Oh, I liked this!

I didn’t at first. Completely honest here – I had regrets because it started out like old school chick lit from 20 years ago. I mean…I read chick lit. Too much of it. And I wasn’t really ready to return to books where the most important thing is whether or not you’re wearing the right couture pumps while being denigrated by a mean boss.

But this does get modern and relevant pretty quickly. Honestly, I only counted one designer shoe reference (if there were more I didn’t notice) and this was about women sticking up for each other – not mean girls getting ahead. There’s kind of a fantasy aspect to it because, much as I want it to be this easy – women sticking together to make a permanent change – I still don’t believe it. I liked reading it, though.

Yes, there are got guys and crushes. There’s truly horrendous bad boss behavior. But it’s also a book about empowerment and sticking together for what’s right.

Good book!

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

I laughed (and cringed) at some of the stories. After the great idea of doing the blog in the beginning and a strong ending, I think I wanted a little bit more "meat" in the middle. The characters didn't seem too deep, but I guess it makes sense as the focus was more on the story they were bringing to the table.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Girl power! This book is about women who have no power or respect in their jobs, so they take it back. It had vibes of "The Devil Wears Prada": in that the bosses were terrible and rude, and , the book had a fun vibe (in a dark way). However, I thought the girls were a little too much alike - they could almost be interchanged. I didn't get a separate voice, which can be difficult with alternating points of view.

This book was a fun, easy read and great for a mental escape. However, I felt like it had so much potential, and it didn't quite get there. It was almost as if most of the people were stereotypes or caracatures (similar to DWP). I personally prefer people that draw you in, and you feel an emotional connection with.

The book was well written, fun and most people will really enjoy it. It just wasn't my personal cup of tea. I do want to thank the author, the publisher and #netgalley for providing me with an ARC - this obviously did not impact my review.

Oh my goodness, this is a perfect culture climate for this book to be released. This book is exactly what most female administrative assistants feel. Men can be condescending, treat the male co-workers better, and be downright disrespectful. This book is the perfect amounts of women power and hilarious humor with added dramas in the middle. I definitely recommend this book as a funny read to add to your beach vacation or just relaxing to read. If you've ever wished to "get back" at a bad boss, this book is for you!

Smile and Look Pretty by Amanda Pellegrino is a modern take on 9 to 5. It tells the story of 4 ambitious millenials working as assistants to Very Important People in the fast paced world of New York City .

Cate, Max, Lauren and Olivia are best friends who meet each Friday to compare what awful things their bosses had them do that week. Getting cupcakes for a child's school party, seeing their boss naked, yet again, dealing with lecherous stares. They decide they've had enough and start an anonymous blog, Twentysomething to air their grievances.

When the blog takes off, they each have to deal with the fallout in their own way.

I enjoyed it although I felt as though the characters needed a little more of a back story to explain how they got to be where they are.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Park Row for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

4+stars

I thoroughly enjoyed Smile and Look Pretty. It was a modern mash up between the Devil Wore Prada and the Me Too movement.

Cate, Lauren, Olivia and Max are young women working hard as assistants in NYC working for difficult and hard to please bosses. They are all trying to put in their time to get promotions so they can start actually doing their dream jobs--tv writer, book publisher, actress and reporter. The four friends meet weekly to vent and see who had the worst experience at work. From this they start an anonymous blog about how they are treated and the blog goes viral.

The four young woman found their voices and helped thousands of other people do so too. I found the book empowering and hope it helps other stand up too. Society needs to stop protecting abusive people just because they are in power.

Smile and Look Pretty was a book to give an honest review. It was good, but not razor-sharp funny. I had times I had to set it aside, then pick it back up. I just could not get into the twenty-something thing. I am sure if one is this age, it might be a bit better.

Women empowerment, female friendships and bond, putting the hierarchy of abusive bosses out of business. The characters are fun, complicated and enjoyable.

The four main characters in this book are a problem, only one problem, and that is: They were just too damn similar. I think what was supposed to come off as a kind of universal appeal became something too soft to be appropriately impactful. That said, the story itself is appealing (if a little generic).

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy of Smile and Look Pretty.
A whip-smart, piercing debut novel, Smile and Look Pretty follows four assistants who band together to take on their toxic office environments in the ultimate comeuppance.

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 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 to 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.
I was sucked in by the premise of this female empowering book. The author creates such realistic characters with goals of having their voices heard. These women are determined to change the curve.

If there is ever a book about women empowerment and the need to change, this is it. What these assistants were promised in their job description and what they were expected to do was so diametrically apposed was almost laughable. Cate, Olivia, Max and Lauren wanted their voices to be heard and in creating Twentysomething, also helped other women to have a sounding board to do. Women are strong and their voices deserve to be heard.