What do you think?
Rate this book
Upgrading
If you've got it, flaunt it... Young, ambitious, and pretty damn good-looking, Andrew Collins knows that the workaday world is not enough for him. He wants more than a boring job and a mediocre life. Mostly, though, he wants more money. So when he answers an ad for male escorts, Andrew figures he's just found the perfect way to make a buck -- with a "Sugar Mama." But he soon finds that his older paramour, along with her bizarre and somewhat sinister friends, may be taking him for what looks to be a very bumpy ride with no brakes on board. Just try not to lose it. But now that he's finally got the green, Andrew finds himself drawn to the plainest of Janes. She's a no-nonsense, deep-thinking shop assistant who's saddened to see the real Andrew being suffocated under a pile of fancy clothes and flashy frills -- not his type at all. So why can't he stop thinking about her? Maybe because life in the lap of luxury isn't what it seems -- or even what he truly wants? Caught between cold cash and a warm heart, Andrew must figure out what matters his love of money, his love of himself, or love, period....
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 15, 2002
1 person is currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Simon Brooke
8 booksMore than 20 years' experience in communications as a public relations professional, spin doctor, journalist, writer and media trainer. Currently he works as a journalist writing for all the the national papers as well as specialist publications and as a media trainer advising the communications departments of various companies, charities and other organisations on how to do interviews so that they get their message across effectively and don't fall for any of the journalistic traps.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 5, 2018
Andrew’s position in life is familiar to anybody who ever had high grades, high hopes and found that the working world didn’t quite match up to either. Face it, we’ve all been there: the grinding, horrid first job; the soul-deadening working conditions; the meager pay; the anxiety of living check to check; the awful squalid, cramped little apartment that we share with our friends in a desperate attempt to make ends meet.
Andrew thinks he can make a fast and easy buck pandering to rich, lonely old ladies. But Andrew’s story shows the pitfalls and pratfalls that ensue when he tries to become a kept man. In his attempt to get laid and paid, Andrew swiftly finds himself in over his head and out of his league.
The story is filled with pathos, black humor and broad comedy. Andrew doesn’t have the coldness to sleep with anybody and take their money. He doesn’t have the ruthlessness to demand what he’s owed and he’s lacking in the savoir faire needed to make him appealing to the high flyers he finds himself among when he’s taken in by the grasping, sadistic and amoral Marion.
While the novel has the potential for an ostensibly happy ending, I could see how it could have easily gone the other way, with Andrew ensconced in a miserable position for the rest of his life. He is , for the most part, a weak-willed sap, letting everybody walk all over him and finding himself in appalling circumstances simply because he’s desperate for a buck. He could be a truly loathsome character (think Tucker Max) but he’s too much of a goofball for you to despise him.
The book is a sobering look at how the rich and the poor live. But it’s also amusing in a wry way. If you can remember what it was like to suffer through that first job out of college and wishing for a better life that hovered tantalizingly in front of you, this novel is one that will have you nodding your head in commiseration.
Andrew thinks he can make a fast and easy buck pandering to rich, lonely old ladies. But Andrew’s story shows the pitfalls and pratfalls that ensue when he tries to become a kept man. In his attempt to get laid and paid, Andrew swiftly finds himself in over his head and out of his league.
The story is filled with pathos, black humor and broad comedy. Andrew doesn’t have the coldness to sleep with anybody and take their money. He doesn’t have the ruthlessness to demand what he’s owed and he’s lacking in the savoir faire needed to make him appealing to the high flyers he finds himself among when he’s taken in by the grasping, sadistic and amoral Marion.
While the novel has the potential for an ostensibly happy ending, I could see how it could have easily gone the other way, with Andrew ensconced in a miserable position for the rest of his life. He is , for the most part, a weak-willed sap, letting everybody walk all over him and finding himself in appalling circumstances simply because he’s desperate for a buck. He could be a truly loathsome character (think Tucker Max) but he’s too much of a goofball for you to despise him.
The book is a sobering look at how the rich and the poor live. But it’s also amusing in a wry way. If you can remember what it was like to suffer through that first job out of college and wishing for a better life that hovered tantalizingly in front of you, this novel is one that will have you nodding your head in commiseration.
May 22, 2019
Andrew Collins is bored with his job selling advertising for a London newspaper. When he reads an article about a male escort service, he decides to check it out for himself. He's looking for a little excitement, and when he discovers that he can make some pretty good money, Andrew is definitely up to the challenge. After using the agency a few times, he hooks up with a wealthy American, Marion. She's got more than enough money, but she's awfully stingy with it. Andrew gets some tips from other "male companions" for how best to work the system and get Marion to provide clothes, cars, and a hefty allowance.
Now that he has it all, Andrew finds that he's just not as happy as he thought he would be. When he meets Jane, his heart and affections are divided. Does Andrew want to live the high life that Marion can provide? Or will he settle for Jane with very little money, but loads of contentment? Why is the choice so difficult?
Upgrading is a fairly sleazy lad-lit novel. Andrew doesn't have much of a conscience throughout the book. He's out for the money and whatever it can provide. Even when he's with Marion and she begins to give him what he wants, he doesn't stay faithful to her. His escort job is not one he can brag about, in fact he's embarrassed for Jane to know exactly how he met Marion. There's not much that's redeeming about Upgrading. Even Andrew's attack of conscience at the end comes too little, too late, in my opinion. He's basically a whiny freeloader who garners no sympathy from this reader. Yet, Marion and her slimy rich crowd are no better. Their idea of entertainment and morals aren't any higher than Andrew's. There are much better examples of British chick and lad lit, I recommend you skip Upgrading and choose something that won't leave a horrible aftertaste in your mouth.
Now that he has it all, Andrew finds that he's just not as happy as he thought he would be. When he meets Jane, his heart and affections are divided. Does Andrew want to live the high life that Marion can provide? Or will he settle for Jane with very little money, but loads of contentment? Why is the choice so difficult?
Upgrading is a fairly sleazy lad-lit novel. Andrew doesn't have much of a conscience throughout the book. He's out for the money and whatever it can provide. Even when he's with Marion and she begins to give him what he wants, he doesn't stay faithful to her. His escort job is not one he can brag about, in fact he's embarrassed for Jane to know exactly how he met Marion. There's not much that's redeeming about Upgrading. Even Andrew's attack of conscience at the end comes too little, too late, in my opinion. He's basically a whiny freeloader who garners no sympathy from this reader. Yet, Marion and her slimy rich crowd are no better. Their idea of entertainment and morals aren't any higher than Andrew's. There are much better examples of British chick and lad lit, I recommend you skip Upgrading and choose something that won't leave a horrible aftertaste in your mouth.
May 14, 2010
I picked this up at the library because the cover drew me in. Reading the back, I thought - it's like chicklit but from a guy's perspective. Interesting? Not really. I was going to give it two stars, but thinking about it, I think one star it is.
August 4, 2011
Couldn't get into it
August 21, 2011
Ehhh, just OK. Andrew is a really good looking 24 year old who decides to take a job as a male escort in the hopes of finding a "sugar momma". Yeah, pretty much as mindless a book as it sounds.
February 4, 2017
A quick and funny read!
September 22, 2016
I don't usually stop reading at the middle of the book but I can't keep on reading this book. Blaaaaahhh!!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews