Botoxland

by Janice Kaplan

Le mari de Lacy Fiels, chirurgien plasticien renommé de Los Angeles, vient d'être arrêté pour le meurtre d'une jeune actrice. La vie dorée de Lacy se trouve alors menacée. Parallèlement à l'enquête de police, elle décide d'en savoir plus et rencontre la meilleure amie de l'actrice assassinée. Lacy découvre des sources d'information inattendues sur ce meurtre...

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Friendship, Adult Fiction, Humor, Family

336 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2004

About the author

Janice Kaplan is the author of many popular books, including the New York Times bestseller THE GRATITUDE DIARIES and her most recent book, THE GENIUS OF WOMEN. Widely known as a journalist, television producer and magazine editor, she has also written or co-written bestselling novels including THE BOTOX DIARIES, THE MEN I DIDN'T MARRY and MINE ARE SPECTACULAR! as well as the mysteries LOOKS TO DIE FOR and A JOB TO KILL FOR.

Janice was the Editor-in-Chief of Parade Magazine and executive producer of the TV Guide Television Group, where she created and produced television specials that aired primetime on all the major networks. She co-authored the bestseller I'LL SEE YOU AGAIN and the non-fiction HOW LUCK HAPPENS. She began her career as an on-air sports reporter for CBS Radio and went on to be a producer at ABC-TV’s Good Morning America, where she won awards for investigative reporting.

She graduated magna cum laude from Yale University and won Yale's Murray Fellowship for her writing.

Reviews

[Kari Gibbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book at a 10 for $30 sale a few months ago. And the more I read through those books, the more I realize how similar they are.

The Botox Diariesis about Jess and Lucy, both 40 something best friends. Jess is simple. She doesn’t like to spend a lot on clothes, is single and fighting the urge to get back with her ex and won’t touch the botox. Lucy, on the other hand, is a network tv producer who gets caught up in an affair with one of televisions most popular tv show hosts. Jess tries to help Lucy get back on the right track and away from her lustrous affair while trying to find a good man for herself.

The reason I say this is so much like a lot of the books I’ve read lately is because much like One Fifth Avenue, we’re dealing with wealthy people who live in NY and have affairs. And they’re in their 40s. I don’t know why I’m attracted to these books, well, yes I do: They have pretty colors and titles. I absolutely hate infidelity but I’m draw to the drama of them in books.

I wrote down a lot of things while reading this book, including what I used Tuesday as my teaser.

Pg 1: “Champagne corks are popping and it’s only five a.m.”

That line just struck a cord with me. Who wouldn’t love to live this life? I mean, I don’t like 5 a.m. at all and recently that what time I’ve been getting up even though my alarm is set for 9:30. Maybe my mind keeps thinking about this and hoping I’ll wake up to champagne – good luck with that.

As I get older, I realize that no matter how old you are, there will always be cliques. And this book proved it with the “Alpha Moms” and the line that reads:

Pg 26: “Cliquey girls don’t go away — they just get older.”

This is so true. I don’t notice it is as much as I did in school, but they’re still there. I see it on Facebook and when we go out.

I have never really thought much of Botox. 1. I am 23. 2. I can’t imagine spending money on something like yet. Yes, I already am noticing wrinkles, but I’m stingy with money. Maybe if I look like an English Bulldog in a few years, I’ll change my mind. But until then I’ll laugh at quotes like this:

Pg 184: “‘A little Botox on the forehead. Some Cymetra under the cheekbone. A couple of shots of Restylane around the lips. And CosmoDerm to fill in the laugh lines around your eyes. You’re lucky, not too much damage yet. Two, three dozen injections tops and we’re done.’”

Cracks me up. That is A LOT of injections. I guess for a Botox doctor though, the more you pump into a face, the more you get to add to your fund for a new “weekend” house.

I love, love, loved that there was a parent sex-ed class in this book. There is nothing like that at the school where I went. We barely had sex ed, let alone did our parents attend a class and learn how to properly condom a banana.

