About the Book
Smile and Look Pretty : A Novel
Amanda Pellegrino
On Sale Date: March 8, 2022
0778311120
Trade Paperback
$16.99 USD
368 pages
ABOUT THE BOOK
A juicy, fun yet piercing debut novel, Smile and Look Pretty tells the story of four assistants working in media who band together to take on their toxic office environments in the ultimate comeuppance—pitched as Sweetbitter meets Whisper Network.
Online they’re The Aggressive One, The Bossy One, The Bitchy One, and The Emotional One. In real life, best friends Cate, Lauren, Olivia and Max all have one thing in common—they’re overworked, overtired, and underpaid assistants to some of the most powerful men in the media and entertainment industries. When they secretly start an anonymous blog detailing their experiences, their posts go viral and hundreds of other women come forward with stories of their own. Confronted with the risks of newfound fame and the possibility of their identities being revealed, they have to contend with what happens when you try and change the world.
Gripping, razor-sharp, and scathingly funny, Smile and Look Pretty is a fast-paced millennial rallying cry about the consequences of whistleblowing for an entire generation, and a testament to the strength of female friendship and what can be accomplished when women come together.
My Review
Close friends Cat, Lauren, Olivia and Max have had enough! They each work as assistants with horrible bosses. They are more than ready to fight back against sexual harassment, being taken advantage of, doing personal chores, working all hours of the day and being underpaid. They've come up with a unique way to fight back - a blog. A place where they can vent and be anonymous. It gives them a chance to get things off their chest but not lose their jobs doing it.
They never expected their blog to take off as well as it did. Now they fear their identities will be revealed and they will not only lose their jobs, but their entire careers and livelihood.
This book started off slow for me, but after a few chapters, I was totally engrossed in the plight of these four friends. It’s a timely book considering the current work place atmosphere. There’s some humor, but mostly my heart broke for these women trying to make careers for themselves but having to face obstacle after obstacle.
It’s well written and truly mirrors what’s going on in the world today. It's a captivating read that kept me anxious about how it would end. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.
For reading challenges:
NetGalley and Edleweiss Reading Challenge 20122
FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.
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