The Clasp by Sloane Crosley These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly Sofia Khan is Not Obliged by Ayisha Malik

Party Girl by Rachel Hollis

Monday, April 6, 2015

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Format: Kindle
Rating: 4/5

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Landon Brinkley’s dreams are all coming true. She’s landed an internship with the fabulous Selah Smith, event planner for the Hollywood elite, taking her from small-town Texas to the bright lights of LA. Landon soon finds herself in a world in which spending a million dollars on an event—even a child’s birthday party—is de rigueur and the whims of celebrity clients are life-and-death matters. At first, the thrill of working on A-list parties and celebrity weddings is enough to get Landon through the seventy-five-hour workweeks and endless abuse at the hands of her mercurial boss. But when the reality of the business reveals itself, she’s forced to make a choice: do whatever it takes to get ahead, or stay true to herself. Drawing on the author’s real-life experiences as an event planner to the stars, Party Girl takes readers on an adventure among Hollywood’s most beautiful—and most outrageous—people, revealing the ugly side of Hollywood’s prettiest parties.
I LOVED this book! I found this whilst trying to find something similar to some of my old favourites such as The Second Assistant and The Devil Wears Prada. The synopsis seemed like it could be a light-hearted, breezy read so I bought it. It was just like the books I used to read except now that I'm in my mid-twenties (ahem or perhaps past it) I could relate to the story much more. Whilst reading this one I was having a bad health week but it cheered me up every time I cracked it open (well as much as you can crack open an e-book) and definitely made the train journey a lot more bearable.

The main thing I loved about Party Girl was the optimism. So much of what I've read recently has been angsty and tortured, so it was just nice to read something laced with happiness. Sure, Landon has her ups and downs as we all do but her outlook on life and her circumstances was refreshing. Landon Brinkley is now one of my favourite characters. The story whizzed along filled with snappy, laugh-out-loud dialogue ("Is Bai Ling even still relevant?") and plenty of millennial (don't like that word but oh well) cultural references.

The romance was unexpected and very cute but not central to the ultimate plot, which was nice. I also really loved the friendship between Landon, Miko, Max and Taylor. It was a great example of how when you move to a new city and start something new you learn to make fast friendships. Just a great example of a group of normal twenty-somethings in a not so normal industry.

Speaking of which, it was nice to have a book focused on event planning, as it seems like that's a buzz career area these days. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who has worked at a small (or should I say 'boutique') media/PR/other types of entertainment company. At one turning point, Landon thinks back to her dad saying "Kid, your integrity is the only thing they can't take away from you, and it's worth a helluvalot more than four bucks." In this modern world where it seems like more and more people want to be part of the entertainment industry, it's definitely something to consider. You have to be really strong and know yourself and hold on to your integrity or else you'll fast find yourself in some questionable situations. Just look at some of these pseudo-reality stars. One thing I've always believed is that nothing good ever comes easily - there's no such thing as a quick fix or a shortcut to success. Landon really embodies this viewpoint.

I can't wait to read the sequel, which is due out next month (yay!) If you love Elle Woods, The Devil Wears Prada, or shows like The Hills and The Rachel Zoe Project, or even just a level headed pretty awesome main character, just go ahead and get your copy now.

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