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Perfectly Impossible
In this witty debut novel, Elizabeth Topp crafts a story that ventures behind the fanciful facade of Park Avenue and into the life of one lovable type A assistant.
Anna’s job is prevent the unexpected from happening and do everything better than perfectly. An artist at heart, Anna works a day job as a private assistant for Bambi Von Bizmark, a megarich Upper East Side matriarch who’s about to be honored at the illustrious Opera Ball.
Caught between the staid world of great wealth and her unconventional life as an artist, Anna struggles with her true calling. If she’s supposed to be a painter, why is she so much more successful as a personal assistant? When her boyfriend lands a fancy new job, it throws their future as a couple into doubt and intensifies Anna’s identity crisis. All she has to do is ensure everything runs smoothly and hold herself together until the Opera Ball is over. How hard could that be?
Featuring a vibrant array of characters from the powerful to the proletarian, Perfectly Impossible offers a glimpse into a world you’ll never want to leave.
Anna’s job is prevent the unexpected from happening and do everything better than perfectly. An artist at heart, Anna works a day job as a private assistant for Bambi Von Bizmark, a megarich Upper East Side matriarch who’s about to be honored at the illustrious Opera Ball.
Caught between the staid world of great wealth and her unconventional life as an artist, Anna struggles with her true calling. If she’s supposed to be a painter, why is she so much more successful as a personal assistant? When her boyfriend lands a fancy new job, it throws their future as a couple into doubt and intensifies Anna’s identity crisis. All she has to do is ensure everything runs smoothly and hold herself together until the Opera Ball is over. How hard could that be?
Featuring a vibrant array of characters from the powerful to the proletarian, Perfectly Impossible offers a glimpse into a world you’ll never want to leave.
314 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2020
4999 people are currently reading
5055 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Topp
5 books85 followersElizabeth Topp’s debut novel, PERFECTLY IMPOSSIBLE, went on to become a number one Amazon bestseller in literary fiction. Topp penned her first short story as a second grader at the Dalton School and continued studying creative writing at Harvard College and Columbia’s School of the Arts, where she earned a master of fine arts in nonfiction writing. Topp coauthored her first book, Vaginas: An Owner’s Manual, with her gynecologist mother while she worked as a private assistant, a job she still holds. Topp lives in the same Manhattan apartment where she grew up with her partner, Matthew; daughter, Anna; and their cat, Stripes. CITY PEOPLE is her second novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 456 reviews
October 4, 2020
1.5 STARS
Full disclosure, I skimmed a lot of this book. I just couldn't connect with the characters at all. Perhaps this is a book for fans of Real Housewives or Kardashians TV shows?
I think I was supposed to feel sympathy for Anna, the put-upon assistant of the super rich/artist looking for a showing, but I didn't like her at all. She came across as an entitled brat.
In parts of the book it was obvious the author was trying for humor, but it mostly fell flat.
Full disclosure, I skimmed a lot of this book. I just couldn't connect with the characters at all. Perhaps this is a book for fans of Real Housewives or Kardashians TV shows?
I think I was supposed to feel sympathy for Anna, the put-upon assistant of the super rich/artist looking for a showing, but I didn't like her at all. She came across as an entitled brat.
In parts of the book it was obvious the author was trying for humor, but it mostly fell flat.
November 17, 2020
It’s totally easy to hold your life together at the same time as your employer’s, right? Elizabeth Topp's
Perfectly Impossible
weighs in on that question.
Anna has been the private assistant to Bambi Von Bizmark, an immensely wealthy NYC matriarch, for a long while now. Her job is simple: make sure there are no surprises in the family's life and do everything perfectly. It’s always hectic because she never knows what she’ll be asked, what will be needed, or what she’ll need to remember, but she’s excellent at what she does.
Things are tense in the Von Bizmark household right now. Bambi and her tycoon husband are on the outs, but with them being selected as honorees for the Opera Ball, Bambi’s demands and mood swings are increasing exponentially. Anna has to walk many a delicate line between fulfilling Bambi’s wishes and not bankrupting the family, not to mention helping her employer accept reality, which isn’t easy.
