Sunday, August 5, 2012

Review: Ten Girls to Watch by Charity Shumway

Title: Ten Girls to Watch

Author: Charity Shumway

Publish date: 7/31/2012

Publisher: Atria Books

Source: Netgalley








Summary from Goodreads:
A funny and uplifting debut novel about stumbling through the early years of adulthood while taking (or not taking) the advice of the women who've gone before you. Dawn West is trying to make her way in New York City. She’s got an ex-boyfriend she can’t quite stop seeing, a writing career that’s gotten about as far as penning an online lawn care advice column, and a small hometown in Oregon that’s her last recourse if she can’t make next month’s rent. So when Dawn lands a job tracking down the past winners of Charm magazine’s “Ten Girls to Watch” contest, she’s thrilled. Not only is she being paid to interview hundreds of fascinating women, but she’s also sharing office space with “Secret Agent Romance,” Charm’s resident dating columnist, and he just happens to be giving her butterflies. As Dawn gets to know the life stories of these former winners, she’ll discover that success, love, and friendship can be found in the most unexpected of places. And even more importantly, she’ll find that though those who have gone before us can be role models, ultimately, we each have to carve our own way.  Both an insightful look at the trajectory of female experience over the past fifty years and a witty coming of age story, Ten Girls to Watch introduces an unforgettable new voice in women’s fiction.
My review/thoughts:

            Dawn is a recent college graduate who gets a job at a prominent magazine, Charm, thanks to her ex-boyfriend. She's assigned the Ten Girls to Watch feature, hence the book's title. Dawn has a mentor friend, Helen, who is there to give her words of encouragement. Helen is the voice of reason. There are a lot of funny scenes with Dawn. Overall, the book was pretty good. It had plenty of inspiring women that helped Dawn to ask questions and learn about herself. This book was about self-discovery and empowerment.

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