I truly struggled with this author's debut book (Luckiest girl alive). It got so much hype that I was convinced I was missing some integral aspect of it. I wanted to give this one a try to see if the style would be more intriguing to me the second time around. Unfortunately, it just didn't work for me. The characters are cliche and almost silly. The writing style didn't work for me and I found myself constantly bored. It is disappointing to say, but I guess I will never be a Knoll fan

ARC for review

I absolutely LOVED [author: Jessica Knoll]'s first book [book: Luckiest Girl Alive], one of the few titles that used the "if you liked [book: Gone Girl] you're going to love this" line and actually kind of made good on it (don't get me wrong....[book: Gone Girl] was better, but [book: Luckiest Girl Alive] was great, and to be the author's debut, good for her!). Anyway, I was hoping for great things from Jessica Knoll and was thrilled to read her second book.

And then.....not so much.

It wasn't that it was BAD. It had a great premise - an inside look at five stars of a reality TV show about women (kind of like the "Housewives" series, but more about women who have made successes of themselves) in its fourth season where the sister of one of the stars is added to the cast (again, looking at you, "Housewives.") This could have been fodder for all kinds of great backstage/editing room/writers room (look at the credits - ALL of these "reality" shows have writers), but that wasn't Knoll's focus.

We begin the book with interview prep with Kelly, the sister. She's getting ready to be interviewed by the show's producer about the death of her sister during the last season of the show, which takes us back to Kelly's casting, the relationships between the cast members (Kelly's sister Brett, Stephanie, the first African-American cast member and Brett's former best friend, Lauren and Jen), but, to be honest, all the characters are really ciphers save Kelly, Brett, Stephanie, Stephanie's husband, Vince and Kelly's daughter Layla. I couldn't keep Lauren and Jen straight to save my life and the "big secret" that is mentioned intermittently throughout isn't really that big a deal (or, at least, I didn't think so.)

I know that Knoll is a better writer and plotter than this, so I'm left disappointed. Again, decent premise, but poor execution. I'm wondering whether after the success of LGitW her publishers wanted another book out quickly (in the author's biography there's a note that Reese Witherspoon's production company has optioned LGitW, so maybe they see [book: Big Little Lies] numbers) and want to capitalize on them as quickly as possible, but I can't help but wish Knoll had been given more time and had made a greater effort. Gobble it up on the beach, but in six months you'll forget what happened, I fear.

so disappointed in this follow up novel. While the author writes very well, I can’t help the fact that I was disinterested and bored from the first page. The characters are cartoon stereotypes, and the pacing is way off. The book takes ages to take off, and even then, falls sadly flat.

Not for me this time

** spoiler alert ** While I thoroughly enjoyed this book and devoured it within days, it was a stark reminder as to why I do not watch reality TV. I wanted to reach through the pages and punch all of the characters in the face. Brett, who had to potential to be the most likeable, was nothing more than a liar. Her sister Kelly? A mooch? Stephanie and Vince? Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dumbass. Lauren and Jen? Nothing more than the Gretchen Weiners of Goal Diggers.

I think this was a fun and giggle-snort-inducing novel, but it was nowhere near as good as The Luckiest Girl Alive. At the end of this clusterfuck (not a dig at the story, but a dig at the characters' lives), it makes you realize how women really treat each other. Or at least how women on reality TV treat each other. #kardashiansarenotrolemodels