Meanwhile, Anna, who really wants to be an artist, is struggling with getting attention for her work. She can’t figure out why it seems she’s better at being a private assistant than an artist, and that tension impacts her relationship with her boyfriend, Adrian, whose prestigious new job keeps him occupied and unable to support her the way she needs.
When roadblock after roadblock occurs as the Opera Ball approaches, Anna is finding it tougher to keep everything running smoothly. Will she be able to pull it all off? Can she make sure the Von Bizmarks are getting along in time for the Ball? And what will happen to her career and her own relationship?
Perfectly Impossible was a fun read about the excessive lifestyle of the NYC elite and the typical chaos a private assistant must face. So much of it seems over the top, but I totally believe people like this exist—if not worse!
Little A, Amazon Publishing, and Blankenship PR provided me with a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
Anna has been the private assistant to Bambi Von Bizmark, an immensely wealthy NYC matriarch, for a long while now. Her job is simple: make sure there are no surprises in the family's life and do everything perfectly. It’s always hectic because she never knows what she’ll be asked, what will be needed, or what she’ll need to remember, but she’s excellent at what she does.
Things are tense in the Von Bizmark household right now. Bambi and her tycoon husband are on the outs, but with them being selected as honorees for the Opera Ball, Bambi’s demands and mood swings are increasing exponentially. Anna has to walk many a delicate line between fulfilling Bambi’s wishes and not bankrupting the family, not to mention helping her employer accept reality, which isn’t easy.
Meanwhile, Anna, who really wants to be an artist, is struggling with getting attention for her work. She can’t figure out why it seems she’s better at being a private assistant than an artist, and that tension impacts her relationship with her boyfriend, Adrian, whose prestigious new job keeps him occupied and unable to support her the way she needs.
When roadblock after roadblock occurs as the Opera Ball approaches, Anna is finding it tougher to keep everything running smoothly. Will she be able to pull it all off? Can she make sure the Von Bizmarks are getting along in time for the Ball? And what will happen to her career and her own relationship?
Perfectly Impossible was a fun read about the excessive lifestyle of the NYC elite and the typical chaos a private assistant must face. So much of it seems over the top, but I totally believe people like this exist—if not worse!
Little A, Amazon Publishing, and Blankenship PR provided me with a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
September 5, 2020
I just completed Elizabeth Topp's book and adored every moment of it!
Before going in to what I believe the book did very well, I'd like to mention what I do NOT think the book IS or should be compared to. This work of fiction did not speak about the idle rich to me nor was it particularly reminiscent of the 20+ year old book about battered assistants in The Devil Wears Prada, the Cinderella fairytale or even Sex In The City.
What "Perfectly Impossible" did DO was nail the genre of 'the affluent'; the access, the work, the loneliness and perhaps most importantly the LONGING for REAL connection, and true love --- whether in a familiar relationship of husband/wife or between long time employees, colleagues, young or mature children.
Topp's story telling was sincere, sassy, knowledgable and most notably psychologically aware -- which for those who have not been in this environment (whether through work or play) may not fully understand and may chalk up being really, really, REALLY wealthy as just one major, self serving trip to Hollywood --- NOTHING more.
Having been immersed in the affluent market from an executive marketing position for over 20 years, I can confidently say that the subtleties in this work are tremendously accurate -- That the desire to do MORE, many times WITH LESS is always a struggle. --- That philanthropy IS very important, meaningful work (regardless of how much is raised) and that without it, so many causes will go unjustly, UNDERSERVED.
Topp's understanding of Philanthropy as A BUSINESS is apparent especially as she wraps up with the book's Epilogue.
WHO is this book for one might ask? I would say: Any 30+ year old who's had to work hard, really HARD. Someone who finds celebrity gossip a fun escape when they're down and out. For those whose lives have been emotionally and financially effected by market downturns, parents that moved a lot, individuals who want to do something different, get more involved, listen to their higher self.
For readers who want to roll their eyes a little but with enough awareness to know that with crazy conflict MANY TIMES comes reward. A great, FUN escape with some REAL, valuable info ---
Bravo L. Topp for making your first novel a really fun, informative ride!
