Review: Started slow, but finished STRONG!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 10, 2014
Etoile is the first book in The Mannequin series by Olivia Besse. It follows Elodie on her journey of becoming a world famous model and finding love.Elodie is a sweet character. She is from France, abandoned as an infant and grew up in an orphanage never feeling like she was loved or fit in. When she turned 16 she was picked up for a modeling contract and moved to London.~The first part of this book was pretty slow for me. There was not a lot of dialogue, mainly descriptive stuff about the model life.Elodie finally makes her way to New York and soon learns that there are a lot of pretty models out there and not enough jobs to go around. She figures out quickly that to get ahead you need to leave your emotions at home and sleep with anyone who can help you get to the top. During this time she meets Tyler, at HOT up and coming male model. They share a super sexy night together and then Elodie never returns his calls. They hook up again months later after Tyler becomes more famous. He is clearly infatuated with Elodie, but she holds herself back.~This is when the book really started to pick up for me. There was a lot more interaction with the characters, and Tyler seemed like a really great guy despite being a model. I wish there was more of this. Elodie and Tyler make sense, but she is so worried about keeping focused on her career and listening to her friends tell her that she needs a “Banker” to make her happy.Enter James, investment broker extraordinaire. He is sweet and attentive, let’s not forget very attractive! He wants to take things slowly with Elodie and this confuses her. While dating James, she gets s a HUGE contract thanks to Tyler. While she is in London at the photo shoot, things get more complicated for her. She cannot decide who she wants more so her friends convince her to date both of them, but we all know that never works out.~At this point I’m not sure who I like…..Tyler or James. Scratch that, I LIKE them both. What I’m not sure about is who I think is best for Elodie. When she is with James….I think he is best. Even though he is taking things a little slow with her. But then she spends time with Tyler and it is obvious that he has feelings for her and their chemistry is CRAZY! GAH!! I can’t pick. And that is how the book ends. Defiantly a cliff hanger.  Her model career is taking off, but her love life is flailing. Like I said, this book started slow, but at the end I was totally hooked! I want….NEED to know what happens next. Who does Elodie choose…..and does he still want her?? Luckily I don’t have to wait for the next book in the Mannequin Series, Bijou.Copy provided by Author for honest review