This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Dina Kane is determined. Determined to prove her mother – and everyone else that has treated her so poorly throughout her life – wrong. And there’s one power she plans to use to do it … her beauty.
Dina has always been beautiful, people have told her so ever since she was a baby, but she has never had to use her looks to get what she wants before. Until now.
Dina’s mother never really loved her and was envious of her stunning looks. Her father, meanwhile, wanted to love her, but would rather avoid it than face her mother’s wrath and jealousy. So, Dina grew up on her own, surviving on her own, getting through school and eventually making it to college alone. She’s a tough cookie and now she’s hell bent on getting revenge on all those who doubted her. To Dina, beauty is power.
This book starts slowly, but soon picks up to a fast-paced delight, which you find yourself wanting to devour in one sitting. The first few chapters paint a detailed picture of what Dina’s childhood was like – raised by a selfish, vain, alcoholic mother and a father who was scared of her, Dina knows that she wasn’t wanted. She was never part of her parents plan. This is further emphasised by the way her brother is treated; he gets new clothes as well as private schooling and college paid for because he’s the apple of his mother’s eye. Dina works for everything she has – excellent grades, her apartment and her future.
Dina’s determination to succeed is what made her so appealing to me. She is a character you can really invest in and you thoroughly enjoy reading about her journey to success. However, she also has a sinister side. Her determination to succeed is so overwhelming, you start to worry about anyone who gets in her way. Louise Mensch writes Dina as a downtrodden heroine who rises from poverty to Park Avenue and we’re with her every step of the way. Set against the sparkling backdrop of glamorous New York City, we see Dina evolve from waitress to business owner and eventually celebrity, but there are people waiting to take her down and that’s when we are treated to excitement and true edge-of-your-seat reading.
The secondary characters really drive the story and all are well written with clear purpose. Whether it’s the bullies that make Dina’s life hell, the friends that work with her or the sexy men in her life – Gaines in particular (yummy!) – they are all interesting to read. There are scenes to make your eyes wide, scenes that make her heart break and scenes that will steam up either your glasses or the nearest window if you sit too close – all well written and extremely engrossing.
As a first time reader of Louise Mensch, formally known as Louise Bagshawe, I didn’t know what to expect. Thankfully what I got was a sexy, scandalous and addictive novel about one woman’s determination to succeed against the odds. Girl power!
8/10
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