Review: 3 Je t’aime, New York Stars!
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 02 10, 2014
While Carrie Bradshaw & Co. were trying to have sex like men, twenty-something year olds were figuring out ways to move on up and get their piece of the pie, one dot com business at a time. Friendships were made and old ones tested.Natalie Pepper is a Cali girl intent on making it in the concrete jungle. Having moved her life’s belongings (which weren’t exactly extensive) to NYC on the first chance she got might have come across as impulsive, but she’s determined to prove to her father and sister that she has what it takes to succeed. Failure is not an option. Although she immediately finds a job as a marketing director, surviving on Ramen doesn’t quite allow for frugal spending. Adapting to the city that never sleeps isn’t exactly a piece of cake. There’s also the daily torture of working with two gorgeous men, one hot as sin (Damon) and the other with the most amazingly mood-lifting smile (CJ). A girl can get pretty lonely in a big city, especially when your roommate has seemingly made it her mission to have zero contact with you. Thankfully, her new job comes with the perk of a vivid social night life flowing with free booze and eligible men. Too bad the only one that refuses to leave her thoughts is the one she can’t cross the line with for fear of inflicting chaos in her otherwise orderly life.Candace Kanie has had a privileged upbringing and doesn’t have to worry about the high price of real estate in NYC thanks to dear ol’ mom and dad. Taking up residence in their Manhattan apartment, she’s ready to take on the finance world with the same ambition and determination she tackles life. Not one for waiting for opportunity to come knocking; she crashes a dot com party, befriends Natalie and lands herself a job interview by the end of the night. Once acquiring employment, her next step was fulfilling her romantic life which definitely proved to be more difficult than ever imagined. Upon meeting Damon (Natalie’s hot as sin co-worker), she fell instantly in lust and pseudo-love, convinced that he was her happily-ever-after. Never had a man held such power over her the way that Damon did and although she was a bit disturbed by it, it didn’t deter her plans of pursuing such a perfect male specimen. Surely the undeniable mutual attraction must mean that they are meant to be. Soon enough, a wrench or two are thrown into both Candace’s personal and professional making her question her choices.Coming from different walks of life, Natalie and Candace along with her friends learn that not everything is as it seems. They encounter and overcome obstacles while learning more about themselves and each other. I was drawn to this book by its SATC-esque appeal but it took me a while to get into it and it sort of fell short. The writing was fun and entertaining but the situations the girls were caught in, especially when it was love related, really tested my patience. They were infuriating at times with the catty drama. I was torn between cheering on one of the characters and slapping some sense into her (poor CJ).The story kind of redeemed itself towards the end. Even though I didn’t fall in love with the book, I am curious to see where the author goes with the series. Men and Martinis is a light, witty read with a pseudo-cliffhanger that will have you pining for what happens next.