Review: HILARIOUS, WITH A TERRIFIC ENDING!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 18, 2014
Oh my goodness! I’m guessing the one scene that will stick with me forever when thinking about this book will be the scene almost at the beginning with the transvestite and the vodka bottle. Oh. My. Word. But then again, the encounter with Prince William in a posh nightclub had me in hysterics, so that might actually be the most memorable part of this story. Or no, wait, the advanced pilates class scenario was what really cracked me up! Whichever way, The Accidental Socialite ended up being a laugh a minute.Paige Crawford, the British tabloids’ new darling, is literally a walking disaster. However sorry I felt for her on all her catastrophic romantic and non-romantic outings, I just...I couldn’t stop laughing! I don’t think that much bad luck can befall a person in real life, which just made it even more entertaining. At the same time my heart also went out to her, because she didn’t bring any of it on herself and she just wants to have fun. OK, maybe some of it is her own fault but geez, give a girl a break!Oh heavens no, now that stupid Cindy Lauper song is on repeat in my head.*sigh*The plot and pacing reminded me a lot of Sophie Kinsella’s writing. It was, in one word: excellent! The only difference is that Paige isn’t as much of a ditzy airheaded protagonist as those Kinsella has in her books. Also Carlos, the gay friend, isn’t the stereotypical gay friend you find in most YA and women’s literature. I felt his character was toned down a lot, but even so he was just adorable. Definitely a memorable character. I also liked Lucinda, the bff Paige made the minute she got to London. I think I liked her mainly because she’s South African and reference was made to “biltong”. I’m a South African, so of course that just tickled me pink.Paige has four flatmates, and although they’re secondary characters, they all play a small, but significant, role in Paige’s first year in London, with their magnificently varied and peculiar personalities. She lists them as follows (this is her third revised edition):1. Sleeps with nut jobs on wet crack house mattresses, Gemma2. Takes suitcases shopping, Philip3. I’m not gay but I get BJs from dudes, Guillermo4. Learns English via Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn (Wedding Crashers), NatalieOne of the big plusses for me in this book was that I got to travel to London, Paris, Rome, and Verona, and even spend a weekend at the Oktoberfest in Munich. This book is all about sisters doing it for themselves as Paige experience the high life of a social butterfly while trying her best to get away from the paparazzi. She goes to great parties and events, makes drunken decisions, and meets every Mr Wrong imaginable. The ending was a pleasant surprise, and I applaud Wahlstrom for concluding the story with a positive message to young women about relationships. Remember what I said about sisters doing it for themselves?Who would enjoy this? Fans of books by Sophie Kinsella, and anyone who loved the book or movie version of The Devil Wears Prada and/or Bridget Jones’s Diary.  This is chick lit at its best! It contains a little profanity and a few hilarious over-eighteen descriptions, but overall The Accidental Socialite is a fun, funny, and one hundred percent unforgettable read!