This book was pretty cute and had a lot of great characters from Boulder, the want to be famous surfer, to Jaques, the French ex who is always will be a tool.

I have read a couple of Janice Kaplan books before, and I really like her style. She’s fun, hip and I love that she uses real things. She uses real stores, real cars, and real people. It’s fiction that I can relate to.

I didn’t however crave this book. Yes, I know I just told you some amazing things that would make you think I absolutely loved it, but I didn’t. It may be once again that I am in wedding-mode and am not really focusing. But this book was just ok. I give it 3 bookmarks

[maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun summer read. I had gotten it from our informal book swap in our community (I will miss those as more books go electronic).

It was surprisingly good. Very easy to read. Just one of those light books that puts you in a good mood and reminds you why you like to read.

[Editanainggolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buku yang ditulis oleh 2 perempuan. 🙋💁

The Botox Diaries - Janice Kaplan $ Lynn Schnurnberger / 2004
Diterbitkan oleh @bukugpu / Januari 2012
ISBN : 978-979-22-7955-9 / 488 halaman
Genre: Chicklit
💅💅💅

Jessica Taylor, single mother yang masih berharap menemukan orang yang tepat dalam hidupnya dan sahabatnya, Lucy Baldor, ibu 3 orang anak, istri dari seorang pria tampan yang mapan, dan karir gemilang sebagai produser TV, berjuang melewati usia empat puluhan.

Sesikit banyak, buku ini mirip tv series The Desperate Housewife.
Hayooo ngacung, teman aku yang suka nonton tv series ini dulu?😆

Ibu-ibu dengan krisis paruh baya, kerut merut yang sudah mulai nampak jelas di wajah dan lemak disana sini membuat no swimsuit without sarung pantai!! 👻

Buku ini jawaban dari, kenapa ibu-ibu suka pake daster! 😂👍

Rate dariku : 3.8⭐

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

This would have been a fun read 10 years ago. It’s references are dated, although the story is nice

[catutim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entretenido el libro y perfect pa leerlo en la playa juju

[Stephy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was funny but kind of left something out...Just seemed like the book needed more.

In a world where plastic surgery is as popular as a pair of sexy Manolo Blahniks, suburban single mom Jessica Taylor is trying to make it past forty with nothing more than moisturizer and a swipe of mascara. Her glamorous best friend, TV producer Lucy Baldor, has a different idea of aging gracefully. “My body is a temple,” Lucy explains. “I just don’t want it to crumble like St. John the Divine.”
Jess and Lucy’s friendship has weathered the trials of marriage, the births of children, and the transition from itty-bitty bikinis to “Kindest Cut” one-piece suits. Now the women are discovering that midlife crises aren’t just for men—they’re equal-opportunity dilemmas.
To Jess’s dismay, Lucy announces that she’s taken a lover. A very famous lover. Her husband, Dan, is bound to find out (especially after a picture of the amorous duo appears on Page Six of the New York Post), but Lucy’s too wrapped up in the joys of expensive lingerie and romantic retreats to care. Jess finds herself in the midst of her own romantic predicament when, after ten years of silence, her sexy French ex-husband, Jacques, ends up back in her life—and in her bed.

Whether navigating bake sales, bicoastal affairs, or bagels-and-Botox parties, these wise and witty women know that their friendship will remain the one true thing they can count on. Well, that and a good push-up bra, of course. And their bond withstands everything—from an orgy in Willie Nelson’s trailer to a reality TV-show bachelor named Boulder.
Funny, brazen, and often poignant, this irresistible novel offers an unexpected and entertaining look at two women’s midlife adventures. From Thai massage to tantric sex, who would have thought forty could be so much fun?

[Nascha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It was a quick summer read, very funny and the characters were charming and endearing. It gave an equal taste of living in the suburbs just outside of NYC and dipped into the NYC lifestyle of the rich and elite.

I also liked that the women in the book were mothers with careers and that they were in their 40s, a different age group than myself. While they whined about getting older, it was very minimal and I liked that the authors had women who were living and loving after 40, proving that life wasn't over.

