Amanda Pellegrino's Smile and Look Pretty might seem familiar, given its nods to The Devil Wears Prada, The Morning Show and even She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story that Helped Ignite a Movement. But the New York City television writer and novelist's debut is a sizzling read that adroitly balances relevant headlines, girl-power attitude and surprisingly savvy humor.
Cate, Lauren, Olivia and Max are four best friends in Manhattan who work hard to "make sure [their] bosses have everything." Each is an assistant in a pressure-cooker industry (publishing, screenwriting, acting and broadcast journalism). Their bosses are monstrously inappropriate, from impossible demands for early-morning "vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, nut-free" cupcakes to wanton genital exposure. "We can't speak up," writes Pellegrino. "Instead, we're told to be invisible but look presentable. To blend in but wear more makeup. To shroud our faces but put on tighter pants. To be grateful to have a job but barely make minimum wage." Male assistants, the women repeatedly observe, are treated otherwise.
The friends meet weekly to discuss "The Shit List" over margaritas, writing the worst offenses of just that one week and then burning their confessions so as to leave no trace. Finally, having had enough, they go public with Twentysomething, an anonymous tell-all blog of bosses who behave badly, that goes viral.
Pellegrino writes with absolute assurance and dexterous pacing. More than a delicious (and screen-ready) revenge narrative, the novel interweaves enough romance, family relationships, BFF fallout and (under/over)privileged characters to make the friends--and their friends--remarkably believable. The "whisper network" is about to become a resonating rebel yell. --Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon