Rating: 
Summary: Love it! Where's the sequal?
Review: After hearing about this book on TV, I figured it would make a great summer read, and I was right! While the book can be a bit random at times, everything comes together at the end, and had me wishing that a sequal was there waiting to be read. I definitely recommend this book to anyone with Hollywood hopes or likes to know the daily office gossip at work. This book made me feel sorry for Elizabeth at points - just when you thought things couldn't be better, they'd go down hill...again - but I was also laughing out loud at the various situations she managed to get into. But who couldn't when she's surrounded by as diverse a group as wackos and backstabbers? But I suppose that's just Hollywood.
Rating: 
Summary: Second...or Third...Version of the Story
Review: As other readers have noted, Second Assistant belongs to a new sub-sub-genre: the harried underling on the edge of the glamour world. So if you've read Nanny Diaries and Devil Wears Prada, you'll have a strong sense of deja vue. Although both these other books were better written and more tightly plotted (i.e., no loose ends like the disappearing therapist and no look-alike glamour men who hit on the heroine), Second Assistant deserves to be read. Here the Devil isn't a person but an entire industry. Naylor and Hare give us an inside view of life in Hollywood, from the bottom up. The heroine (improbably nicknamed "Lizzie") takes a second assistant job when her Washington political world falls apart. To her own surprise, she finds herself caught up in Hollywood, enjoying the life and hoping for more. She befriends a neighbor and a few equally oppressed underlings as well as the nice guy from the coffee shop, who turns out to be more Hollywood than she ever expected. I gave Second Assistant three stars because I kept turning the pages. I liked the heroine's openness and admired her ability to cope with all sorts of bizarre situations without losing her dignity. And I'm amazed that she'd say yes to all sorts of requests, even from the boss's wife, but I guess that's why I never would have succeeded as a Second Assistant. The saddest and truest lesson of this book. For some people, especially young attractive women, college degrees and raw intelligence will be less important than willingness to tolerate high frustration levels and creativity in carrying out a list of tasks that, at times, resembles a scavenger hunt rather than a business project.
Rating:
Summary: Very funny--but where's the sequel
Review: Elizabeth Miller decides to change her career path from politics to Hollywood, and she's in for the culture shock of her life. She's hired as the second assistant to an ego-centric, drug-addicted but high-power agent--which means she gets every kind of abuse imaginable heaped on her and then some. Any normal person would have gone screaming back to Washington after the first week. But, somewhat perversely, Elizabeth is determined to stick it out--especially after she reads a script written by the guy who blends her lattes at the coffee shop. She recognizes brilliance, and she decides she wants to become a producer.
I had to admire Elizabeth's poise and patience. With a few notable exceptions, she always seems to know what to say and do in the most impossible situations so that she doesn't lose her job (an ever-present risk). And her indifference to an amorous Hollywood heartthrob who was not used to hearing the word "no" made me want to cheer. I could not stop turning the pages as Elizabeth got herself into and out of one impossible situation after another as players and backstabbers took their turns with her. And though she navigated the shark-infested waters with aplomb, her emotional vulnerability was touching.
I can't say the ending did much for me. While most things were wrapped up in a satisfying manner, I thought Elizabeth deserved more than she got in the end. Perhaps there's a sequel in the works?
Rating:
Summary: For those who tried Nanny...Prada....
Review: Finally! This is the book that does it! If you read The Nanny Diaries and wondered why?? If you read The Devil Wears Prada and -really- wondered why?? This book will answer your questions as to why one struggles with crazy bosses, unreasonable working conditions, and industry madness all while being at the bottom of the corporate food chain. Elizabeth Miller leaves the static world of D.C. politics for Hollywood to work for The Agency, the hottest talent agency in the business. As a second assistant she quickly learns that appearances are everything and nothing is what it seems. We follow her through her dating and work related faux pas and successes, and meet some rather interesting characters along the way. What I liked best about this book is that it isn't sugar coated or completely over the top. Elizabeth and her co-workers are brilliantly written and the scenes from The Agency feel like a reality TV show all their own. The book is fast paced, funny, and a great summer read. So, if you've been looking for a break from the usual "chick lit" read, (I know, I'm tired of that label, too.) get a hold of The Second Assistant. You'll have a ball.