I did want more from the ending and I hope that there might be a sequel.

I thought however that the book should have included viewpoints from both characters and not just one. It would have been more intriguing had they written it that way. Still, it was a good read and I'd recommend it for those who like chick-lit.

I give it 3.5 stars.

[Devon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book as a freebie in a goodie bag and although I'd never really had any interest in reading it, I figured no book is better than a free book (I have since re-thought this philosophy). So I decided to give it a whirl and plucked it out of my "to read" pile and boy am I glad that I did! The writing team of Lynn Schnurnberger and Janice Kaplan have delighted us with a uproarious novel about the difference between growing older and getting better as two friends struggle to keep up while holding on to what they treasure most, their family and their friendship.

`THE BOTOX DIARIES' was funnier than I imagined and kept me reading into the wee hours of the morning trying not to laugh so hard that I would wake my husband! I now see why this was last summers "it" book and can't wait to read `MINE ARE SPECTACULAR' by this amazing writing team!

[Georgiann Hennelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a world where plastic surgery and Botox is as popular as a pair of manolo blahnikss single suburban mom Jessica Taylor is trying to make it past fourty with nothing more than mascara and moisturizer. Her best friend Lucy has a different idea of aging gracefully. From Botox to an affair can Jess help Lucy realize her marraige is worth saving and also find a man for herself.

[Jenna Bender · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was cute as an overall story of romance and friendship, but really reminded me how toxic beauty standards were at that time as injectables were becoming more common. Not that today is much better, but it was exhausting that basically every page was filled with female self-loathing and critiquing skin, body, weight, clothes.

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for a beach read. I read this on the beach and loved it because it was simple and was a guilty pleasure. I also always enjoy reading about the bizarre lives of wealthy Manhattans - I just can't understand their lifestyle

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an average book. I finished it and it kept my interested near the end when I was trying to find out who would be with who. Just glad to be done with it. I love the character Jess. She balanced out her friendship with Lucy.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fun and uplifting. It was very humorous and a quick read.
The book focuses on a woman in her mid forties struggling with getting older. she was a preteen daughter and an adulterous best friend.

[Kathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got about 30 pages in. The dialog is totally unbelievable. The guy the narrator goes on a date with is over-the-top cheesy as to be beyond belief. And the best friend's husband doesn't know that her daughter is adopted? Um, no.

[Clow Place · Rating 2 out of 5]

En su momento lo leí, cuando traía la chick-lit manía a todos lo que da, y la historia se me hizo súper floja. La idea muy buena, pero mal desarrollada. Ahora que vuelvo a leerlo sigo pensando lo mismo

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book. An easy read that was fun.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm working on reading it...very entertaining, actually.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jake actually picked it out for me at the library (he liked the cover) and it was a fun summer read!

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Entertaining fluff. These are what I like to call my "pink" books. Similar to a chick flick.

[Lois Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a romp -- relaxing and fun to read. But you won't find it interesting unless you are over 35.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy, fun read with a bit more depth than I expected.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, lots of laugh out loud moments, will read more by this author.

[Judy Averitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to listen to.

[Brooke Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, light read. It took me a chapter or two to get into it but then I didn't want it to end.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot is interesting but the execution is flawed. I was drawn to the plot of this book but from page one I could tell that I would hate it. The writing in this book is incredibly lazy and rushed at times (like the ending), boring and weird and irrelevant at other times (such as the sex ed scene).

The story ends up being less about the main character/narrator, and more about Lucy. The storylines with Jacques and Boulder, for that matter, don’t make any sense at all, and rather than do any real character development of these characters, I was left wondering “what was the point of even being introduced to them” they seem completely irrelevant to Jess’ story and do very little in helping to get the character towards the ending.

I also had an issue with how rushed the ending was. I wish there was more time spent on the details around the resoution of the conflicts in this story. Both characters get a rushed resolution that happens in ablht a page and a half and it left an unsavory taste in my mouth.

