Arm Candy: A Novel

by Jill Kargman

"Queen of the beach read" (Washington Post Express) Jill Kargman, returns with an uproarious tale about searching for love and starts anew on the cusp of forty. For two decades, thirty-nine-year-old Eden Clyde has been enjoying wealth and glamour as the muse and lover of Otto Clyde, the ultrafamous and much older king of the art world. Genetically, she hit the lottery, but Eden is unlucky in eighteen years ago she put aside her dream of true love and marriage and turned a blind eye to Otto's philandering in exchange for a life without want. In her younger days this seemed like a fair bargain, but as forty looms overhead-and as the beauty for which she's known begins to fade-she feels the cost of the arrangement finally taking its toll on her happiness. Eden leaves their cozy downtown loft for New York's frostier upper east Side, where she begins to search for the girl and the life she left so many years ago. With the encouragement of a raucous but lovable group of girlfriends, Eden soon finds herself embroiled in a heated love affair with Gotham's most eligible the much younger Chase Lydon. But just as their relationship is getting serious, an old flame resurfaces. Does Eden want the life she's living-and loving-right now, or the love she left behind? On the brink of her fortieth birthday, it's time for Eden to follow her heart, but this time not even Eden is sure where that will lead. Poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, and written with heart and humor, Arm Candy shows that although forty may sometimes feel like the ultimate F word, its never too late to find true love.

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance, New York, Audiobook, American

338 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2010

About the author

Jill Kargman is deathly afraid of clowns. And mimes. Wait, mimes are worse. She lives in New York City where she writes magazine articles and trashy novels and enjoys wrap sandwiches. She is the author of teen books Bittersweet Sixteen, Summer Intern, and Jet Set, plus some excellent grown-up books. And by grown-up books she doesn't mean porn; she means not young adult but plain old adult. Her articles have appeared in Vogue, Teen Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Town & Country, Travel + Leisure, Elle, Elle Décor, and a bunch of British magazines you've never seen. She went to Yale where she did not study writing and has three children who keep her young. And exhausted.

Reviews

[Alice · Rating 1 out of 5]

This woman's sole accomplishment in life was being beautiful and attracting men. Seriously. Oh, she also had a son. She didn't do anything herself. She was an artist's muse. She didn't run his business. She didn't build her own modeling business on the side. I listened to this book while I packed up stuff to give to Goodwill. I kept wondering if this woman could do some charitable work. She didn't. She took long walks. She despised women who dieted because she could eat like a horse and stay thin. If this had been a satire, that might have worked. Alas, no. She focused on how much she loved different partners and whether they were perfect for her. She was a self-obsessed person whom I regretted spending time with via audiobook.

[Ciara Broomfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just picked up from library - was a very easy cheesy read

[Sara Coon-Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ouch. I've read some pretty nasty reviews on this book, one that I rather liked. I liked the characters and the many pop culture references that I could relate to as only reading the book 10 years after it was written. The quotes before every chapter are cute and funny but can sometimes be a drag if you let the comments on growing older get to you. I myself will have the pleasure of turning 40 in 2 years and I also can't say that I'm thrilled with the upcoming number, I can get over it as I don't really feel "old", unlike Eden. I would love to have her looks and body that she flaunts around without shame but a model I am not. ;) Still, I am much happier with my age and plot in life than she seems to be. Some have said that Eden is too neurotic but I have read many books with more annoyingly effed-in-the-head female characters than she. Overall, it's a chick-lit book, don't take it too seriously and have fun reading it....and enjoy every new birthday as it comes. :)

[Bertha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Op zich wel een leuk boek maar niet zo dat ik zeg, die moet je lezen.

[Katherine Nally · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book about time and aging and the choices we make, some that we wish we would have made differently

[Rio (Lynne) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like all the "Forty is the new F word" comments. If the author feels that being 39 means you are old and your life is over, I feel bad for her. I guess she thought it would be comedic, but instead I felt she was slapping me in the face with each "quote" at the beginning of each chapter telling me that at 40 you are falling apart, your best years are behind you, blah, blah, blah. I'm not even 40 yet and it depressed me. Besides that, the story might have been entertaining, but I couldn't get past the cynicism.

