Book Description
South Beach in the late 1990s is a town of blink-and-you'll-miss-'em nightclubs populated by celebrities, models, mobsters, heiresses, drug dealers, drag queens, and fun seekers of all stripes. It's a place where the famous come to party like locals, the locals party like rock stars behind velvet ropes, and the press is savvy enough to know what not to report.
Rachel Baum is a sheltered, career-oriented everygirl when she moves to South Beach from her quiet Miami suburb, searching for a life less ordinary. Quickly making friends among SoBe's most exclusive scenesters, she spends her days building a career and her nights building a reputation. But in a town where friends become enemies faster than highs become hangovers, the life less ordinary turns into more than Rachel bargained for. As she pursues the endless party in penthouses, dive bars, after-hours clubs, and cocaine speakeasies, Rachel struggles to balance her goals and ambitions with the decadence and excess -- especially her drug-fueled, on-again off-again relationship with Yale-graduate-turned-addict John Hood -- that threaten to destroy everything she's always worked for.
With tremendous wit and razor-sharp insight, Diary of a South Beach Party Girl portrays the innermost sanctums of South Beach's privileged Beautiful People through the eyes of a no longer innocent heroine.
Customer Reviews:
A Shocked Reader.......2007-09-13
I bought this book because a magazine suggested it and said it was supposed to be a great, easy read. It really was an easy read and it wasn't that bad. Although the book isn't great, and has no real substance to it, Gwen Cooper's writing makes you not want to put the book down (after page 100 or so!). Her writing keeps you up intil 2 am trying to figure out of her main character Amy reaches social heights or falls flat on her face. The life that her main character lives is what drew me to this book, and in it, if you know the right people, wear the right outfit and get into the part fashionably late and past all of the crowds (with having to pay no cover fee to boot!) then you're instantly "in" in South Beach. A good read for those of you who don't take yourself, or life, too seriouslly.
What happens when a good girl tries life on the edge . . ........2007-08-30
Our recent fascination with South Beach stems from it's hype with the MTV crowd, PDiddy, JLo, Paris and other party people but this party girl's story comes from a different era altogether. It was a time of partying and debauchery that seemed to go on under the radar. One thing is clear: if you weren't there then you know nothing, making Gwen Cooper's perspective undeniable unique and invaluable in understanding this remarkable era. Perhaps not all will find it that remarkable, considering that things like excessive nightlife, drug use, flamboyant fashion and sexual openness seems to find havens in different cities as one dissolves into another. The curious part about this book is seeing it all happen to a well adjusted, middle class, heterosexual, American woman, and for all intensive purposes a Republican. Her journey weaving in and out of different social strata and climbing the to the top of South Beach's party scene is amazing, yet somehow begins to feel redundant and at the same time we feel unfulfilled, so does she.
The characters are interesting and intense. The story is as pulsating as the nightlife itself. You relate to the morally questionable choices she makes because of how tantalizing they sound. Unfortunately I found the ending a bit scant and too peachy for the tone of the rest of the book. It's still worth reading everything before the Epilogue.
Ah, the dark side of the rich and famous.......2007-08-30
The flash and glamour of South Beach is renowned the world over. Known for the "Beautiful People," the South Beach of the nineties epitomized the penultimate party lifestyle, a way of life that is in reality no more than a flash-in-a-pan. Reputations, fortunes, and fashions are made and broken at stellar speed, crashing as fast as they are created. Living life in the fast lane, celebrities, drag queens, drug dealers, models, mobsters and local cruisers partied hard and without abandon.
Diary of a South Beach Party Girl leads the reader on a wild ride of historical social proportions, seducing the reader into the fantasy lifestyle led by Rachel Baum and her cohorts. Cooper is a fourth-generation Miami Beach native. She moved to South Beach in 1997 to chase a more spectacular lifestyle and rose to South Beach celebrity status at the speed of light. The story parallels Cooper's "career girl by day, party girl by night" lifestyle. The story's lead, Rachel Baum, recounts the experiences living the life of excess and depravity within a social structure that embraces the popular and banishes the socially exiled.
