Dirty Girls on Top

Dirty Girls #2

by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez

The Dirty Girls are back, saucier and sexier than ever….but would it be wrong to ask them to be a little smarter, too?? Especially when it comes to men. And sex.

Lauren Fernandez is at the top of her game as the cleverest columnist the Boston Gazette has on board—but she can't quite figure out how to pick a guy or how to eat (and not drink) like a healthy person.  Usnavys is still sashaying all over town, 260 pounds of her dolled up in designer duds and ready for action—from anyone except her husband Juan, that is.  He’s become just a bit boring staying home scrubbing the tub and cooking up chicken fingers for pre-schooler Carolina while somebody else brings home the bacon.

Maybe the other Dirty Girls could help Lauren and ‘navy out, but they've got their own messes to deal with: Rebecca Baca hasn't gained a pound since college (well, who would, if they had an ounce of self-control?) but suspects her picture-perfect marriage may not yield the baby she longs for; Sara may be the star of her own decorating show on cable television, but her dangerous pull toward her ex-husband Roberto isn't so pretty;  Amber keeps renaming herself and doesn't want to hear that her soulfulness and reinvention aren't enough to make fans actually buy her music; and Elizabeth is discovering that a relationship with another woman takes more than bravery and a nesting instinct.

Dirty Girls on Top is about trying to figure it all out without quite as much time left as there was five years ago.  And it’s about sex and love—getting it, not getting it, yearning for it, having it with the wrong person, fighting it from the right person, trying it a new way, giving up on it. And, in the end, if your fingers are crossed and the planets are in alignment, having it come out just the way it should.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Latino, Contemporary, Womens Fiction, Literature

336 pages, Hardcover

First published May 15, 2008

About the author

Hello! I'm Alisa. I'm a writer and musician from New Mexico. I got my start writing in newspapers for nearly a decade, and then made the move to novels. I write in a variety of genres, though all of my work tends to have something to do with the things that interest me. Whether I'm writing young adult novels or historical fiction for adults, my stories are alike in that they seek to un-erase erased people, cultures and events, and there's usually something supernatural involved, as well as a general awe and reverence for the natural world. Fairness is important to me. Kindness is important to me. Holding monsters accountable is important to me. I try to write about all of that but also to keep things funny. Lots of labels have been placed on me over the years by a staggering variety of sleepwalking souls, but I don't tend to consider myself within such confines. I had a Near Death Experience in 2015 that changed everything for me. Now I know I'm a spirit living temporarily in a body, like everyone else. So I'm sort of existing, listening to the stories that exist all around us, allowing them to come through me to you. That's all. Sometimes my books sell. Mostly, they don't. Writing's a crap way to make a living, especially in this new era of fascism and billionaires. Ah, well. Keep loving those closest to you.

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I eagerly anticipated this sequel to "The Dirty Girls Social Club." I even pre-ordered it from Amazon.com because I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. "The Dirty Girls Social Club" was witty, edgy, fun and well-written. I had hoped that "Dirty Girls on Top" would be much the same. I was sorely disappointed.

To put it bluntly, "Dirty Girls on Top" sucked. The entire time I was reading this book I wondered why Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez had come to hate her characters so much. She turned each and every one of them into a character I despised. I had enjoyed Usnavys as a sassy, indulged woman. She turned into an obese, unfaithful wife. I loved Lauren's quirks and slightly crazy character. She is now a over-the-top crazy, experimental lesbian. I admired Rebecca's organized, "perfect" lifestyle. She turned into a robot. Elizabeth and Selwyn had such a cool relationship; when the book ended Selwyn had abandoned the baby she and Elizabeth had adopted and Elizabeth conveniently began dating a woman from around the corner after having cheated on Selwyn with Lauren. Cuicatl/Amber changed from an edgy musician into a woman obsessed with her Mexican heritage. And Sara, who watched in horror as her husband killed her beloved housekeeper, actually began to date him again.

The author took these characters who I had loved so much and turned them into pathetic, unlovable women. The story was painfully predictible. Even though I knew what was going to happen, I groaned as each character made yet another bad decision.

I fear that Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez may be turning into the next Patricia Cornwell. Let's hope she redeems herself with her next book.