P.S. Please don't stop!!
Before going in to what I believe the book did very well, I'd like to mention what I do NOT think the book IS or should be compared to. This work of fiction did not speak about the idle rich to me nor was it particularly reminiscent of the 20+ year old book about battered assistants in The Devil Wears Prada, the Cinderella fairytale or even Sex In The City.
What "Perfectly Impossible" did DO was nail the genre of 'the affluent'; the access, the work, the loneliness and perhaps most importantly the LONGING for REAL connection, and true love --- whether in a familiar relationship of husband/wife or between long time employees, colleagues, young or mature children.
Topp's story telling was sincere, sassy, knowledgable and most notably psychologically aware -- which for those who have not been in this environment (whether through work or play) may not fully understand and may chalk up being really, really, REALLY wealthy as just one major, self serving trip to Hollywood --- NOTHING more.
Having been immersed in the affluent market from an executive marketing position for over 20 years, I can confidently say that the subtleties in this work are tremendously accurate -- That the desire to do MORE, many times WITH LESS is always a struggle. --- That philanthropy IS very important, meaningful work (regardless of how much is raised) and that without it, so many causes will go unjustly, UNDERSERVED.
Topp's understanding of Philanthropy as A BUSINESS is apparent especially as she wraps up with the book's Epilogue.
WHO is this book for one might ask? I would say: Any 30+ year old who's had to work hard, really HARD. Someone who finds celebrity gossip a fun escape when they're down and out. For those whose lives have been emotionally and financially effected by market downturns, parents that moved a lot, individuals who want to do something different, get more involved, listen to their higher self.
For readers who want to roll their eyes a little but with enough awareness to know that with crazy conflict MANY TIMES comes reward. A great, FUN escape with some REAL, valuable info ---
Bravo L. Topp for making your first novel a really fun, informative ride!
P.S. Please don't stop!!
April 14, 2020
Thank you NetGalley and Little A for this arc.
I read this a couple of weeks ago, early in the COVID-19 "shutdown". It must have been what I needed at the time, as I found it engaging and amusing. Truly mindless entertainment. I found the main characters, Anna and Kizzy both to be likeable in spite of their complete self absorption and self-serving actions. The absurdity of their indulgences was so OTT that I found myself laughing out loud in several times. The story itself was kind of pointless and so very contrived that I found myself comparing it to the TV soap opera of the early 1980s Dynasty, but New York "snootier." A HOOT.
I thought this was a great marshmallow read... Fun, but pointless. 2.5 stars rounded up.
I read this a couple of weeks ago, early in the COVID-19 "shutdown". It must have been what I needed at the time, as I found it engaging and amusing. Truly mindless entertainment. I found the main characters, Anna and Kizzy both to be likeable in spite of their complete self absorption and self-serving actions. The absurdity of their indulgences was so OTT that I found myself laughing out loud in several times. The story itself was kind of pointless and so very contrived that I found myself comparing it to the TV soap opera of the early 1980s Dynasty, but New York "snootier." A HOOT.
I thought this was a great marshmallow read... Fun, but pointless. 2.5 stars rounded up.
June 6, 2020
I rarely give out 5 stars, but this book was an absolute joy to read. This debut novel is about a highly educated assistant to a mega-rich wife and philanthropist in NYC. She is also an artist and a top notch professional juggler. This book is reminiscent of The Devil Wears Prada in all the right ways. It is funny, lively, and unexpected. I completely enjoying reading about the mishaps of Anna and the crazy life of the ultrarich. The use of upstairs/downstairs characters was fun and engaging. I would highly recommend this book (which has unfortunately had it's pub date moved to Nov, so keep this one on your TBR list.)
Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy.
October 25, 2020
I know people who have the high level, executive/personal assistant job and it is NOT easy. 24 hours a day, 365 days a week. And it's like stepping into a completely different world. One you knew of, but wasn't sure if it REALLY existed like you see on TV. I was eager to read this as I wanted to get a birds eye view of sorts, through a fiction read on an all too real world. I'm a little confused. Is this supposed to be satire or a real, but comical also, look into this type of life?
Anna is an interesting character. As the Von Bismarks' personal assistant, she basically runs their life and is constantly juggling a zillion things to not only make sure their lives run as smoothly as possible (even with impossible requests...) she is also a struggling artist trying to launch her career so she can finally quit the current one she has. Cue in all the things that could happen that did happen which led to things that couldn't happen. WHAT. Yeah. She's a hard character to like. While the Von Bismarks are quite an interesting family, you expect that kind of behavior so you give them a pass for being entitled rich people. But Anna is also entitled and unexpectedly so. A very selfish character when you get down to it. I kinda loved to hate on her to be honest.
Here's the thing. I felt like I was going to dislocate an eyeball for how much I rolled them during this read. It's hard to feel any empathy for Anna. And the antics that ensued were somewhat humorous but got to be just a bit much as the story continued. It's fairly predictable and hits all the notes you expect it to. And this isn't a bad thing - I think I was just expecting a bit more of Anna trying to balance her two identities in a way where I could've rooted for he
Anna is an interesting character. As the Von Bismarks' personal assistant, she basically runs their life and is constantly juggling a zillion things to not only make sure their lives run as smoothly as possible (even with impossible requests...) she is also a struggling artist trying to launch her career so she can finally quit the current one she has. Cue in all the things that could happen that did happen which led to things that couldn't happen. WHAT. Yeah. She's a hard character to like. While the Von Bismarks are quite an interesting family, you expect that kind of behavior so you give them a pass for being entitled rich people. But Anna is also entitled and unexpectedly so. A very selfish character when you get down to it. I kinda loved to hate on her to be honest.
Here's the thing. I felt like I was going to dislocate an eyeball for how much I rolled them during this read. It's hard to feel any empathy for Anna. And the antics that ensued were somewhat humorous but got to be just a bit much as the story continued. It's fairly predictable and hits all the notes you expect it to. And this isn't a bad thing - I think I was just expecting a bit more of Anna trying to balance her two identities in a way where I could've rooted for he
October 22, 2020
This is the story of an assistant to the wealthy von Bizmarks who is also an artist. Anna wants to change the world with her art (while working part time as an assistant); she also has to arrange everything for the big Opera Ball. Her boyfriend wants to change the world through his apps. Kissy von Bizmark (Bambi) and Peter von Bizmark are the rich people, but they did feel like very dry characters. V interesting premise and I was expecting a witty, light read. However, I wasn't able to get acquainted with the characters or keep interest in the plot.
Rating : 2.5
Much thanks to Little A for an e- copy of the book. All opinions are my own.
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Rating : 2.5
Much thanks to Little A for an e- copy of the book. All opinions are my own.
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest
October 11, 2020
It's light and airy and nothing much really happens except someone wanted to explain the value of personal assistants to the rest of the world.
I got it for free from Amazon for their monthly prime reads and I didn't expect to stick with it long enough to finish it, but I did. There was no reason to stop reading. The style was smooth and the plot wasn't lost in wordy details. That said, I won't be recommending it to anyone.
I got it for free from Amazon for their monthly prime reads and I didn't expect to stick with it long enough to finish it, but I did. There was no reason to stop reading. The style was smooth and the plot wasn't lost in wordy details. That said, I won't be recommending it to anyone.
March 28, 2020
This book just wasn’t for me. Struggled to read it.
March 23, 2020
This was such a fun read, and a great escape from all the Coronavirus news reports that we're all living with. The story centers on Anna, an unknown artist and senior personal assistant to one of the richest socialites in Manhattan, Bambi (Kissy) Von Bizmark,. I have no idea whether the Von Bismarks' uber-rich and privileged lifestyle is partly based on truth, because the circles they move in are nowhere close to mine. I will say that the descriptions of the family members, their 'people' and their homes were highly imaginative and over the top hiilarious. Bravo to Elizabeth Topp on her debut novel!