Written with humor and angst, Cooper captures the idiosyncratic spirit and distinctive culture of South Beach in the glossiest years in the town's history. Class and social position dictate the protocol of social activity. Though all walks of life are exposed in Diary, the most explored relationships are those that Rachel and her closest friends maintain. Rachel is the straight foil to her gay friends, winning allegiance from the gay community to the darker relationships Rachel develops along the way.
The pace of the story is non-stop and filled with accounts of a fantasy lifestyle and the not-so fantastic consequences of excessive living.
Armchair Interviews says: A great summer (or anytime) read!
SO GREAT!.......2007-06-27
I was absolutely GLUED to this book and could not get enough of it! It's so smart and so much fun, and the writing is spectacular. Most of all it was a story I could completely relate to, even though Rachel Baum's adventures in South Beach couldn't be further from my own everyday life. I fell in love with the characters and all their ups and downs, and I laughed and cried right along with them.
I can't even imagine how anybody could describe this book as "boring." I can't remember the last time I read something this outstanding. I highly recommend this book!
I can't wait for the next one.......2007-06-24
My first review, even though I've been reading reviews on here and buying books for years. I just finished this book and I thought it was amazing. The character of John Hood is so unique and interesting, I would love to read a sequel told by him, up to the point where Diary ends..and beyond it too of course!
Average customer rating:
- Love this book!
- Totally predictable...
- How can a bond so strong ever end?
- Ever Dependable Luanne
- Disappointing
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Beach Girls
Luanne Rice
Manufacturer: Bantam
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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The Perfect Summer
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ASIN: 0553587242
Release Date: 2004-08-03 |
Book Description
Luanne Rice is a rarity among novelists today; she's a true storyteller. Her unique ability to weave together the bonds of love and family with the challenges and rewards of everyday life has garnered her eight consecutive top-ten New York Times bestselling paperbacks. With
Beach Girls, Luanne Rice returns to the place that she was born to write about--the Connecticut shore--to tell a story about a family of women whose lives encompass three generations, their histories intertwined with that of the mystic coastal town that has forever bound them to one another.
Beach Girls explores the complex and contradictory territories of love, family and friendship. Luanne Rice's sensuous prose and unforgettably rich and textured characters guide us toward a truth that lies within and sometimes beyond our dreams--an enduring strength that we all must embrace to find our way home and into the hearts of those we cherish most.
Beach Girls is an enthralling novel of haunting beauty that will resonate long after the final page is turned.
Download Description
Luanne Rice is a rarity among novelists today; she's a true storyteller. Her unique ability to weave together the bonds of love and family with the challenges and rewards of everyday life has garnered her eight consecutive top-ten New York Times bestselling paperbacks. With
Beach Girls, Luanne Rice returns to the place that she was born to write about--the Connecticut shore--to tell a story about a family of women whose lives encompass three generations, their histories intertwined with that of the mystic coastal town that has forever bound them to one another.
Beach Girls explores the complex and contradictory territories of love, family and friendship. Luanne Rice's sensuous prose and unforgettably rich and textured characters guide us toward a truth that lies within and sometimes beyond our dreams--an enduring strength that we all must embrace to find our way home and into the hearts of those we cherish most.
Beach Girls is an enthralling novel of haunting beauty that will resonate long after the final page is turned.
From the Paperback edition.
Customer Reviews:
Love this book!.......2007-05-19
I can read this book over and over and never get tired of it!!
The relationship between the 3 best friends was touching and that's just the beginning of it! The way that true love and happiness takes its course opens all of our eyes to what a small world this is. It's just funny how the love of one couple can cause second thoughts about hate for someone else. Maddie deserved to be loved and never hated, and Stevie opened Jacks eyes to that. This whole romance, the love between Stevie and Jack, THe forgiveness of Maddie, was all due to the curiosity of a little girl on a search for who her mom really was. If it weren't for little Nell, Jack, Stevie, and Maddie's lives wouldn't have been what they were meant to be!
