I just finished this book and I really like it! Not my usual thing, but it was so funny and drama filled and emotional, I couldn't put it down. Its also filled with tonnes of current events/pop culture references, which were awesome.

I have not read the second book in this series and it has been MANY years since I read Devil Wears Prada, but it really doesn't matt.er. This one follows Emily (from DWP) and two of her friends as they assist a supermodel turned Senators wife through a serious scandal. it was sooo entertaining. loved it.

Of course I was a fan of The Devil Wears Prada all those years ago (who wasn't!), but I went into When Life Gives You Lululemons without any expectations. I was immediately drawn back into the familiar character of Emily Charlton with a splash of Miranda Priestly here and there.

When Life Gives You Lululemons is hilarious, dramatic and anyone who picks it up will be able to relate to one character or another. I don’t know how Lauren Weisberger pulled off another TDWP 15 years later… I’m impressed.

Highly recommend this book to women – young or old, single or married, mother or daughter. You’ll laugh, hold your breath and keep turning the pages until the very end.

I received this copy of When Life Gives You Lululemons from Netgalley. I have to admit when I started to read this novel, after a few pages I thought, well how am I going to get thru this book? It's not normally a type of genre I read.
It took me a little bit to get into, because like I mentioned this particular genre of socialite woman are not my thing.
However as I kept reading I started to enjoy the main characters more and more. The three main characters, Miriam, Emily and Karolina, all have very unique personalities that separate them perfectly. I often find when authors write about multiple female friends in their books, that the characters personalities can start to appear to be the same.
Emily was my favorite written character, I loved how she took no nonsense from anyone, and told things like it was, not caring to pussy foot around her friends. I would've however loved to have seen what she could do when completing a job. I felt by giving some power to a non-main character to complete a job that was meant for her made me feel that she wasn't as powerful in her career as the reader is led to believe. Granted I understood the concept of Emily being less greedy, and sacrificing a career she did not want to help a friend showed the kinder side of her character even if she denied it.
I also found Alistairs character in Emily's plot was not necessary it had seemed he was becoming a main part of her life only to be quickly written off, almost like the author decided she didn't know what to do with him at that point. However, with that said, his character was quite charming and funny and I had almost hoped for something more from him.
Miriam was the character I could most relate to, more her home life rather then her life with her friends. I found her situations she got herself into with the other parents hilarious. As I clearly am not a socialite and can not relate with plastic surgery of any kind or even that kind world, I found it comical when she entered these conversations. I found myself wondering....is it true, do people get their girl parts done??? How would you even be able to have a conversation with a group of females without having your mouth wide open, wondering what the???!!
Over all I enjoyed this book very much. I love a great friendship novel! It's a light, fun easy read. I wanted to know more about the characters when it was done. I could easily see this book as a fun chick flick. This is a great summer read!

I received an ARC of this book to read from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. When Life Gives You Lululemons is by Lauren Weisberger and is a follow up to The Devil Wears Prada and yes Miranda Priestly does make an appearance in this book. It can be read as a stand-alone but I think you would enjoy this book more if you had read The Devil Wears Prada. Emily Charlton is concerned as her image consultant business is taking hits from a new young competitor and while she is secure in her marriage having her husband in Hong Kong for several months is taking its toll. Karolina Hartwell has just had her entire life turned upside down and being arrested for a DUI she did not commit is just the tip of the iceberg. Miriam Kagan, Emily’s oldest friend has given up her high powered law career to be a stay at home parent in Greenwich and navigating this new world has her wondering about her choices. These three women come together to support each other in moments of crisis and joy and you will laugh and cry right along with them. I resented having to put this book down for those fun things like laundry, dishes and work, and think this is the book that should be at the top of your summer reading list. Publishing Date June 5, 2018 #WhenLifeGivesYouLuluLemons #NetGalley

This story is tagged as "The Devil Wears Prada #3" but it features one of the characters, Emily, and her life post-Runway Magazine. She's married and works as a PR damage-control dynamo to the stars. Her life crosses paths with Karolina, a former VS model and wife to a senator with higher political aspirations, and her best friend, Miriam, mother of 3. Each woman is at a different stage of her life and this story captures the highs and the lows. Emily's former boss, Miranda Priestly, editor of Runway, makes a short appearance to help Emily on the condition that Emily will return to work at Runway to help with the Met Gala. It was a fun read overall, good character development, but the ending was a bit rushed and there were too many extra characters (that you almost want to ask, "what was the point of their storyline?" ). There was also quite excessive name- and label-dropping. Call me old, but I'm past that stage. I admire nicer things but I don't care what you wear. I liked "The Devil Wears Prada" but did not like "Revenge Wears Prada" (book #2). If this genre is for you, you might well like this book. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy. 2.5*

Emily is back, married and now running her own business doing damage limitation for famous people. This book centres on a trio of women, Emily, her friend Miriam who is now a suburban housewife and mother of three and finally Karolina a former supermodel and now married to the next wannabe President.

This is a light beach read full of cliches and shallow people. Did I laugh out loud? No. Was it charming? No. Did I engage with any of the characters? No. I found them all superficial, weak and insipid even Emily who was so sassy and sarcastic before.

This book was so. much. fun. I was so pleased to delve back into the world of The Devil Wears Prada, picking up a new story in a new time and place. Also, this title wins for most fun this summer! I will whole heartedly recommend this book to those looking for a fun beach read this summer. Thank you, NetGalley!

This has been my introduction to chick-lit, and what a great introduction it was. I loved seeing more of Emily; I have such an appreciate for strong female characters who get shit done.

Recap: When Life Gives You Lululemons follows Emily, Miriam, and Karolina as their lives intersect in Greenwich. These three women are all so different, but form such a great group to overcome the scandals of their super wealthy suburb lifestyle. Karolina is mistakenly arrested in a DUI incident, ruining her reputation, so her lawyer friend Miriam steps in to help while Emily is hired to be help repair her public image.

These three women made for a hilarious story.

Disclaimer: I have not read The Devil Wears Prada, or any other books by Weisberger. I hate to say that I've seen the movie without reading the book, though. Having read the book previous to this one is not necessary, but knowing the events of the story and who Miranda Priestly is are definitely recommended to get better enjoy this book (omg Maisie mimic-ing Miranda's "That's all"🤣).

What this book did well:
- This book is a perfect example of multiple POVs done right. I never felt lost of confused about who's perspective I was reading, and they transitioned seamlessly. The lives of the three women are very much connected, so this helped with making for easy transitions, but we also really got into each character's individual issues.
- Social commentary. The character's in this book experience different things you'll find in the uber-wealthy communities, and while the conversations don't directly critique different mindsets or comments, the reader can see the layers in different conversations. For example, there was so much conversation about weight throughout the story, and at first I was uncomfortable with it seeming so negative about anyone bigger than a size 2, and shaming normal bodies, but not far into the story you get the feel that it's all satiric. Women at times were actually speaking so negatively about changes in a women's body after having a baby not being "normal," but we have characters like Miriam who don't subscribe to this superficial lifestyle and undermine this idea. And of course the ending and Emily's attitude. I won't say more.
- Positive female friendship. Need I say more? We need more strong friendships between women in stories. These women's lives still often revolved around men, but there was also so much empowerment within the group as friends. And they were always there for each other. Right from the beginning, Miriam didn't believe a bad word about Karolina; too often we see women turning against each other for such simple things in literature.
- Humour. All you need to do is read a few of the chapter titles to get an idea of the humour this book contains.

What this book didn't do well:
- I don't have too much to say here really. My issues around the weight conversations are turned into positives when looking at it more as social commentary. However, surface level there's some pretty harmful ideas in here. And even with Miriam rocking her mom bod in a world full of mom's who've undergone so many procedures to change their body, Miriam still gives into the idea that she needs to lose weight and the novel ends off with her two sizes smaller.
- Nothing else major to add here. The main thing keeping me from giving this that last star is because it isn't super memorable. A 5-star read is something that keeps me thinking about the book long after I finished it. I still loved this book, but it's not something that's gonna stick with me forever.


Would I recommend this book:
If you want a fun, dramatic, entertaining read, I would definitely recommend this.
If you are sensitive to comments on weight and body image, I'd avoid this.

Fantastic book! Funny, witty, light hearted, with a touch of drama and a few badass housewives! I’m definitely going to go back and read the first 2 books because this was an amazing book and I thoroughly enjoyed!
* I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review *

Thank you @laurenweisberger for this amazing follow-up to The Devil Wears Prada and @simonschusterca for the Advanced Reader Copy. The perfect summer read, with a relatable cast of characters. Savvy, sharp and viciously funny. With the likes and feels of The Real Housewives franchise, get ready to be consumed by the women of Greenwich, Connecticut this summer. On sale 06/05/18.

“She was crazy and emotional, and her life was spiraling completely out of control, but damn, it felt nice just to laugh.”

When Life Gives You Lululemons is the third book in The Devil Wears Prada series by Lauren Weisberger but you don’t need to have read the first two in order to jump into this book. I certainly hadn’t. There are three main characters in the book: Miriam, Emily, and Karolina. Miriam was a Harvard-educated lawyer who became a full-time mom and moved to Greenwich. Emily is an image consultant who has recently been dumped by many of her famous clients. She is a recurring character from the original The Devil Wears Prada where she was Miranda Priestly’s assistant. Karolina is a former model whose life is in shambles after she is accused of a DUI. This character-driven book is about female friendship and how they can rescue you from even the most dire of situations.

