Saturday, July 14, 2012

Ten Girls to Watch: A Review


Dawn West is having a hard time after college: she can't break free from her ex, she can't find a job, and her roommate is a bit weird. When she lands a gig tracking down the former Charm magazine's Girls to Watch from the last 50 years, she finds out a little more about herself as she interviews these fascinating women.

At first, I was a little leery of how the author would balance telling Dawn's story while giving the readers tidbits of the women who won the contest. However, I shouldn't have given it a thought. The past winners' stories are woven in seamlessly in Dawn's own story and help develop Dawn as a character almost as much as her own experiences.

Dawn is a likable but kind of weak character at the beginning, but I think most women (me included) can relate to the "can't quite let go of the ex-boyfriend" storyline. Despite a few bumps on the road, she grows into a strong women sure of herself and her career choice.  I loved the twist of her becoming friends with her ex-boyfriend's current girl. Their "friendship" was a fun subplot.

Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot. The plot is fast-paced, the idea interesting, and the characters are well-developed. Charity Shumway's debut novel puts her on the Ten Writers to Watch list.

I received this book in exchange for my review. My thoughts and opinons are my own.

1 comment:

Diane Estrella said...

This sounds like an interesting book to look at. Thanks for your thoughts and have a great week! :O)