[Mikala Hill · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to get this book! The first one was really good...and it will be interesting to see what Las Sucias (the Dirty Girls) are doing now that they've grown up...
Now that I've finished, I have to say that I have mixed emotions about the book. To begin, I think that the "intimate" scenes were way too descriptive, so I got a little embarrassed when I read it. (Was the first book that way? I don't remember that at all!)
I liked being able to hear about what the Sucias were doing after the first book, and it got interesting towards the middle...but overall, I think I could have done without this read.

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was eagerly looking forward to this sequel and learning what the characters who I fell in love with in the first novel were up to five years later. While the book as a whole was pure fun and enjoyable chick lit, unfortunately the story was very predictable and with the exception of Cuicatl, I found myself not liking who the characters had become.

[Kricket · Rating 2 out of 5]

i'm listening to the audio version, and unfortunately it's not the same reader who did an incredible job reading "the dirty girls social club." i cannot even begin to fathom why they would choose a reader for this book who does not know spanish. my ears are in agony, but there's no print copy at my library and i want to find out what happens next.

so, now that we've established that the reader sucked- the book was not that great either. it seemed like valdes-rodriguez took all the growth the characters experienced in the first book and reversed it so that they were being idiots about the exact same problems they resolved the first time. sure, it's realistic human behavior, but makes for an annoying sequel. amber/cuicatl was the only character i didn't want to smack in the face this time around, which is weird because i totally did in the first book.

although i did like what happened to roberto.

[Mabel Valdivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a total let down! For a book that's suppose to be about successful Latinas, the author just could not keep from making stereotypes...Latinas date losers (or wife beaters), are way religious, drink too much and like to have wild, kinky sex. Really? And why do their men have to be so typed too? Juan the do good dad that loves his daughter and his wife but who is a door mat for Usnavys. Lauren's man who is a pedophile and a cheater. Roberto the wife beater with anger issues, Valentine the young hot stud with hots for older women and then there's Frank...50+ with the hots for his charge...I'm so sick of this kinda thing! Latino books always seem to be centered around themes of bad men and girls with daddy issues...I'm here to say we're not all like that and I'm mad that this book makes us out to be straight up crazy.

[Ofelia Faz-Garza · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that she has found a formula for commercial success and is just following it with each book now. None of the stories really stood out for me. And I thought it was almost a little obscene. The sexual descriptions were gratuitous and didn't do that much to develop the characters.

Her first book is definitely better!

[Sonia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh, this book was awful. I wanted to like it, I really did but honestly my expectations were low. Although Valdez-Rodriquez had great potential with the debut of Dirty Girls Social Club, each of her subsequent releases were disappointing.

[Raquel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually liked the sequel much more than the original book. The sucias are in their thirties now, so maybe I found them more relatable, but this book also had more action and tension in it and more interesting character arcs.

[Zulmara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dirty Girls on Top

WOW!!! Alisa has done it again. Delivered a book that keeps you page turning as you delve into the lives of the 6 Latina Divas who have been friends since college. They are an unlikely bunch of friends, each so different, so unique, so fantastic, who bond in college and see each other through some very difficult times. They laugh, they play, they cry, and they connect as each one focuses on her own humanity and her own challenges in life.

There is divorce, marriage, infidelity, bulimia, infertility, abuse and other challenges as the sucias find themselves growing into their humanity. The reader is brought into the lives of these divas, all beautiful and wonderfully successful and fantastically accomplished as they deal with life as thirty somethings. Kids, husbands, boyfriends, and all of the other drama of “growing up” “knowing yourself” and making the most of your life as they discover their purpose, their essence, and what makes them tick.

There are lessons to be learned here, as well as great conversations for how people are dealing with life, living, success, and the issues that all of us confront in our common humanity. It does not matter if we are divas, Latinas, wives, mothers or daughters.

Alisa has done it again, she has brought us some pertinent social issues without being preachy or judgmental. She has woven her magic to create memorable characters who you would be more than willing to invite into your home, to chat, share a cup of coffee, indulge in flan, or a margarita as you discussed the latest chisme with your friends.

[Marcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Sucias are back in a big way. It was good to hear from them again even though their lives have gotten a lot more intense since Dirty Girls Social Club. This book dealt with some very serious and dramatic issues and not one of these girls are having an easy time of it. Being a Latina in America is just a small part of the issues in their lives. They deal with everything from spousal abuse to the ups and downs of celebrity. Sometimes it was a little too over the top -- even in this crowd, but maybe that was because Usnays was the main narrator. She's someone I'd really like to have in my life. You can't help but love her. Over the top or not, at least the issues were dealt with in an honest way -- the way that real, not perfect women would deal with these situations in their own lives.

I have only 2 complaints with this book -- 1) I didn't feel the friendship between all of these women anymore. I couldn't even see why they all still stayed in touch. Ultimately they were there for each other, but the friendship that was so strong in the first book was missing here. 2) The plots and pacing were a little uneven -- some scenes were so compelling I couldn't put the book down and some were dull and drawn out.

Overall, it is a good read and I definitely recommend it to anyone who read Dirty Girls Social Club or anyone looking for a good vacation or bathtub read.

[Kristina]

Entertaining despite being full of stereotypes like Dominicans are (wo)manizers, Puerto Ricans are short and loud, etc. Usnavys cannot be taken seriously; a joke down to her name. Lauren is just as whiny and self-destructive as any non-Latina chick lit protagonist . The Rebecca and Cuicatl characters contributed almost nothing to the narrative, and I found Cuicatl's craven surrogacy for publicity at odds with her Chicano idealism. The men are seething with menace and machisimo or are patient Latino angels Perhaps I am just missing some context having not read the previous book, but I doubt it. P.S. I am Hispanic.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed by this book - I've read all her others and really liked them (a few years ago), but this one just felt... flat. The characters were utterly unsympathetic, no redeeming qualities at all, just annoying. The whole culmination of everyone's problems in one night thing - way too deus ex machina. And the epilogue where everything is perfect, all the predictable outcomes have occurred... I was bummed. I read it fast and I did finish it, but I wish it had been so much more than it was - the first Dirty Girls book was so good.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everything about this book seemed like MORE than the first one. The faults of the characters were more pronounced. Rebecca was more uptight, Lauren more needy, Usnavys more lusty, etc. There was more sex, more swearing and more raw subject matter. More product placement and more name dropping. Sometimes more is not better, and this was definitely the case. But on the other hand, Valdes-Rodriguez has an effortless writing style, it's like she's talking right to you, with her breeziness and use of bilingualism. She'd be fun to hang with.

[Zuzu · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm glad I didn't buy this book. Although I understand that most of the fans from the first book were needing a little more sexiness, I felt it was gratuitous. Although I did enjoy the stories being told from the different perspective and it was one of the draws of the book to me, I was disgusted to read the POV of the abusive husband. I don't remember which reviewer said it but as she put it, it made her feel betrayed and I agree

[Dmcolligan Colligan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been meaning to read this book for a while as I enjoyed the first one, Dirty Girls Social Club, however this one fell short. Aside from the fact that is was very, very heavy in sexual content it focused so much less on the relationships between the characters and instead on their own individual drama, lots and lots of drama. It held my interest and was an easy read but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, especially those who liked the first book.

[Marian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The problem with DGoT is that half the time most of the characters are painfully unlikable. This is lessened when each character is seen through their friends' eyes, but when it's time for a chapter in their own voice, they become painful to read.

Oddly enough, this doesn't stop the book from being a fairly quick read and by the end most have grown and changed, at least a little.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first one. Is it possible that the author is spending more time telling the stories of people she really knows rather than developing plotlines?

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, the book was fine. Just fine. Given the sudden ending in the first Dirty Girls book, I wasn't surprised that the sucias' happy endings didn't last long. While, as I previously mentioned in my review for TDGSC, systemic issues are at play here, the sucias' lack of critical thinking skills--unfortunately--is stronger.