October 11, 2021
This is one of those current books that makes you think about abandoning social media forever! Anna is a great assistant, earning plenty of money, and coming up with unique ideas to highlight her wealthy clients and their often over-the-top ideas! But of course, nothing works for everyone and there is only so much in one pot of money (even though we all wish for more)! So yes, it's a fascinating (albeit sometimes creepy look at society today) and how we are desperate to capitalize on the "latest and greatest" if we believe there's something in it for us! Chilling but riveting, this novel may have you actually cut back on your spending!
March 29, 2021
This book certainly has an audience in mind- it’s just not this particular reader... or anyone who believes that women should not be held to ridiculous standards while reaping minimal rewards... Whereas I do enjoy literary fluff once in a while, I personally believe that this author was aiming for quirkiness a la Kinsella‘a Shopaholic series or Weisberger’s Devil Wears Prada- a mark for which she fell painfully short.
Anna is a would-be struggling artist who pays her bills by catering to the needs of a NYC socialite. Suspension of disbelief would have the reader contemplating a version of Manhattan wherein a part-time personal assistant and her nonprofit app developer boyfriend could afford an apartment in close proximity to her employer’s exclusive residence while having money left over in her budget to rent studio space in a trendy arts cooperative, pay for art supplies, rent space for a personally sponsored gallery show, and still afford daily takeaway and weekly dinners out... The author would also have the reader believe that in the course of less than six months, that same assistant could pull off a series of modern day miracles ranging from financing the NYC opera to rebuilding a public school and salvaging the marriage of her self indulgent employers while simultaneously becoming the new art world “it” girl. Sounds like a real saint, right? Except that the author would also have the reader believe that the assistant’s head is so far up her own derrière that she’s also singlehandedly responsible for not paying enough attention to her arrogant boyfriend- but don’t worry- she wins his spoiled self back in the end...
This could have been a cute little piece of female empowerment. Unfortunately, it spiraled into an anti-feminist nightmare. I just can’t recommend it.
Anna is a would-be struggling artist who pays her bills by catering to the needs of a NYC socialite. Suspension of disbelief would have the reader contemplating a version of Manhattan wherein a part-time personal assistant and her nonprofit app developer boyfriend could afford an apartment in close proximity to her employer’s exclusive residence while having money left over in her budget to rent studio space in a trendy arts cooperative, pay for art supplies, rent space for a personally sponsored gallery show, and still afford daily takeaway and weekly dinners out... The author would also have the reader believe that in the course of less than six months, that same assistant could pull off a series of modern day miracles ranging from financing the NYC opera to rebuilding a public school and salvaging the marriage of her self indulgent employers while simultaneously becoming the new art world “it” girl. Sounds like a real saint, right? Except that the author would also have the reader believe that the assistant’s head is so far up her own derrière that she’s also singlehandedly responsible for not paying enough attention to her arrogant boyfriend- but don’t worry- she wins his spoiled self back in the end...
This could have been a cute little piece of female empowerment. Unfortunately, it spiraled into an anti-feminist nightmare. I just can’t recommend it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 29, 2020
I'm not sure who this book is for. Anna, an artist and a personal assistant to a super-rich woman, manages her job as a PA while trying to get established as an artist, Ultimately, she uses her PA position to get her paintings sold and the attention of a major agent. It's kind of a Cinderella story, I suppose--even the servants go to the ball. Readers get a view of the lives of the top 1% of the 1%, but those lives aren't terribly interesting--it's a job being rich: your time is spent accumulating more wealth, managing the wealth, managing the optics of life and philanthropy, and so on. The characters were all kind of boring and I didn't care, ultimately, if they succeeded or didn't in the plot line, which is: after many mishaps, successes, and complications, everyone wins. At the beginning of the book, Anna's husband is introduced as a socially aware guy who is working to get food waste reduced and recycled for the hungry, but he sells out in the first chapter or two and we never once get any criticism of the incredibly wasteful ways the super-rich characters spend their money. The author chooses instead to make the message "See? they're just like the rest of us!" It doesn't work for me.