“Are you coming from actually working out?” Emily asked. “Or are Lululemons considered actually getting dressed around here?”

With chapter titles like “The Suburbs Make You Fat” you’ve got to know what you are getting into with this book. It is nice, light fun. Perfect for a sunny day at the beach. The plot itself is less important. This book is mostly a scathing indictment of the uber-rich Greenwich crowd. That isn’t to say there is no plot. The book revolves around the friendships of the three women that solidify after Karolina is accused of driving drunk with her step-son and his friends in the car. Naturally, Emily wants to rehabilitate her image, while Miriam just wants to help her friend get back on her feet.

“Anyone who could call his or her adorable five-year-old an asshole was someone she wanted to be friends with.”

This book is extremely funny, even when it is dealing with difficult topics. The characters are likeable. I found Emily to be especially funny and irreverent. I am even considering going back and reading The Devil Wears Prada. If this book is any indication, it will be worth my time. There is one scene in which Emily tells off some Greenwich moms in a Starbucks, and gives them the finger, that solidified her as my favourite character. She also has the best one-liners. I also liked how down-to-earth Miriam is and I truly felt for Karolina. Each chapter in this book is narrated by one of the three women, which gives you a good sense of who they are and how they think. Each women is unique in her own way so the changing point of views are never confusing. This is a fast paced book with a few twists and turns. I was expecting it to be really shallow, which of course it can be, but it can also be insightful and entertaining.

If you are looking for a book that will be a light distraction from your day-to-day life, then I highly recommend When Life Gives You Lululemons.

Thank you to Net Galley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

Grade: B+/A-

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was a fan of The Devil Wears Prada, the sequel was ok but not my favorite, so when I saw this, I decided to give it a try. It had been a long time since I read chick lit.

Emily was always my favorite character so I was glad to see her get her own book. She’s so snarky and blunt, my kinda girl.

I recommend this book as a light, fluffy read. Something you don’t have to think about, but you can still have a good time with some good laughs.

[This review will go live on my blog on May 28th, 2018.]

After Meryl Streep's Miranda Priestley, Emily Blunt's Emily Charlton is probably my next favourite character in Devil Wears Prada. Who can forget the iconic line "I'm just one stomach flu away from my goal weight." Weisberger's earlier sequel Revenge Wears Prada fell flat for me, but I figure if anyone could save the series, it would be Emily Charlton. And When Life Gives You Lululemons certainly lived up to its promise.

Emily, now an image consultant to the stars, lands the A-list client she needs to save her career: supermodel Karolina Hartwell, who was just arrested for a DUI in a Suburban filled with children. The catch is that Karolina lives in Greenwich, CT, and the suburbs are definitely out of Emily's comfort zone. The stakes are raised because Karolina is married to a senator, Graham, who has no qualms about throwing his wife under the bus to protect his aspirations towards the presidency. Connecting them is mutual friend Miriam, a former high-powered lawyer who is now a stay-at-home mom dealing with all the social pressures of suburban life.

I had so much fun with all the soapy drama in this story. Emily is just the snarky, over-the-top heroine the Devil Wears Prada series needs. I also loved the scheming, revenge-filled storyline of Karolina and her husband. Graham's an absolute ass and I was cheering so hard for him to fail the entire time. I also found it hilarious how Emily was forced to rethink her strategy of merely saving Karolina's reputation so that she could actually give Karolina what she wanted -- custody of her son. 

In the midst of all the over-the-top plot points, what really stands out to me is the strength of the friendship between the three women. The story is hilarious and entertaining, but there are also a lot of deeply felt emotions running throughout. I was cheering the women on the entire time. Miriam in particular is a standout character for me. I love how she feels like she's settled in the life she's chosen yet can't help feeling like something's missing, and I love how this causes tension in her relationships. She felt the most real and relatable of the characters, and I absolutely love how her subplot turned out.

Finally, I love how Weisberger included Miranda in this story. Unlike Revenge Wears Prada which focused a lot on Andy's PTSD-level fear of running into Miranda again (which after ten years, seems a bit much for what she went through), When Life Gives You Lululemons shows Emily as more than a match for the devil herself. Emily is clear on the dangers of being sucked back into Miranda's world, but she's also savvy enough to figure out how to use Miranda's skills and connections to her advantage. When Emily says she may have to sell her soul to the devil to save Karolina, we are still confident she can handle anything Miranda throws at her. The book puts Emily toe-to-toe with Miranda for a while, and it's glorious.