Totally predictable..........2006-12-10
As girls, Stevie Moore, Emma Lincoln and Maddie Kilvert lived for the beach. Every summer, the three would reunite, and spend all their time swimming, flirting and being the titular "beach girls."
But as they entered adulthood, they lost touch. Now Emma's nine-year-old daughter, Nell, has come to spend the summer at Hubbard's Point beach...still grappling with the huge hole Emma's death a year earlier left within her. She seeks Stevie, her mom's friend who still lives at Hubbard's Point, and begins a friendship with the reclusive artist who needs Nell and her dad Jack as much as they need her.
Somewhere in the first few chapters, it's more than apparent as to how this story will end. And, alas, that's exactly how it DOES end. So, if you're looking for something deep and thought-provoking, this book clearly isn't it. However, it is a quick, fun read -- perhaps if you were actually wiling away a few hours on a beach. Also, Rice interweaves characters from her previous book, "The Perfect Summer," which is always fun to see happen, as Nell becomes friends with youngest McCabe daughter Peggy.
You can give this book a try...just don't set too much hope in it.
How can a bond so strong ever end?.......2006-08-30
Kind of reminds me of friendship that I thought would never end-how could they when we couldn't even live a day w/o seeing or talking to each other. This is a sweet story of 3 close girl friends who end up going separate ways only to be brought back to each other's lives one way or another. It was pretty deep at times, but shallow at others. I would say to read it and enjoy but not expect it to carry you away. There are other LR books with more depth to them.
Ever Dependable Luanne.......2006-07-29
This was a book with a different twist. Would you relive part of your life? As always Luanne Rice can be counted on to weave a great story for the reader. I have never read a Rice Book that I would not recoment to another reader. In fact as soon as I finished Beach Girls, I passed my copy on to a friend with instructions to pass it on to someone else when she was done.
Disappointing.......2006-07-25
I am probably in the minority but I read this after I saw the miniseries and was really disappointed. One other review indicated this read like a dime store romance novel. The mini series did a better job of portraying two mature people finding and resisting love while the book seemed more lie a soap opera serial - two many story lines with immature characters.
Amazon.com
If all American literature comes from Huckleberry Finn, all American surf culture comes from Gidget, the ostensible diary of Kathy Kohner, a teensy, gutsy teenage girl who crashed the all-male scene at Malibu Beach north of L.A. in 1957 and earned, from Moondoggie and others, the nickname Gidget, which meant "Girl Midget." Her father, the German immigrant screenwriter Frederick Kohner, fascinated by the beach-shack counterculture, interviewed his perky daughter at length, eavesdropped with permission on her phone calls, fictionalized her adventures, and batted out this influential bestseller. He nailed a tiny subculture's new form of speech ("If you want to know what goes on in Loveville ... Dig Number One: being gone on a boy is more important than having a boy gone on you.") and made it a pop-culture staple. Newly reissued with the real Gidget's picture on the cover (as on the original hardback), the book is very slim (appropriately enough) and historically beguiling. You'll like her--you'll really like her! --Tim Appelo
Book Description
Surf's up!
The classic novel of 1950's American youth-now back in print with rare photos and a new foreword by the "real" Gidget.
Customer Reviews:
A classic teen book.......2006-09-17
One of the best teen books out there - and it still reads liks a totally modern novel even though it was written over 50 years ago. And it's still a good fun read as an adult - it's so full of energy and wit and total honesty and excellent characters. Easy to see why it changed youth culture in AMerica when it came out.