October 1, 2020
Sound and Fury, Signifying…
Having finished this book, I find myself scratching my head and wondering what it was all about… and wondering if I have wasted my time. Is it satire? A witty look at the lives of the mega-rich? A light bit of fluff about high society in New York City? I can't quite put my finger on what it is and what the author wanted us to “get” from it. I'm not quite sure who the ideal reader of this book may be. At times, the book was definitely over the top and extreme—and so far removed from my reality that at times it made little sense. The characters certainly did not feel relatable to me at all, something that I need to happen in fiction so the story feels satisfying. I never really connected to or cared about the characters. Much of it felt like, “Sound and fury, signifying nothing.” Not to say that some parts weren’t funny or witty, but they and the book just struck more odd notes for me than good ones. Take a look at the preview to get a sense if this is a book that might work for you, whether as OTT satire or a light read. Unfortunately for me, it wasn't quite my cup of tea… on either level.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
Having finished this book, I find myself scratching my head and wondering what it was all about… and wondering if I have wasted my time. Is it satire? A witty look at the lives of the mega-rich? A light bit of fluff about high society in New York City? I can't quite put my finger on what it is and what the author wanted us to “get” from it. I'm not quite sure who the ideal reader of this book may be. At times, the book was definitely over the top and extreme—and so far removed from my reality that at times it made little sense. The characters certainly did not feel relatable to me at all, something that I need to happen in fiction so the story feels satisfying. I never really connected to or cared about the characters. Much of it felt like, “Sound and fury, signifying nothing.” Not to say that some parts weren’t funny or witty, but they and the book just struck more odd notes for me than good ones. Take a look at the preview to get a sense if this is a book that might work for you, whether as OTT satire or a light read. Unfortunately for me, it wasn't quite my cup of tea… on either level.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
November 13, 2020
Perfectly Impossible to read, this is a story about a bunch of massively disorganised entitled people full of what is essentially lists of things to do with stupid deadlines. If your employer is supercritical why would you get an inexperienced general handyman to fix a problem with the toilet in a room with unique irreplaceable artwork?
I gave up 1/3 of the way in with heightened levels of anxiety.
I gave up 1/3 of the way in with heightened levels of anxiety.
November 17, 2020
This was a pathetic attempt to be another "The Devil Wears Prada" - and it fails miserably. Boring characters, disconnected story lines, erratic personalities - it was awful. I think the author is obssessed with haut couteur and its creators - the continual ad nauseam mention of various style lines was so tiresome. Ms. Topp should go back to do whatever she was doing before - writing is not her forte!
November 3, 2020
Disapointing
To wordy and drawn out. Would not read another book by this author. When I figure out how to remove this book from my kindle I will. Would not want to start reading it again by accident.
To wordy and drawn out. Would not read another book by this author. When I figure out how to remove this book from my kindle I will. Would not want to start reading it again by accident.
October 19, 2020
I was rather bored with this book. Nothing really happen until almost the end. And that even fell flat.
It was like reading someone schedule book with side journaling notes.
It was like reading someone schedule book with side journaling notes.
December 1, 2020
Couldn't finish. Ambivalent and uninterested in all characters. Like a very weakly developed 'Devil Wears Prada'
September 19, 2024
Not a page turner
im not sure why I chose to read this book. High society and the art world are not my typical go-to subjects. Aside from those topics, there wasn't much more to dive into with this book. I kept waiting for something more to come into the picture, but it seemed an homage to entitlement and self-centeredness.
im not sure why I chose to read this book. High society and the art world are not my typical go-to subjects. Aside from those topics, there wasn't much more to dive into with this book. I kept waiting for something more to come into the picture, but it seemed an homage to entitlement and self-centeredness.
November 15, 2020
Did not finish. Anna is a personal assistant to a revolting person named Bambi von Bizmark, who epitomizes great wealth, privilege, and narcissism. Anna, a heroic functionary, is nothing more than a machine to her employers. Yet she has her own dreams of artistic success, which conflict with the demands of her "employers" (more like owners). I think everyone can identify with that challenge, and I think the author might have wanted us to admire Anna's extreme capability and dedication, but I found it sad, and I didn't want live in that world for another minute.
