dealt with it for all 400 pages, actually. Why? Because I purchased a solid, hardback book. The first one in a very, very long time. It wasn’t just a measly digital copy on my Nook, purchased half-heartedly through Barnes & Noble—with those versions, it’s not personal. It’s easy to set down. With a hardback, paper-smelling book…it’s personal.
I rated this book 2/5 on Goodreads. Let’s get to why.
1. I read the whole thing. It wasn’t SO terrible that I had to put it down and never touch it again. I do enjoy Lauren Weisberger’s writing style, so that made it more bearable. That is the only reason it got two stars instead of one—her writing style.
2. Everything goes terribly wrong for Andy, but only because she is a negative beezy. She has the perfect guy, the perfect job—-but calamity! She finds out that her mother-in-law hates her, her then-fiance had a drink with his ex-girlfriend at his bachelor party, Andy finds out she is pregnant, Miranda Priestly offers to buy her business for millions (Andy doesn’t want to sell), and realizes she misses Alex, the poor soul she dumped in the first book.
3. Everyone is skinnier than Andy, with “coltish” legs. Andy is a size four, but everyone is skinnier than her—though she “doesn’t notice” or “isn’t jealous” or “doesn’t take offense”, it’s brought up every other page. Her best friend is thinner than her, and constantly makes jabs at Andy’s frumpy “fat rolls”. The celebrities Andy interviews always have “coltish legs”, which they are constantly “folding” under themselves. Andy can’t fit into her size small Spanx shorts after her pregnancy. She has to wear a maternity dress to a dinner and treats it like the end of the world. I miss Andy from the first book, who wore a six to eight, had terrible hair, zero fashion sense, and just wanted to be an international correspondence journalist.
4. The ending was the worst. Spoiler alert: she tells her husband it’s over (he signed the deal to Miranda to sell the business without Andy’s approval), takes her kid, and then runs into Alex on the last three pages—cue the makeout session, end the book. Seriously.
In all, I do not recommend. I do, however, recommend the first book in the series for a light, fun read!
lifebetweenreads.com 