The Magic is Still There...Hang Ten!.......2005-08-12
I never get tired of Gidget stories! This was a great book and I would recommend it highly. In fact, I plan to recommend it to my students this year. It's takes me back to high school and just wanting to be accepted. Even though I grew up in Denver, Colorado, which is far away from the ocean, I could relate to Gidget because of her size. I wish I could find some more Gidget stories to read.
Steffan! Steffan Kalee! You there?.......2004-06-21
I chuckled as I read Steffan's review. So Gidget was named after a porn star, huh? Possible, possible...was this porn star working before 1957, the year that Gidget was first published?
Gidget is a great book (see my niece Tracey Satterthwaite's review); the sequels are entertaining, but that's about it.
No Kooks Allowed.......2004-05-10
Mother Ocean is the Trust of All.
One must be in the Emerald Cathedral.
And... Mickey Dora... DA CAT RULES!
Fun, Fun, Fun.......2003-01-31
It's true this is not a work of a profound and philosophical nature. On the other hand, it is a fun and quick read. The fact that it is at least loosely based on the life of Kathy Kohner and that it was written by her father, who picked up some ideas for the book by eavesdropping on her telephone conversations, only adds to the enjoyment. The beach culture/counterculture presented in this book ushered in not only the Gidget movies but also all of the beach-oriented movies from the early and mid-60s. It's easy enough for anyone who recalls being a teenager to identify with at least some of the teenage angst contained within Gidget. If you're looking for a light, sunny read on a dark winter's day or at any other time, give it a chance.
Book Description
Madison Finns summer is going to be super specialshes heading to the beach! When she gets a chance to go to camp away from home, Madison is thrilled. But soon shes up to her elbows in turtle eggs, and miles from her BFFs. Madison feels way out of touch. Just when it seems like her friends are too far away to make a difference, its turtles to the rescue! Who knew that turtles could lead to true love?
Customer Reviews:
It Was Totally Kool!!.......2006-11-06
It so rox! I thougt it was a great second super special book. The secret Stephanie and Jeff were keeping on the vacation to Florida could change Maddie's life, like forever. If her parent and steparent move away, she'll never, ever, ever, ever see them again as often as she usually does. Hello? You gotta see your parent often. Anyways, at Camp Sunshine in FLORIDA, she meets new friends and a guy, Will. She might fall for him instead of Hart, she might not. I won't tell. Purchase this book to find out about Whether she chooses Hart or Will and to read about her super vacation in Florida. I am ten, and last year I started reading this series. For one year, I read 24 Madison Finn books non-stop since they are just so great! This one was my second-favourite of the series. Read Hit the Beach!
madison finn picture perfect.......2006-08-15
the book influenced my life is the book called Madison Finn she ues it intellcation periance that this girl go to school. she has two best friend.
totally kool.......2006-07-26
ok its kool and it rox. the only thing dat didnt rok was anne. ok who would go on google and search about some gurl from camp?o.0 i mean who would like it if some1 from their camp 2 no who they were and where they came from and all their social life at home. i wouldnt and i dont think other peeps would 2. n e ways, IT ROX ok? and if u didnt read it u better do it rite now or ure totally missing out. and i also like the way maddie and hart took the the step. dats kool. ok its 2 long.
Hit the Beach.......2006-06-23
I thought this was an interesting book. Definetly some good things going on with Madison and Hart, which made me read more. Although, I thought her camp adventures weren't that interesting.. I also thought it was little odd to have her be interested in another guy at camp, when she already had Hart back home. Those are the only 2 problems I found with this book.. Other than that its a great read !
Buy or not to buy????????????.......2006-06-20
I had trouble deciding wether or not I should buy this book. I totally LOVE this book, BUT i didn't know what it was about. Finally I deided to just go ahead and get it since I love the series and heck go all out, so I did. I bought it and I loved it-not eh it was okay-LOVED IT.
Book Description
Its summer in California, and Elle is spending her days at the beach with Hunter, learning to surf (and perfecting her blond highlights.) With everything going so well, Elle is surprised when she discovers that life at the beach isnt as perfect as it seems. Someone is polluting the water and hurting the seals that live there. The animal-loving Elle knows she has to do something. With some sly manicure maneuvers, Elle devises a plan to save the seals and prove that there is more to beach blondes than people think.
Customer Reviews:
A Good Read.......2007-05-30
Elle Woods: Beach Blonde
Recommended for ages 9-13/ grades 4- 8
By: Natalie Standiford
Elle Woods: Beach Blonde is a very intriguing book because it is full of mystery. The book is about a girl named Elle Woods (based on the character of Legally Blonde), Laurette and a girl named Nica. The book is set at Seal Beach in California.
The story takes place in the summer, and Elle is learning how to surf. Elle is having such a great summer, but when she goes to a bonfire with her friends, she notices that all the seals that were originally on the beach have disappeared. Since Elle is an animal lover, she worries about the seals. She wants them to be back safe, but she doesn't know how she can do it.
Elle's character changes because in the beginning, she is a blonde who only cares about getting a suntan. But as the book goes on, she starts to care about people (and animals) other than herself.
I'd suggest this book to girls from 4th grade- 8th grade because even though it is a good book, adults might not enjoy the book as much as kids. Overall, this is a great, 5-star book
-Rachel
Book Description
IS THIS CONTEST BEILDING UP TO A BIG LETDOWN?
While vacationing at a lake, Nancy, Bess, and George have their eyes on first prize in the annual sand castle contest. They use special colored sand and carefully build the castle to look like the ones they researched at the library. If the girls win, they'll get their picture in the local paper and all the ice cream they can eat.
But before judging begins, someone wrecks the girls' castle and writes a mean message in the sand. Nancy and her friends will have to dig deep to get back into the contest before it's too late!
Customer Reviews:
Book review.......2007-03-16
Book was received timely and in excellent condition. It was a gift for a great niece who said she enjoyed it.
Book Description
Brianne Wolcott is back in South Beach running a hot new singles resort. And to welcome her home is the sexy FBI agent she once had a crush on, Aidan Maddock. According to her pulse when he's around, she may still have a little thing for him. So she'll have her one night with him and be done with it. Too bad her libido isn't having any part of this one night business. Because after the first steamy embrace, she's definitely coming back for more!
Customer Reviews:
Enjoyable.......2004-02-27
I liked the setting,characters, and plot very much. And I always love a story where a woman uses her brains to get herself out of trouble. I can't say this was one of the best Blaze books I've read but it is definitely one of the good ones.
A lavishly sensual experience! Very highly recommended.......2003-11-29
In her first series for Harlequin, author Joanne Rock captures the vibrancy of Miami Beach with her own inexhaustible flair for scintillating romance. The first novel of the Single in South Beach series introduces the hedonistic Club Paradise and the creative women who run it. A wildly successful resort for couples, Club Paradise received an overall when its male owners absconded with the profits. Each of the women owners had a connection to those who nearly bankrupted the resort, and have worked together to turn it into a lush, provocative, uninhibited playground for singles. Their goal is a fat bottom line and sweet financial revenge. None of the women expect to find love!
FBI agent Aiden Maddock arrives at Club Paradise intending to investigate the scandal that rocked it the previous year. Unfortunately, he was also the same agent in charge of Brianne Wolcott's stepfather's investigation ten years ago. Brianne was barely an adult then, and the investigation was devastating. She is now a much different woman who would prefer to leave her past behind. Unfortuately, her step-father was Aidan's recurring nemesis and the first case Aiden had ever worked. The fact that he still remains free spurs Aiden's interest in Club Paradise and Brianne.
Brianne might have been naïve enough ten years ago to trust Aiden, but now she has attitude and verve. But Aiden is determined to not let her sexy looks deter him from this career breaking investigation. Brianne is equally determined to not let this hunky investigator get to her. He might think she is her now ex-step-father's puppet, but she is her own woman and hell bent on success. Aiden becomes a regular guest at the club and sexual tension escalates, especially as he becomes certain she is hiding something.