December 2, 2020
I never read reviews ahead of time, especially on ARCs, but it seems everyone who has reviewed so far were either in "BEST BOOK EVER" or "meh.". I'm in the meh catagory, It didn't flow, I didn't every really get THE POINT of the storyline. Everyone was entitled and unrealistic, and I kept waiting for it to clean up and be more clear and have a definitely arc, but it never really panned out.
April 3, 2021
Exhausting
I finished this book expecting some big reveal towards the end, but nothing seemed to happen. I was bored with all the irrelevant details, self absorbing events and details of lives I personally find ridicu!ous.
I finished this book expecting some big reveal towards the end, but nothing seemed to happen. I was bored with all the irrelevant details, self absorbing events and details of lives I personally find ridicu!ous.
February 18, 2021
I could not get into the characters of this book. Their issues seemed trivial and very self made. I kept waiting for something in the book to grab me, but nothing ever did.
September 3, 2022
I did not finish this book. Just didn’t hold my interest enough to turn pages.
October 15, 2020
A Glimpse into the Unknown
If I ever thought I knew anything about how the other half lives, then clearly I was wrong. I can't even begin to fathom living the life led by the Von Bismarcks. The story sucked me in with its helicopter rides and personalized fireworks display. And the $4.7 million dollar necklace!!!!! My brain can't wrap itself around it all. All I can say is I'm glad I do not work as a personal assistant to the fabulously rich.
If I ever thought I knew anything about how the other half lives, then clearly I was wrong. I can't even begin to fathom living the life led by the Von Bismarcks. The story sucked me in with its helicopter rides and personalized fireworks display. And the $4.7 million dollar necklace!!!!! My brain can't wrap itself around it all. All I can say is I'm glad I do not work as a personal assistant to the fabulously rich.
February 5, 2021
4.5 stars. Some of the events legitimately surprised me - I gasped aloud, which is rare for me while reading - with the audacity or the unexpectedness. I’ve never been a personal assistant, but after 20+ years working in and around child care, this former nanny can tell you I didn’t have to suspend disbelief while reading this. Sometimes, perfection really is the uncommunicated expectation.
I wish we’d seen Anna work through more with Adrian. In navigating her relationship with Lindsay and becoming more self-aware, she hit on some realizations I wish could have been worked out in practice. Their relationship was not as much the focus of the book as her relationship to her work (day job and as an artist), but I did long for a resolution that was a little ... harder, maybe. The resolution was lovely, but it banked a lot on Adrian’s grace more than it did on her learning humility and selfless care for him. (Not that she didn’t learn humility and selfless care for him - again, I would have just liked to see that fleshed out!)
I wish we’d seen Anna work through more with Adrian. In navigating her relationship with Lindsay and becoming more self-aware, she hit on some realizations I wish could have been worked out in practice. Their relationship was not as much the focus of the book as her relationship to her work (day job and as an artist), but I did long for a resolution that was a little ... harder, maybe. The resolution was lovely, but it banked a lot on Adrian’s grace more than it did on her learning humility and selfless care for him. (Not that she didn’t learn humility and selfless care for him - again, I would have just liked to see that fleshed out!)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 19, 2020
I did enjoy this book. An easy read and though I skimmed a little, mostly it held my attention to the end. It did make me wonder if this is the way the very rich actually live, hard for me to imagine. It did show that money does not buy happiness. I would recommend, if you are looking for an easy read and a book with a sense of humor.
November 21, 2020
Eat the Rich
I don't know if it was the author's intention to write a book that can make you hate the ultra-wealthy, but she certainly succeeded. It's an ok book (the love story is a bit weak), but wow does it make you feel gross about billionaires.
I don't know if it was the author's intention to write a book that can make you hate the ultra-wealthy, but she certainly succeeded. It's an ok book (the love story is a bit weak), but wow does it make you feel gross about billionaires.
January 14, 2021
I didn't expect much from this book and I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It has kind of a "The Devil Wears Prada" vibe in relation to how the ultra-wealthy treat their staff and even their so-called friends. Wow, the amount of money they waste! They think nothing of asking for the impossible and getting it! The ending wrapped up quickly and quite nicely but I felt an event in the book justified it. The pace is good, not a page-turner but definitely kept my interest.
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