Title: Bergdorf Blondes
Author: Plum Sykes
Publication: August 19, 2014
Publisher: HarperCollins
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Women’s Fiction
Pages: 339
SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
Plum Sykes beguiling debut welcomes readers to the glamorous world of Park Avenue Princesses, the girls who careen through Manhattan in search of the perfect Fake Bake (tan acquired from Portofino Tanning Salon), a ride on a PJ (private jet) with the ATM (rich boyfriend), and the ever-elusive fiance.
With invitations to high-profile baby showers and benefits, more Marc Jacobs clothes than is decent, and a department store heiress for a best friend, our heroine known only as Moi is living at the peak of New York society. But what is Moi to do when her engagement falls apart? Can she ever find happiness in a city filled with the distractions of Front Row Girls, dermatologists, premieres, and eyebrow waxes? Is it possible to find love in a town where her friends think that the secret to happiness is getting invited to the Van Cleef and Arpels private sample sale? And how is she going to deal with the endless phone calls from her mother in England demanding that she get married to the Earl next door?
With enormous wit and an insider’s eye, Sykes captures the nuances of the rich and spoiled in a heartwarming social satire, featuring a loveable “champagne bubble of a girl” who’s just looking for love (and maybe the perfect pair of Chloe jeans).
REVIEW:
I picked up this book at a new/used bookstore. The back didn’t have a blurb for the book just a lot of “praise for” things. I flipped through it a bit and the pages I hit upon seemed good so I decided to buy it. It certainly helped that the cover was eye-catching with a large pink ring and pale blue colored background.
The book revolves around a girl who is actually never named. At least I don’t remember reading her name. She was born and raised in England but moved to America as soon as she could. She is in the Park Avenue Princess orbit. However, based on her description, she isn’t actually one herself. For starters, she works and had an actual education. She is also brunette and not blonde. She doesn’t have Daddy’s money and he doesn’t buy everything for her. She has a good job at Vogue so she gets a lot of her clothes that way. Her best friend is Julie Bergdorf… yes, that Bergdorf. Together they decide to start looking for a PH (Prospective Husband). Her mother is thrilled and insists once again to set her up with “Little Earl”, the next door neighbor back home in England. Will she find her PH or will she continue to find flops?
I will say right off the bat, I loathed this book. I could actually feel my IQ lowering as I read it. However, the storyline was as such that I felt the need to actually finish. The main characters had all their priorities ass-backwards and didn’t mind if they shoplifted from their own stores and then got arrested as a result. The characters were all vapid and shallow. The main character wasn’t but she surrounded herself with people like that. It annoyed me so much. Sometimes I just wanted to reach through the book and smack her. Several times I found myself thinking if I ever acted like this as a child my parents would have whipped the hide off me. The main character’s storyline is really the only thing that saved this book from being a 1-star. The author managed to save it in the last few chapters and I found myself pleasantly surprised and cheering for the main character as a result. I would possibly read more by this author if I had nothing else to read.
STAR RATING: 3/5
You can pick up your copy of Bergdorf Blondes by Plum Sykes on Amazon or your local bookstores. Also make sure to add it to your To Reads list on Goodreads and leave feedback for the author when you are finished. Check out more novels from Plum Sykes on Amazon HERE.