Author Joanne Rock pens a sensual feast with SEX & THE SINGLE GIRL. An extraordinary introduction to a promising series, SEX & THE SINGLE GIRL is Rock at her best with scintillating dialogue, a brisk pace, and hard hitting sensuality. Her own years of living at Miami Beach bring the area alive with a vivacious celebration of night life and fascinating characters. SEX & THE SINGLE GIRL comes very highly recommended. Be sure to watch for next month's installment, GIRL'S GUIDE TO HUNTING AND KISSING.
Sex and the Single Girl.......2003-11-12
Sex and The Single Girl, by Joanne Rock is a spicy romance novel with sexy characters and the stimulating single nightlife in South Beach, Florida. The book is written in a series of romance novels based around four sexy women. Husbands or boyfriends in the "Rat Pack" however, have deceived three of the women. The Rat Pack was the former owners of the wildly successful "Club Paradise" for five years, which was a resort for couples. The Rat Pack found a way to run off with all the profits. The women left behind in the middle of the embezzlement scheme, pulled together to restructure the company to be owners of the hottest nightclub for Single people in South Beach, Club Paradise. The main Character Brianne Wolcott is one of the owners. Her stepfather was one of the partners in the Rat Pack. The story is based around Brianne Wolcott and a gorgeous FBI Agent, Aidan Maddock. Brianne and Aidan had a history together when she was still a young woman at the age of nineteen. Aidan really liked Brianne and at the same time he used her to get closer to leads on the Rat Pack and Brianne's stepfather. Aidan turned Brianne away because of her young age, but ten years later she is all grown up and more attractive then ever. Aidan is working undercover on the Rat Pack case again, hoping to find leads because of the reopening of the club. At the nightclub the two reunite when Brianne catches Aidan on surveillance cameras snooping around in staff only areas. Brianne is still upset with Aidan from their past relationship. But she and the other women agree for Aidan to work undercover at the club. Unable to hide their attraction for each other, Brianne slowly seems to forgive Aidan as they give romance one last try. Sex and the Single Girl focuses on a relationship that has been hurt by deceit, but proves that with attraction romance is possible.
I would recommend this book to my female peers because it is a thrilling romance novel with lots of twists that make the reader want to continue reading. For instance:
She arched up to kiss him, to taste him, but he was already leaning down to her. He nudged aside her hair with his hand, whispered in her ear "Is tonight a really bad night for sexual adventure?"
It was strange because I found myself really interested in Brianne and Aidan's relationship with each other and I wanted to see how it would progress. It was really fun to read because reading this book felt almost as if I was watching a soap opera. The detail Joanne Rock gives allows the reader to imagine the scene vividly and almost feel the passion and excitement of their relationship. I also imagine the characters as very attractive and I get to escape to South Beach and imagine the exciting nightlife every time I read it. The first romance novel I read with so much description that it makes me wonder if the writer took parts of the love scenes from her personal experiences. I highly recommend this book because it was a great story with lots of action, suspense and romance for any girl who has ever been in a relationship.
Average customer rating:
- Fun chick lit for teens
- Courtesy of Teens Read Too
- More complexity than she's ready for.
- More complexity than she's ready for.
- fine teen angst tale
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Secrets of a South Beach Princess
Mary Kennedy
Manufacturer: Berkley Trade
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0425211967 |
Book Description
Royalty has its privileges... but privacy isn't one of them.
The author of Tales of a Hollywood Gossip Queen offers a brand-new novel that girls across America will be talking about.
Amber Fielding knows publicity. Rich, blonde, and totally hot, she's still got a year left in high school, and already she's Miami's newest it girl. The Fielding Hotel is the most happening address in South Beach, and its penthouse is Amber's personal paradise. When gorgeous Nick Crawford checks in for the summer, it looks like this princess has everything except a tiara.