Someone please make a movie of this book already! I'd love to see Emily Blunt and Meryl Streep bring this story to life on the big screen!

+

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for an egalley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Devil Wears Prada travels to the burbs to meet the Desperate Housewives.

Emily Chalton, ex-first assistant to Miranda Priestly, is now an image consultant to the stars. After leaving a raucous LA New Year’s Eve party to fly to New York on an image emergency for an ultra-high level celebrity, only to be unceremoniously dismissed in favour of a younger, hipper version of herself, Emily makes a Greenwich detour to visit an old friend.

A few hours visit turns into a few days and into a few weeks. Thankfully, Miriam Kagan has the room and the heart to host her uncharacteristically directionless gal pal. Miriam was a successful partner in her own law firm before turning her ambitions towards motherhood and family. Now she is learning about spin classes and “Tupperware” parties. (Ahem!) Emily observes the goings on in suburbia with the ironic contempt of a Luddite at a Twitter convention.

Meanwhile, Karolina Hartwell, Miriam’s dear friend and a supermodel face from Emily’s past, is bewildered that a simple drive down the block from her house has resulted in a DUI, a night in jail, a scornfully disappointed husband, and public vilification. She’s not an alcoholic!! How could this nightmare being happening to such a beautiful, loving mother, and wife to an up-and-coming senator with designs on the White House? Sure he’s been spending a lot of time with the smart and pretty ex-first daughter, but Graham knows Karolina is innocent and still loves her right?

So to summarize, Karolina is clueless, Miriam is recalibrating, and Emily is an a$$hole. Karolina is about to get much needed, but not necessarily well advised, help from her girlfriends. Alternating between entertaining and exasperating, When Life Gives You Lululemons is a both humorous and infuriating social satire. Laura Weisberger’s writing is clever, fast-paced, and boldly self-deprecating.

(This is an honestly offered review, based on an ARC from NetGalley.)

Well written, fast paced story of re-empowering formerly powerful women who are now mothers.
Emily Charlton of Devil Wears Prada fame is back, but now she's her own boss. It gives you a chance to explore the world of bitchy fashionistas yet again!

It's a cute, fast paced novel. Perfect beach read!!

Absolutely loved it. You can picture Emily clearly. Had me howling. Can’t wait to see it on the large screen.

This is a fun read to find out life after Runway for Emily. It didn't have the punch of Devil Wears Prada, however it is entertaining just the same. Pour into it at the beach and/or a weekend.

This book is a very FUN read. I found the characters funny, likable and real. The multitude of things they address did not feel forced. The guest appearance of Miranda Priestly was a humorous touch. The book flows quickly and is an engaging read.

Emily, Karolina and Miriam are three women dealing with intersecting issues involving: moving to the suburbs, infidelity, business/career struggles, public humiliation, divorce, marriage and parenting. You can’t help but to root for the friends that all will work out for each of them.

“Her legs went on forever, and her butt looked so firm that it wouldn’t possibly hold so much as a bobby pin underneath, never mind a full sized hairbrush, which Miriam had once tucked successfully and devastatingly under her left ass cheek.”

“None of the small indignities of Emily’s own body at thirty six: light stretch marks on her hips; cleavage with just the smallest hint of sag; some errant dark hairs along her bikini line that just seemed to sprout now willy nilly, indifferent to Emily’s waxing schedule.”

Thanks to Simon and Schuster for an early preview copy.

It is no surprise that I loved When Life Gives You Lululemons because I love The Devil Wears Prada so much. I have been a fan of Lauren Weisberger for a while and her new book is perfect for a light hearted summer read. Emily is the former assistant of Miranda Priestly but she has really come into her own in this story. She is now a big time celebrity image consultant and I love the behind the scenes looks at what goes into recovering from scandals. Miriam was my favourite character though, as the old camp friend of Emily, she seems to be the anchor of the group. A new stay at home mom after a big career as a lawyer in New York City she is adjusting to her new life in the suburbs. I really connected to her as I am also a stay at home mom and her struggles to want to spend more time with her kids but also wanting a real life really resonated with me. Her friend Karolina Hartwell, mega-supermodel and wife of a senator is arrested for a DUI and hires Emily to navigate the media storm and the three work together to weather the storm. Set in Greenwich, CT the descriptions of the rich and famous and how they live were very funny. I love a quick peek into how the rich people live!! When Life Gives You Lululemons is a fun book with interesting characters and is the perfect beach read for the summer. It’s released on June 5, 2018. Thank you Simon&Schuster Canada and Netgalley for a copy to review in exchange for my honest review.

I forced myself to read this, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. I found this book boring, pretentious, obnoxious, unlikable.