[Scott Collins · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought it was fairly well written, but I realized at the end of the book I really didn't care what happened to any of the characters. Not the main ones, not even any of the minor ones. In fact, I found I disliked most of the characters from both categories. Everyone just seemed so superficial and snobby. Just my take.

[Anne Attanas · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's true what they say--don't judge a book by it's cover. The copy I actually have is pink, so it's cuter, but at the end of the day, this book is utterly unsatisfying. The characters are flat and unbelievable and story is resolved too quickly and neatly and in a nutshell, is unbelievable. If you like this genre, stick with Candice Bushnell and Birdie Clark.

[Randy Briggs · Rating 1 out of 5]

I rarely put aside a book before I finish it; it's kind of an unwritten rule for me. I didn't even get through three chapters of this one. The best thing about it were the quotes at the beginning of each chapter.
"This is not a book to be tossed aside lightly; it should be thrown with great force."--Dorothy Parker

[Phyllis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just could not like or feel sorry for the main character.

[Sofie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Echt een super leuk boek om te lezen!!
Ware liefde ...

[Rebecca · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have never wanted to punch characters in the face as much as I have when reading this book. Every single one of them.

[Erin Purdy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a perfect summer read. Enter Eden, small town girl with dreams of New York City. Lo and behold, she gets discovered by a modeling agent and moves to New York City during her senior year in high school (still uncertain whether or not she finished high school). However, upon arriving in New York, things aren't all they cracked up to be. She begins as arm candy to a musician, then meets an architecture student and falls madly in love after she'd had enough of being the musician's side kick. Eden and Wes are picture perfect, but Eden didn't come to New York to find love, she came to be famous. Enter world renowned artist, Otto Clyde who falls smitten to Eden's beauty, while Eden falls equally smitten by being his muse and being recognized everywhere she goes.
Many twists and turns later, Eden finds herself having a midlife crisis, leaving the art icon, and sets out to find herself.
Again, perfect summer read, but don't expect the storyline, or the characters, to go too deep. It's a pretty formulaic story done many times before. However, summer time is for the happy ending, and this book doesn't disappoint!

[Makia Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

SPOILER






I must admit the beginning really caught my attention and I found myself unable to do anything else but read this book but the more I read the more I realized I hated the main character and was rooting for those hearts she had no problem stepping on all the time. And when once she left otto everything got extremely predictable she didnt even really have to do anything to earn wes back except call him after 20 years!?!?! Theres more to life then youth and beauty and reading this book I didnt get those vines at all

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was somewhat interesting, although the main character was a touch unbelievable, quite shallow and certainly not someone you’ll love, relate to nor feel sorry for. Other then her girlfriend, Allison, the other characters were exaggerated and very forgettable. As for the segment of I’m 39.... OMG, I’m going to turn 40.... for pages and PaGeS and PAGES, it became nothing more then nails on the chalkboard and I prayed for it to end!!
If you’re looking for a simple, mindless read, this book is for you. Rating more 3.5 stars, but we can’t do those 1/2 stars!!

[Marcia Merrill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a stinker of a book, but I love Jill Kargman, so I made it through. Her cable show "Odd Mom Out" was so so good! Not sure what happened here. I'll probably give another one of her books a try and hope this was just not her best.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a ridiculous book, I skimmed past most of it, and can't believe I read the predictable stupid (sorry only word that fits) ending.

No depth to any of the Narcissist characters b o r i n g......

Bad bad read

[Michele Simmens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mindless summer read

[Kathryn Andrews · Rating 1 out of 5]

Skip this book

[Rachael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Super slow read and wasn’t good until the last 100 pages.

[Sara Goldenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it a lot - it's not my favorite from her books but it was cute and interesting.

[Regina KM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tsja

[Jolene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Main character a little too focused on her age. Every other word in the book it seemed was lamenting the fact that she was turning 40 - omg woe is me! But it was a good fluff read.

[Tarah Schaeffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

What’s it about……

The book is set around a woman named Eden. The novel starts with he moving from her small home town to the bright lights of the city of New York. She starts out as a sales associate at a Tower Records close to her apartment. While working there one day she meets an aspiring musician, but their romance quickly fizzles, due to the fact that as he starts getting more exposure by the local media. Which in turn it means he has less time for Eden.