Nick's more than just eye candy-smart and ambitious, he's headed for film school at NYU. He says he's shooting a documentary about South Beach architecture. Amber wants a role in his life, so she hangs with Nick while he's filming. But this princess had better be careful just what gets caught on tape-because there's nothing people love better than the secrets of the young, fabulous, and famous.
Customer Reviews:
Fun chick lit for teens.......2006-12-27
Mary Kennedy kicks off a new teen series set in South Beach, Miami.
Secrets of a South Beach Princess chronicles the life of rich-girl-turned-model Amber Fielding. Her father is the owner of one of the most recognized, posh hotels in South Beach, The Fielding Hotel, and with the penthouse as her address, Amber is the princess in residence.
It's the start of the summer and Amber has grand plans for how to spend her time, but when she meets Nick Crawford, son of an actress who lives in the hotel, Amber considers rearranging her plans to include him! Unfortunately for Amber, however, Nick seems to run hot and cold, one night inviting her to dinner, the next hitting on her best friend. Furthermore, Nick has a camera that never leaves his side, but is he a budding filmmaker as he claims, or something else?
Secrets of a South Beach Princess had the potential to be a fun summer read. Unfortunately, the characters Kennedy has drawn never become anything more than two-dimensional. From the drunken rock star, to the eccentric movie star living in the hotel, the characters are caricatures of their real-life counterparts. Likewise, the dialogue didn't ring true at times. I'm ten years older than Amber and her friends and I've never used words like "yikes" and "pooch," I can't imagine that they would either.
For all of the flaws I found in the book, I still believe that readers in the intended age bracket would enjoy Secrets. The book is filled with name-dropping and fashion references that appeal to the MTV crowd. It's chick lit for teens and that seems to be a very popular genre.
Fans will have to check Kennedy's website www.marykennedy.net for information on upcoming novels in this series.
Armchair Interviews says: Fun chick lit for young adults.
Courtesy of Teens Read Too.......2006-12-20
Amber Fielding is a very rich girl who lives in South Beach, Florida. Her father owns the hotel The Fielding, which is a very elite hotel in South Beach. She and her family live on the very top floor of the hotel and Amber has the life that she wants. She also has three very good friends that reminded me, in some ways, of the relationship between friends in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants / Second Summer of the Sisterhood / Girls in Pants (3 Book Set).
One day, she is hanging out at the hotel pool and she meets Nick Crawford. She really begins to like him but then he does something awful to her. (You will have to read the book to find out exactly what, though!)
SECRETS OF A SOUTH BEACH PRINCESS moves kind of fast because there aren't always a lot of details, but then there are some parts of the book that feel as if they could have been cut out. Overall, it has a very good storyline and a great, entertaining idea behind it.
I would only recommend this book to mature teens, however, because there are some alcohol references, inappropriate scenes for younger readers, and one of the characters has an eating disorder.
Reviewed by: Taylor Rector
More complexity than she's ready for........2006-12-10
Mary Kennedy's SECRETS OF A SOUTH BEACH PRINCESS tells of a rich blond girl who is Miami's newest 'it girl' find. When a handsome boy checks into her hotel for the summer she anticipates romance - but discovers more complexity than she's ready for.
More complexity than she's ready for........2006-12-10
Mary Kennedy's SECRETS OF A SOUTH BEACH PRINCESS tells of a rich blond girl who is Miami's newest 'it girl' find. When a handsome boy checks into her hotel for the summer she anticipates romance - but discovers more complexity than she's ready for.
fine teen angst tale.......2006-11-10
On the surface teenager Amber Fielding is the golden girl who has everything going for her. Her father owns the Fielding Hotel in South Beach, Florida and they live in the Penthouse. She is a part-time model with a publicity agent who is getting endorsements for her and she recently had a two page spread in a magazine where she was dubbed the new "It Girl". She is not snobby and has a good work ethic, helping her father insure the hotel runs smoothly.