I also found much of the dialogue and scene progression throughout the book to be predictable and cliched. At some points the writing was so bad and so cliche, that I assumed that the Jess must have been daydreaming or fantazing about what was taking place, only to realize that no, this over the top and cliche behavior was actually occurring.

One random thing that annoyed me was that Jess lived in NJ and would commute to NYC on the Metro North from Grand Central. However, Metro North does nor run to NJ, it runs north...to Connecticut. Jess would either be on NJ Transit or the Path train from NJ, not Metro North. I just found detail to be weird and very blatantly wrong.

Overall, I would not read this book again nor would I recommend it to anyone. Though I found it slightly entertaining in some spots, I spent most of this book rolling my eyes at the very many, over the top cliches.

[Virginia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Los diarios del botox, transpira frivolidad por los cuatro costados. Algo muy útil si se quiere escribir una novela del, cada vez menos famoso, género chick-lit. Pero en su defensa diré, que realmente da lo que está vendiendo: una historia llena de estereotipos, que pretende ahondar en la vida de las mujeres cosmopolitas cuando han pasado de los 40. Pero por desgracia, la novela no puede resultar más banal y superficial.

Las autoras de este "portentoso" libro, Janice Kaplan & Lynn Schnurnberger resultan escritoras mediocres. Su estilo es simplista y aburrido, lleno de páginas con una prosa sencilla y sin ornamentos, unas descripciones penosas que se limitan en muchos casos a tirar de nombres de marcas famosas, y unas protagonistas que son el epítome de la mujer pija, que lucha contra los estragos del tiempo, y la mujer natural, que piensa en envejecer con algo más de dignidad.

Los diarios del botox nos narra las vicisitudes de dos amigas en la cuarentena de sus vidas. Lucy, exitosa productora de televisión, casada con un sueño de hombre y con tres hijos perfectos, piensa que hay que sobreponerse a la edad, intentando mantener a toda costa la juventud perdida. Mientras que Jess, divorciada y con una hija, con un trabajo de medio tiempo, cree que lo natural es mucho mejor. A partir de ahí, la historia se diluye, transformándose en una trama estúpida en la que abundan los tópicos, las situaciones previsibles y algunos giros humorísticos que, por lo menos consiguen hacer que sonrías. Pero, con todo, el desenlace es de los "happy ending". Todos somos felices, nos sentimos guapos y, encima, somos ricos ¿qué más queremos?

En definitiva, Los diarios del botox es mero entretenimiento prescindible, que solo sirve para aligerar la carga mental, aunque sea a costa de matar una o dos neuronas en el proceso.

[Murphy dante · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Botox Diaries is such a fun, sharp read—it’s like Sex and the City grew up, got tired of pretending to age gracefully, and decided to spill the tea. I love how it balances humor with the very real (and sometimes ridiculous) pressure women face around aging and appearances.

Also, it got me thinking about how the whole beauty and wellness world has evolved. I stumbled on this take on modern rejuvenation that feels straight out of the book—minus the chaos, of course.

Definitely recommend the read if you're into glam, gossip, and a little existential crisis with your lipstick.

[Carous · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a okay book. I like Jess very much and although I enjoy her match, I thought i was very quick how things turn out.

Lucy is a excellent friend, but not a good wife, woman and mother. Couldnt like her at all.

I really like to read about forty women and how they are doing, but after watching Grace and Frankie I realized that thats no biggie turn 40. Life starts to get hard at 70.

[AJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring.
2/10


SPOILERS
SPOILERS
SPOILERS BELOW
SPOILERS

Two friends, one is married, has an affair. Her husband leaves her. The other is single and her ex comes back into the picture and dumps her promptly after. The married one gets back with husband after finding herself. Unmarried starts dating wealthy benefactor at the charity she’s chairing.

[TessKio · Rating 1 out of 5]

A book that makes me believe that book reviews, found on the back of books, are written by either suck ups or hostages wanting to be on the authors good side.

I read this on a transatlantic flight and it made the flight feel longer.