The sucias have fallen victim to flanderization, but I won't go into it too much or else this review will look more like a complaining piece. There are some potentially problematic 'implications' that this sequel presents:
1) First and foremost is Sara, who has somehow resumed contact with Roberto, her husband who nearly beat her to death in the first book and successfully killed their housemaid and unborn child. Her justification for forgiving him for his actions was that she believed him to be a good person who simply fell victim to the criminal justice system's prejudice againts men. To no one's surprise but Sara's, Roberto reverts back to his violent, misogynistic ways when he reunites with her.
2) Usnavys' entire attitude towards her new family. She chose to be the breadwinner of the house because her salary (which is exponentially higher than Juan's) would ensure that she can still gorge on luxuries ever other day. Despite this, she looks down on him for being a stay-at-home dad, and uses this as an excuse to cheat on him. Then there's her taking major issue with her daughter playing sports and wearing 'boy's clothes', constantly obsessesing that her daugher is "becoming a man". While this is likely just a tomboy phase, one wonders how Usnavys would react if her child were to come out as trans in the future.
3) Lauren, in a tiny detail. When she is visited by her boss at the hospital, the two share a moment of understanding which make Lauren decide that maybe he was a good boss after all, and that she had been too harsh on him. The same boss who tokenized her, had forced her to make her columns all Latina-centred without the 'white-shaming' politics, who shut her down whenever she tried explaining that Puerto Ricans are Americans, and who just stood by when racist white colleagues hurled microaggressive remarks at her. This would have been an opportunity for the boss to be called out for perpetuating white supremacy in the workplace, both as a white male and a trust fund baby. Instead, the Latina is portrayed in the wrong here, and the upper hand, once again, is relinquished to the white male.
4) Lauren, again. Maybe the author didn't have 'queerbaiting' in mind back in the day, but Lauren having sex with Elizabeth stands out as this. Aside from using the group's only lesbian member as a token for experimentation, Lauren's own sexuality is left up in the air. The sex scene comes in for shock value, and is then never mentioned again.

* TW: mentions of eating disorder and attempted murder.*
All this aside, there were some positive moments. The author portrays a realistic and heartbreaking portrayal of of bulimia nervosa in the scene when the sucias visit Lauren at the hospital. I was touched when the other five sucias set themselves up as her support system in her recovery. Roberto's death while in the middle of yet another attempt on Sara's life was karmic and well-deserved. Elizabeth finding new love with someone who accepts both her and her adoptive son is a heartwarming ending for someone who was abused by everyone around her. Her ex-girlfriend, who disguised her rampant misandry as feminism, uses this same misandry (and her frustration with Elizabeth) to cover her implicit racism towards her toddler North African adoptive son, and walks out on Elizabeth.

[drowningmermaid · Rating 2 out of 5]

So yeah, I read it because I loved the first one so much. Long ago.

But... I don't think the world needed another Dirty Girls book. At least not featuring them doing the exact same crap they were doing before, having learned nothing, gained nothing.

The idea that this friendship exists is a little silly. They were friends in college, but their lives all went in radically different directions and I don't think that anything other than plot armor keeps them together.

While it was primarily man-hating singletons in the last book, making sense of their ethnicity and culture in a kind of Hispanic Bridget Jones' Diary... a sort of Lifetime movie-- or telenovella-- that was easy to identify with... this one focused more on motherhood.

And that, well, is a problem. And it doesn't stop being a problem. A man-hungry twenty-something is fine as a New Liberated Woman. But a new mom cheating on her stay-at-home husband because he's "too feminine now" is a far less sympathetic human.

The last book ended with a Very Definitive End to the abusive relationship. So seeing her still pining for her pathetic loser of an abuser-- despite the fact that now he works as a waiter in a different country, while she is now a TV personality? Lols.

The cross-border adoption seemed... not very well-researched. And I find the whole desire to rescue dark-skinned babies from horrible orphanages by flinging your maternal instincts at them to be cringe. Not a word about attachment difficulties or questionable adoption agencies.

The Republican uber-Catholic who hates herself now because she keeps having miscarriages-- also seemed like a person that the author has a hard time understanding her world view.

And it went on for a really long time. I feel bad hating on this because I love this author's online persona. But my brain kept saying, "Sorry, chica, but Bruno's rats wrote a better telenovella."

Also, for audio-readers-- the first book has one of the best narrators I've ever heard.
This book has someone who clearly does not speak spanish. At all. I'm serious, I could do better, and my Spanish is mostly 4th grade: "Donde esta la biblioteca?"

[Enith Mesa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first book more than the second one. Th author seemed to concentrate on only a few of the characters. This time the book wasn't as entertaining and seemed more rushed.

[Amy Rosen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked seeing where the characters ended up in the book. But, there was so much drama. I really give it a 2.5. I will read the next one because I want to know what happens.

[SKOORE · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is ok a little to long i think. Towards the end it was good. The Middle was not so good. I will read part one to see if its better.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5
Audio
So the first book in this series I remember liking a lot. I must have been a lot younger. Lots of sex talk.
The audio was good because of different voices of each character

[Chelsea · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not sexy and just completely boring tbh

[mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

DIRTY GIRLS ON TOP (2008) by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez – is an amazing novel. Yes, it is chick-lit. Yes, it is full of stereotype confirming cliques. Yes, it follows a convenient mass-marketing format (i.e. all the main characters find resolution and/or redemption) … but it is also very insightful. Take for instance the statement by one of the “Dirty Girls’” manager (Btw- “Dirty Girls” refers to the color of their skin – they are brown, and not to their sexual habits. And, “On Top” refers to their successful careers and how they finish, not to their sexual habits): “Most people are followers. You can’t take anything the public does all that seriously. You can’t let the tastes and behaviors of a time influence how you see yourself, or how you create art, or what you do.” What is the author saying? Is the author a hypocrite, the very type of person the character, a famous Latina pop singer, rails against? I find this fascinating and intriguing. Another insight I like is this from Usnavys, a 260 lb, blogging, cheating, sex fiend: “I think the only reason most people be logging their sorry asses onto the Internet is sex, m;jia.” I have to agree with that. And this from the above mentioned Mexica superstar: “I do EVERYTHING better high. All the greats were like that. … It was drink, or drugs … That was the creative fuel.” IDK, perhaps not the fuel of the creative soul, but the juice that allows The Creative to endure his or her alienation from the followers and their leaders.

The novel is dedicated to women who have bulimia nervosa. Which happens to be one of the issues that are confronted by the six heroines. Other issues are: Infertility; Sexual obsession; Fame; Success; Homosexuality; Self-esteem; Neglect of children; Magical thinking; Alcoholism; Machismo; Friendship; Marriage; Infidelity; Dating; North American history; The killing of Innocents; and the Raising of Children. Wow, just the kind of human condition story that appeals to me (serious subjects, but couched in a mainstream genre).

The story is told via the first person narrative of the six female principals, and a brief chapter by one male. The voice sometimes blends into one, but different perspectives are shown. There are some underlying tones, such as; White people are stupid, shallow, narcissistic, bad lovers, and eventually going down, that I can relate to; and makes me wonder … is this the “Ghost Dance” of the First Americans all over again, but from a different “Tribe” and in a different format? (One determined by “ … the tastes and the behaviors of a time …”.) Is the author, Valdes-Rodriguez, laughing all the way to the bank? Quote: “She was named one of today’s twenty-five most influential Hispanics (a word she never uses in her novel) by Time Magazine.” Five stars.

[Doug Bradshaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every now and then I like to read outside of the normal genre to get a feeling for what I'm missing. What do women love to read? I have to say that I totally enjoyed this book. Here are some of my miscellaneous thoughts:

1. It's fun to peep into the lives of others you have no idea about. Although some of the stories in the first book seemed to be pretty over the top, this follow up book is more realistic and gives further depth to each of the stories.

2. The six latina women are each successful on their own and yet each has something tough to deal with, bulimia, cheating, one's a lesbian, an incompetent cervix, a may december relationship, a failing career, one has an impossibly bad wife beating husband, bad choices of relationships, etc. So, I felt that it was very topical and it gave me some insight as to how bad things can happen to good people and why.

3. The chapters are written in first person and we jump right into their heads to understand their often misguided thinking. The side comments each of the girls make to the reader are often hilarious and at the same time very believable. It's really fun, m'ija! I feel like I know and have a personal relationship with each of them and because they are so flawed and yet each trying to do the right things in their own ways, I grew to care for each of them. Although, I still don't like the Usnavy very much.