By the pool she meets Nick, a handsome sturdy young man who is staying with his mother, the reclusive retired movie star Ellen Crawford, at the Fielding Hotel. They immediately click but he keeps sending her mixed signals, talking flirtatiously to her friend and sending her other friend who he doesn't even know an expensive bouquet to cheer her up when she is hospitalized. When Amber learns that Nick betrayed her, she wants nothing more to do with him but he isn't willing to let their relationship die before it begins.
Mary Kennedy writes entertaining novels around the teen-age audience. Beyond telling a good story, she explores teen angst, the pressure teens feel and the mistakes they make by giving in to the pressure. The protagonist may be fooled by people pretending to be nice but she is nobody's fool and she quickly learns from her mistakes. Readers would be proud to call her their daughter.
Harriet Klausner
Average customer rating:
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Beach Girls
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0739444859 |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly Like a milder Northern cousin of Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood, Rice's latest (following Dance with Me) celebrates the near mystical persistence of female bonds. While summering in the seaside town of Hubbard's Point, Conn., Emma Lincoln, Stevie Moore and Maddie Kilvert, the titular beach girls, were inseparable, but as adults, they've drifted apart. Stevie lives like a hermit in Hubbard's Point, unaware that her old friend Emma died in a car crash, leaving behind a husband, a child and secrets. When widower Jack brings his daughter, Nell, to the Point, Nell searches out her last link to her mother: Stevie
Book Description
When Summer Farnsworth goes hunting for the perfect man to have a little fling with, Jackson Taggart is not who she had in mind. There's not a rebel bone-or a tattoo-under those too starched shirts, or so she thinks. But whoever said opposites attract must know something. Because after a few long, steamy kisses, Summer has discovered a big attraction to the button-down type.
Customer Reviews:
The second of the Single in South Beach series!.......2003-11-29
In her first series for Harlequin, author Joanne Rock captures the vibrancy of Miami Beach with her own inexhaustible flair for scintillating romance. The first novel of the Single in South Beach series introduces the hedonistic Club Paradise and the creative women who run it. A wildly successful resort for couples, Club Paradise received an overall when its male owners absconded with the profits. Each of the women owners had a connection to those who nearly bankrupted the resort, and have worked together to turn it into a lush, provocative, uninhibited playground for singles. Their goal is a fat bottom line and sweet financial revenge. None of the women expect to find love!
Attorney Jackson Taggart looks for a woman with the perfect mouth, finding it on Summer Farnsworth. Deftly avoiding cliché pickup lines, Jackson captures her imagination with a clever use of a cell phone and divine temptation. Jackson knows Summer's secret fantasy will do anything to get his girl. Indeed, Summer makes Jackson easily forget the controversy that dogs his every step thanks to father. She might not be a politician's perfect pick, but he is willing to risk his carefully starched shirts for her.
Jackson risks his political career for her even as Summer prefers bad boys with tattoos. As Club Paradise's ambiance coordinator, Summer has created a sensual paradise culminating with a room that is straight out of a bordello. Her bustier and pink braids may not match the proper image Jackson usually pursues, but her fiery personality draws him irresistibly. While they are wildly attracted to each other, however, Jackson and Summer are truly proof that opposites attract, and soon they are attracting controversy as well.
The wildly successful introduction to this series, SEX & THE SINGLE GIRL receives a perfect encore with GIRL'S GUIDE TO HUNTING AND KISSING. Jackson's outrageously ingenious method of meeting and pursuing Summer cannot fail to charm readers even as the sensuality between them sparkles. Richly developed characterizations spring to life, complete with a background dripping with decadence and sin. A marvelous read, GIRL'S GUIDE TO HUNTING & KISSING comes very highly recommended. Be sure to watch for the next installment, Harlequin Temptation ONE NAUGHTY NIGHT.
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