She then moves on to Wes who she meets in a little café near the iconic Bowery Bar. The romance is seemingly perfect but Eden has a large if not a little cocky self awareness. Though she loves Wes dearly she still feels like there is something missing in her life. She is given the opportunity to capitalize on her looks to achieve her dream of riches and fame though the painter Otto Clyde who can’t take his eyes off of her. At one point asks her if she would pose for him, which meant the beginning of the end for poor Wes.

After their breakup the novel fast forwards to 20 years later. Eden is still with Otto, though not married and they have a son named Cole who just recently went off to college. Her sons departure has forced her to realize the decisions she made all those years ago may not have been good ones. With no child to take care of anymore Eden begins to notice things that she purposefully pushed out of her mind. The biggest issues is Otto’s wandering eye. She catches Otto and his latest painting model in bed and decides right then and there enough is enough.

What I think…..

I found this book to be good, not exactly a best seller, but a great effort. It was engrossing enough to keep me reading . The only thing I have a problem with was some of her language choices like played out phrases. I really think many of them should have been omitted because they really tarnish what could have been an even better story. It reminds me of how sometimes my mother would say stuff like “what do you think of my bling?” Its kind of funny in a aww look how hard she’s trying to be cool, but mostly its just annoying.

[Gail Cooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some voice performers whose name on a cover attracts just as the names of authors do. For this listener multiple award winning narrator Joyce Bean is one of those. Just as Will Rogers never met a man he didn't like I've never heard a Joyce Bean reading that I didn't like. She's an Audie Award winner, brought home several Earphone Awards and a Listen Up Award from Publisher's Weekly. She's tops again with ARM CANDY.

Who says romance can't be fun? Certainly not Kill Kargman who injects healthy doses of her trademark humor in this story of 39-year-old Eden Clyde who thought at one time that she'd made the best bargain possible, but did she?

Blessed with stop traffic good looks Eden had once been a model trying to make her way in a tough business. When Otto Clyde, a wealthy abstract painter, offered security and every creature comfort she made her choice - although he was much older at the time it really wasn't any contest - she chose Otto rather than her steadfast boyfriend.

Almost 20 years have passed. Eden and Otto have a son; she has the life she thought she wanted, and chooses to overlook Otto's other women. But, it seems enough is too much - she leaves Otto and begins a new life cheered on by some of the most fun-loving, appealing girlfriends to be found. She meets and begins a love affair with man-about-town Chase Lydon who is a decade her junior. Then, as fate and the author would have it, Eden's former love resurfaces. Once again, she must make a choice.

ARM CANDY is aptly named - an enjoyable treat sugar coated with wit and spun with imagination.

- Gail Cooke

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfect beach read - even though I wasn't on the beach. The book is a mindless little romance about a woman discovering love at 40 and the true importance of things. The book was exactly what I expected and enjoyable to read. Will keep Kargman on my ''beach read'' list.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first Audio book. I had a long solo drive ahead of me so I thought I would give it a try. I found that I am not an audio book person. One because when I am driving my focus is not always on the book and I miss some of the story, second because it was a solo reader, I could not keep all the characters straight with who was talking when. This reader did use a few different voices for different characters but it was not enough of a difference for me. As for the book itself I found it was a fun book to listen to. I liked the quotes at the top of each chapter. I laughed quite a bit when listening to this book.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed listening to the story. It was't the greatest but it also wasn't the worst I've listened to. I was glad that there was a happy-ever-after ending but wished more time was spent on it.

I'm changing my review . . . when I first finished listening to this audiobook I thought I'll never think of these characters again but NO . . . I'm walking on the treadmill tonight and a raisin commercial came on . . . 8-)

[Karen]

Kargman's book is as lightweight and frothy as the foam on cappuccino, and just as delicious and short-lasting. Her story of an almost-40 muse of a famous artist, now facing some harsher realities.is a very fun read. The situations move quickly, the descriptions of NYC life are fun, and the book is generally quite entertaining. The characters are not developed well enough to make them really memorable or realistic, but who cares? You don't always need or want great literature at the beach.

[Katharine Wells · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to power through the second half of this book. It was grueling. The dialogue nearly killed me; like the constant ramblings of a fourteen year old girl. I did LOTS of eye-rolling while reading this. I've never given a one star review until today. I desperately wanted to like this book. The heroine was very unlikeable. She complains about her age...the...whole...book. Ok, we get it already! Aspiring authors: If this can be published, so can you!