4. There is a friendship between the six girls that reminds me of "Sex and the City." Although they are all very different, they rely on the other girls and the girls come through for them when there is crisis. I found it to be very rewarding and I felt like the nature of friendship is shown pretty well here. The idea of unconditional love, even when the person is being a totally immature dope.

Is this book literature? Of course not. It's like watching a series of "Sex in the City" episodes where we laugh, cringe and become part of the lives of people we wouldn't otherwise have gotten to know. It was a fun read for me.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the Dirty Girls Social Club back when it first came out, and loved it. Even though I am not Latina, I still felt I could relate to the characters. Now, with the sequel, I still feel the same way.[return[returnI love how each character has her own voice. The author switches so easily between voices and tone for each character, that you almost feel like each woman is talking directly to you. And, the problems and situations these women face, while sometimes extrordinary, are also down-to-earth and I could see facets of my own life experiences in each of them.[return[returnThe only thing that bothered me was the liberal use of Spanish throughout. I know what the author was trying to accomplish, and most of the time I could figure out meanings from context, but there were some instances where I had NO clue what the Spanish words meant, which was a bit frustrating.[return[returnAnd like the other reviewers said, this book is racy! Right from the first few pages there's sex and foul language. That didn't bother me at all, but if you are a sensitive reader, be warned.[return[returnOverall, a great book! I laughed out loud, I was sad, I was happy, I was shocked. This book has it all. Engaging plot that kept me up reading way past when I should have turned out the light. :) I would highly recommend this book to any woman, Latina or not.

[Shamekia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must say I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t as good as the first novel (big surprise). This is more in the realm of “serious chick-lit”. The characters are highly flawed, some dealing with addictions to abusive husbands, philandering fiances, compulsive eating, and slight narcissism. Each chapter is written from the p.o.v. of one of the characters in the book.

There’s: Rebecca: the uptight workaholic; Cuicatl: the musician/activist/free spirit; Usnavys: the no-nonsense, plus-sized, amorous girl from the streets; Lauren: still searching for who she really is; Sara: the beautiful and misguided host of a cooking show; and Elizabeth: the Afro-Columbian, poetic spirit, who is probably the most down to earth and likeable of all the characters.

Don’t get me wrong, I love it when authors let the characters develop into real people, (even if you don’t care for them). I just wanted to prepare you for this level of “reality” the a novel.

But aside from all the heavy stuff, it’s got all the things I love about chick-lit: designer clothes and shoes, sexy young Latin men, and plenty of laughs.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the sequal to Dirty Girls Social Club, the book came out July 8th, and I was completely stoked to get it so I could have a book to read on my summer drive up to beautiful Wyoming. I probably spent the most money on this book, it was somewhere around $25, because it had just came out. But i'd have to say it was well worth my bankrupcy. It continues from the amazing ending of Dirty Girls Social Club, and has an ending twice as amazing. Same charachters, same people, different situations. Growing up, maturing, and a little bit of realization of life. Most of Valdes-Rodriguez's books are adult fiction novels, but I always enjoy bit of an older scene through books, not so much the young teen novels. Although Valdes-Rodriguez has published a young teen novel called Haters, which I have yet to read, but maybe i'll get around to it. This book has a good 324pgs and I read it all in a week, I regreted reading it so quick but I loved it so much I couldn't stop. Dirty Girls On Top, definatly an A+ just as all Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez's books i've had the chance to enjoy. :D

[Denise Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed Dirty Girls On Top, Alisa Valdes -Rogriquez' sequel to The Dirty Girls Social Club. The author continued the tales of the six young ladies to whom she introduced us in the first installment of the Dirty Girls, and she stayed true to the characters, their actions, and their reactions. I found this novel to be highly entertaining, somewhat thought provoking, laugh out loud funny, and absolutely engaging. I liked how Valdes-Rodriguez was able to refresh the reader's memory with subtle references to occurances in the first book without using tedious flashbacks or beating the reader over the head with in-depth details. She used just enough to bring the first book back to life and remind me why I enjoyed these characters in the first place. This novel does, however, contain a considerable amount of foul language and sexual scenes, so I would not recommend this novel to anyone who may find this sort of writing offensive. I will be looking for this author's next publication.