Scan barcode
em_jay's review against another edition
4.0
Completely enjoyable palette cleanser. A fast read with distinct and pretty interesting characters. Would definitely make a fun movie!
mvh3's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book way more than I thought I would! The characters were fantastic! I'm a yoga teacher and I've definitely experienced quite a few of these people. I never expected the ending. It was a fantastic bubble gum light read.
cellocat6's review against another edition
2.0
Not my kind of book. I enjoyed the extreme diets and workouts, but I need deeper characters that I want to care about and some sort of interesting plot. Not happening here. Nice if you are looking for a funny, empty read.
sherwoodreads's review against another edition
When Janey Sweet, CEO of a couture wedding dress company that only makes clothes up to a size 6, is photographed in the front row of a fashion show eating a bruffin–a mix of brioche and muffin–her life-long best friend and business partner, Beau, gives her an ultimatum: Lose thirty pounds or lose your job.
Janey is shocked. She knows she’s put on a few pounds since her divorce, but she’s not a model—she’s the business part of the company! When she tries to remonstrate, Beau, her best friend since they were eight years old, reminds her that he has 51% of the business, and there is an actual clause in her contract about her weight.
So she goes to her college friend CJ, who is obsessed about her weight, and the two hurl themselves into the world of New York’s high end fitness revolution.
What got me interested was the promise of hilarity, specifically a reference to nude yoga, but that scene is more cringe-worthy and thought-provoking than it is hilarious. That is not to say that the funny isn’t there, because it is. The authors do a nifty job of satirizing not only rich New York’s obsession with being thin, but the entrepreneurs who cater to them (and prey on them), sometimes at the cost of their own sanity.
A sub-thread is Ivy, Janey’s cousin who is not rich, unlike Janey, and who lost her career as a ballet dancer to an accident, so is now a fitness instructor. Ivy, a genuinely nice girl with a hopeful and happy outlook on life, discovers that the more she abuses the people who come to her hip, expensive workouts, the more they return.
There is a lot of colorful detail about the high fashion world of New York, and where it intersects with artisanal health-food obsessions as well as fitness, but even more important, this book is about humans relating to one another as well as to their own bodies.
The backbone of the story is betrayal by the one closest to you. Janey has a great deal of reevaluating to do, and not just about her physical self. This journey, as well as the escalating story of the search for the Perfect Thin kept me turning the pages.
The narrative is charming, funny, observant, and spiced with wish-fulfillment, making the book a terrific summer read.
Copy provided by NetGalley
Janey is shocked. She knows she’s put on a few pounds since her divorce, but she’s not a model—she’s the business part of the company! When she tries to remonstrate, Beau, her best friend since they were eight years old, reminds her that he has 51% of the business, and there is an actual clause in her contract about her weight.
So she goes to her college friend CJ, who is obsessed about her weight, and the two hurl themselves into the world of New York’s high end fitness revolution.
What got me interested was the promise of hilarity, specifically a reference to nude yoga, but that scene is more cringe-worthy and thought-provoking than it is hilarious. That is not to say that the funny isn’t there, because it is. The authors do a nifty job of satirizing not only rich New York’s obsession with being thin, but the entrepreneurs who cater to them (and prey on them), sometimes at the cost of their own sanity.
A sub-thread is Ivy, Janey’s cousin who is not rich, unlike Janey, and who lost her career as a ballet dancer to an accident, so is now a fitness instructor. Ivy, a genuinely nice girl with a hopeful and happy outlook on life, discovers that the more she abuses the people who come to her hip, expensive workouts, the more they return.
There is a lot of colorful detail about the high fashion world of New York, and where it intersects with artisanal health-food obsessions as well as fitness, but even more important, this book is about humans relating to one another as well as to their own bodies.
The backbone of the story is betrayal by the one closest to you. Janey has a great deal of reevaluating to do, and not just about her physical self. This journey, as well as the escalating story of the search for the Perfect Thin kept me turning the pages.
The narrative is charming, funny, observant, and spiced with wish-fulfillment, making the book a terrific summer read.
Copy provided by NetGalley
kfront's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
mchristinepo's review against another edition
4.0
A hilarious satire. I definitely did not want this book to end. It's crazy how many people out there will spend a ridiculous amount of money on fitness trends.
esselleayy's review against another edition
3.0
A perfect fast-paced beach read for those who like to mock lifestyle gurus, but aren't above buying some detox tea via Instagram or doing a guru-approved cleanse. The promo called it "brilliant satire." I think that is a stretch, but it will please readers looking for of-the-moment chick lit with an interest in the lifestyles of the rich and famous.
cierra655's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.75
Thoroughly enjoyed this one. Was definitely something outside of what I usually read but I liked it. I was in a bit of a fantasy reading slump so I randomly checked out the audiobook on Libby and the outlandish plot was really fun and drew me entirely in.
taylorturnsapage's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5