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madamedefarge's review
challenging
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
greta_samuelson's review
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
natashachurch's review against another edition
1.0
Reads like bad AY. And has a lot of unnecessary sex.
couchnest's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyable read, a tad predictable. I kept waiting for William to become more of a villain. I suppose that comes from reading too many psychological thrillers. There are some family secrets that are revealed... again, not super surprising. Honestly, I kept expecting William to be some kind of pedophile with the whole giving the two boys violin lessons and how the one didn't want to go and didn't want to be there and didn't like William, etc. to the point of seeming almost afraid of him. But no, rest assured, there is none of that. I guess it was more to show that The book did keep me entertained, which is why I kept reading it, and it was a pretty fast-paced read.
Spoiler
William was not what he seemed and did not really like kids that much (unless they netted him a cool 10 mil).mkmoore's review against another edition
4.0
This narrator was unlikeable but purposefully so. I liked the decadence of this book. It took me a day to finish.
annmarie_reads's review against another edition
3.0
The other reviews were right about one thing - you will hate the main character in this book. Catherine West is a wealthy woman in her early forties. She reminds me of an older Serena van der Woodsen from Gossip Girl - a rich girl from the Upper East Side who has no idea how the rest of us live.
Catherine lives a carefree life in NYC until a person from her past reintroduces himself. Despite the annoying protagonist, the story was interesting and I did want to keep reading.
Catherine lives a carefree life in NYC until a person from her past reintroduces himself. Despite the annoying protagonist, the story was interesting and I did want to keep reading.
erinstjames's review against another edition
2.0
Uhhhhhh....how do I even feel about this book???
First off NO Spoilers here: the main character is a horrible person. I wonder if the author meant to write such an unlikable whiney biatch, if that was the intent then yes! The author succeeded.
This is a typical upper east side spoiled brat who is ungrateful and money obsessed. She think she finds "the one" but DUN DUN DUN things aren't not as perfect as they seem.
SPOILERS
the twist was in my opinion So LAME! I figured it out as soon as he asked about Caroline. The age difference, the moms journal. The twist was lame and sick. Not climatic just grossed out.
The book could be half the length and get the same story across. Swan tried to give life and personality and every day situations to her characters but literally I didn't care about anyone. I would skip paragraphs because I simply didn't care about Catherine's massages, or how she was stressed or her wedding planning.
I give it two stars because I heard there was a twist and that's what kept me reading. The reviews on the back pulled me in so congrats on the advertising. Hardly a thriller though.
First off NO Spoilers here: the main character is a horrible person. I wonder if the author meant to write such an unlikable whiney biatch, if that was the intent then yes! The author succeeded.
This is a typical upper east side spoiled brat who is ungrateful and money obsessed. She think she finds "the one" but DUN DUN DUN things aren't not as perfect as they seem.
SPOILERS
the twist was in my opinion So LAME! I figured it out as soon as he asked about Caroline. The age difference, the moms journal. The twist was lame and sick. Not climatic just grossed out.
The book could be half the length and get the same story across. Swan tried to give life and personality and every day situations to her characters but literally I didn't care about anyone. I would skip paragraphs because I simply didn't care about Catherine's massages, or how she was stressed or her wedding planning.
I give it two stars because I heard there was a twist and that's what kept me reading. The reviews on the back pulled me in so congrats on the advertising. Hardly a thriller though.
cora273's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this book was funny - I don't quite know if it was meant to be as funny as I thought it was! It says it is a psychological debut novel and I can understand why to some degree but really I'd just say it's a funny, dramatic story of a 40 something year old woman who has a lot of money. I enjoyed it, I read it rather quickly because I didn't want to put it down. It does have some bad words in it (main just the F word and variations of it but not so much to where it's distracting or overwhelming). It also has some descriptive sex scenes but they are not too graphic and not very long. Overall, I still enjoyed the book and would recommend it for people who are interested in a funny, dramatic story about being rich.
andrethegiant3000's review against another edition
3.0
While I couldn't stand the privileged protagonist, I really wanted to find out what happened at the end of this book. However, I could not relate to Catherine West because of her privilege. I think the author did a nice job crafting a character who "has everything" yet still feels like she has to prove herself because she doesn't have it all. I think it was a little over the top even though I was compelled to read more.