One dreary day in January I popped into Barnes & Noble to explore titles by Amanda Pellegrino as she was getting some buzz on Instagram from a book account I follow. I landed on Smile and Look Pretty because some of the industries represented in the story fascinate me (namely publishing and live news). Here is a synopsis on Amazon:

What happens when four assistants risk everything to say enough is enough?

Best friends Cate, Lauren, Olivia and Max are overworked and underpaid assistants to some of the most powerful people in the entertainment industries. Like the assistants who came before them, the women know they have to pay their dues and abide the demeaning tasks and verbal abuse from their bosses in order to climb the ladders to their dream jobs.

But as they are passed over for promotions and the toxic office environments reach a breaking point, the women secretly start an anonymous blog detailing their experiences, which snowballs into hundreds of others coming forward with stories of their own. Confronted with newfound viral fame and the possibility of their identities being revealed, the assistants have to contend with the life-changing consequences of speaking out against those who refuse to share the power.

Smile and Look Pretty

I really wanted to love this book. I definitely enjoyed it, but it kind of dragged. I think the anonymous blog concept is super fun and something a lot of people likely fantasize about. Just me? However, I don’t think Amanda Pellegrino’s story lived up to the potential. Also, I had the hardest time keeping two of the characters straight. I realize that is my fault, not the author’s. I have no idea why this was tricky for me as I usually do not struggle with that. At the risk of sounding as though I lack empathy, one of the characters drove me nuts. I won’t say which one, but I’d love to know if anyone else felt this same way. Please share your thoughts with me!

Overall, I’m glad I read it. Smile and Look Pretty is a fun chick lit story and you’ll be pleased with the ending. I just wish it was a little meatier. If you’d like to try it for yourself, click here: https://amzn.to/3w5I13X