Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #149280 in Books
• Published on: 2005-05-23
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Synopsis
Having lost her high-powered Wall Street job, her husband and her plush Park Avenue apartment in one afternoon, Ivy Ames emerges broken but unbowed. The newly-single mother-of-two picks herself up, dusts herself down and reinvents herself as a private school admissions adviser whose well-heeled clients will do (literally) anything to get their children into the A-list schools. Thus begins a fast-paced and very funny rom com as Ivy's bid to support her family and regain her self-esteem becomes a tale of modern-day reinvention - and unexpected romance.

Customer Reviews

Why?
I really didn't like this book. Half way thorough I realised that someone actually sat down to write it. Even for a light read/chic lit/ beach book it was bad. I felt no emotion for the characters actually that's a lie I felt an intense irratation for most of them. The premise that she's rich, loses her job then suddenly realises that money is not the key to success is shallow. She's never really poor she just has to slum it like the average Joe Bloggs but even her slum is peppered with famous authors, rich deli owners and a perfomanc artist who earns "over $200,000 in cash a year". Total bunkum.

Enjoyable light read for a cold afternoon.
When I picked this book I expected a dose of quite light chic lit and this is exactly what I got. I did enjoy this book as light relief, it was witty and many of the characters, though larger than life, were very funny.
I struggled with the idea of the main character being down on her luck as part of the plot involved her best friend being married to a multi millionaire. Few broke single mums are provided with regular makeovers or are bought a date with George Clooney. Also her change of heart and change of attitude (at the heart of most good pieces of chic lit) was a little half hearted.
The romance part of the story was also slightly weak with the heroine unable to make up her mind between two likely suitors (unlikely if really head over heals in love) but despite a few flaws it was an enjoyable read with plenty going on. I would recommend it to anyone merely for the manner in which her back stabbing work mate gets his just desserts.

materialistic rubbish
I really wanted to read this book after spending 6 years working as a waitress in NY dealing with these types of neurotic families and thought it would be a funny insightful perspective. Instead the book is filled with greedy women looking for rich men to live off of and I really dont think it was an intensional part of the story, perhaps just a way of life for the author (well thats the impression I got) so how can I even be pleased for the main character living happily ever after. It was so tacky and badly thrown together. Everything from the novelty friend who gives the poor single black mother a job sorting out her wardrobe (are we supposed to be happy for her?) to the main character flittling between the two men that live in her building, deciding which one could make her happier and giving us too much information about their sex lives not to mention it all ends in her getting a job as a voice-over for Marvin and his magic wheelchair (?????)
I threw the book as soon as I had finished it.