Rating: 
Summary: Trading Up
Review: This is a wonderful light hearted book. It quickly grabs your attention and you will not want to put it down till the end. You will enjoy the ups and downs of the main character, Janey Wilcox. It is a good idea to read 4 Blondes first. That book establishes the characters that are in this book.
Rating: 
Summary: A disappointment
Review: This book was really not that fun of a read. I was expecting a light-hearted book with a plot and characters I would enjoy reading about, but did not find any of this with Trading Up.The book is about Janey Wilcox, a Victoria's Secret model who uses anyone and everyone that comes into her life to make it to the top. From a socialite to several movie producers to her own sister, she uses them all to get what she wants. The only reason I made it all the way through is because I kept thinking, this has to get better. I was wrong. By the end of the book I really did not care what happened to Janey and therefore didn't care that the ending was as bad as it was. I'm disappointed and definitely would not recommend Trading Up.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring!
Review: This book was boring. I kept waiting for something interesting to happen. The main character, Janey, is very unlikable. It was hard to get to the end of the book because I really didn't care by that point.
Rating:
Summary: Not the worst book I've read, but I still wouldn't bother
Review: This is a pretty mediocre book. Its worst flaw is that every one of the characters is so downright despicable that you end up not caring a jot what happens to any of them. You find yourself hoping that Janey will get her come-uppance, but unfortunately when she does, it's short-lived. The writing is barely okay, certainly nothing outstanding, and the plot development is sluggish. On the positive side, Candace Bushnell obviously knows the Manhattan social scene well and at times you feel that the descriptions are depressingly accurate. I say depressing because it comes across as being such a shallow and superficial world that I am happy to be well removed from it. It's kind of fun to guess at the inspiration behind some of the characters - Gwyneth Paltrow, Rupert Everett, Anna Wintour, Aerin Lauder... I continued with this book hoping it would get better. It didn't. It's not the worst book that I've read, but I still wouldn't recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Good escapist fun
Review: Suffice it to say that this book is no "Sex and the City," but it is 10,000 times better than "The Devil Wears Prada." Bushnell creates well-developed characters and an interesting plot; it just seems to take too long to work through it. You may not like the main character Janie but you can laugh at her, shake your head at her and think of at least one person that you have met who she reminds you of in some way. She's one of those self-involved, self-destructive people who seems oblivious to the havoc she leaves in her wake. Bushnells' characterizations of the people around Janie and their efforts to deal with the impact of her behavior are a large part of what keeps this book interesting and entertaining. This isn't a literary masterpiece but if you need an escapist break, this book will fill the bill.
Rating:
Summary: Stylish, but not as Sexy as other Bushnell Books
Review: As a fan of Sex and the City and anything penned by Candace Bushnell, her latest novel, isn't a good follow-up to 4 Blondes. The main character, Janey Wilcox is a beautiful model, climbing the social ladder but faulters a few times on the way up. I personally like Janey, but found it difficult to fully understand her. I guess that was Bushnell's intent, to show that Janey was all mixed up inside, however she needed to make it clear to the audience exactly why Janey was mixed up.Nevertheless, if you're looking for a stylish book about NY socialites and their dirty secrets, Trading Up, is a must-read.
Rating:
Summary: Pleasantly surprised!
Review: I have to say that I did enjoy the book "Trading Up." The main character Janey Wilcox goes through a social roller coaster which has you rooting for her at the end. Although I was a bit disappointed by the some what unanswered questions, I found the book to be interesting and fun. A look into the lives of manhattans up scale society!
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious!
Review: I totally enjoyed this book right from the beginning and found the story completely entertaining. The world of Manhattan's Upper East Side is totally foreign to me. And after reading this novel, I think I'll keep my distance! Read this book -- it's just plain fun! Also recommended: The Losers' Club by Richard Perez
Rating:
Summary: Who cares?
Review: In the past, I have read Bushnell's column in New York Observer and roared with laughter and sometimes recognition. I also loved the book Sex and the City. Now she has gotten to write fiction and released Four Blondes and Trading Up. Trading Up is about Janie Wilcox -- one of the characters in Four Blondes -- and her exploits as a social climber. As I read this account of New York socialites and the people who love them I couldn't help but be appalled by the weak plot, unsympathetic characters and poor writing. Was Ms. Bushnell leaning toward satire with this book? I couldn't tell. And I couldn't care less about the lifestyles of the rich and shameless. This is unlike Bushnell's sharp and risque former sex column. With Sex and the City, she offered an empathic look at the tangled world in which real people triumph, frolic, and sometimes flail in the city. She did not supply the aforementioned plights with this novel. Disappointing...
Rating:
Summary: Appallingly written
Review: La Bushnell should be embarassed by this one. The worst thing is not the go-nowhere plot or the vapid characterisation - it's the writing. The book has the affected, overdone feeling of a high-school pupil throwing in every adjective she can think of to boost her word count and impress teacher. I found myself mentally editing this book while reading it. Not worth the effort.
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