Rating:
Summary: Very funny, good book for those who love Hollywood...
Review: I always enjoy a good book that takes place in the trenches of Hollywood. This novel was well written, funny and the story line and sub plots kept my interest from beginning to end.
I highly recommend this book if you are interested in seeing Hollywood from an assistants point of view.
Rating:
Summary: Cute, but not my favorite!
Review: I bought this book based on the good reviews it received. I also thought it sounded like it would be a lot like The Devil Wears Prada. As an assistant myself, I enjoy hearing other people trash their jobs and go through similar situations that I often do.
I was disappointed in The Second Assistant. It's less about actually being an assistant and more about her life in Hollywood. She was very naive and never seemed to catch through the entire book.
It is a cute book and I read it quickly, but just found the characters a bit shallower then I would have hoped...
Rating:
Summary: Top of the ladder in chick lit
Review: I enjoyed this book a whole lot more than The Nanny Diaries and The Devil Wears Prada. While the three books are, indeed similar in scope and content, The Second Assistant takes the genre of chick lit to a whole new level.
Our heroine, Elizabeth Miller, is a talented, educated young woman who switches from politics to the movie industry- moving from Washington, D.C. to L.A.
A fish out of water, Elizabeth's character was instantly likeable to me- she was funny, fresh, and a lot of fun. While the tasks she did for her cocaine-snorting boss were quite menial, Elizabeth laughs at herself. Elizabeth never complains about the work she has to do, never treats it with contempt or a whiny attitude- always with a touch of sarcasm. From attending the hot Hollywood parties that anybody would kill to be invited to, to the movie moguls who ceaselessly stalk her, Elizabeth treats her subject with grace and humor that is unparallelled in any other book in the wide-ranging chick lit genre.
Rating:
Summary: my train rides won't be the same till their next book
Review: I loved this book for many reasons. It had great story lines combining love interests and career ups and downs. Although Elizabeth Millers life couldn't be further from my own I still felt I could relate to her frankly 'too country for hollywood' ways. Excellent read.
Rating:
Summary: Not just for girls!
Review: I was given this book. One look at the cover, and I wasn't hopeful. I read the first few pages one morning when I woke early. I didn't get up until 3.30pm, the book finished, my day shot to pieces. I thought this was going to be strictly for girls . But no. KELLS loved it. I was particularly taken by the main character, Elizabeth (or at least I wish I was). Apart from falling hopelessly in love with her, I really felt as if i was being let into the secret world of how a modern, cool girl, lives, thinks, and sees. What a treat! I would love to meet her. There's no political correctness coming from Naylor and Hare, which not only is a relief, but one of the main reasons the book is laugh out loud. Crazy Hollywood parties, people etc. are dealt with brilliantly, and all through the eyes of our wonderfully straight, easy going heroine. The authors also sail wonderfully close to the wind as to portraying real Hollywood stars.
Rating:
Summary: Gets Your Attention then STOPS
Review: I would have given this book more stars had the ending not been so unfullfilling. It's like you read this entire book, and experience this great build up to NOTHING....
Besides that dissappointment I found this book to be funny. I am a huge fan of the Chick Lit genre and this fit in perfectly with my tastes.
Lizzie is working in Hollywood as an assistant to an assistant, the bottom of the ladder. Though her status in Hollywood is low she is by no means stupid - having formally been working in politics in Washington DC, but nonetheless in order to be employed in the extreamly competive world of Hollywood she is an assistant assistant, tackling such challegeing tasks as sorting push pins by color, and walking dogs.
What Lizzie really wants is to become a screenwriter. Having been fetching lattes daily at the Starbucks across from the office she becomes aquainted with the cute man behind the counter, and they soon begin writing together in their spare time, promising that if one of them got someone to look at their screenplay they would not leave the other hanging... of course...
I don't want to spoil the fun in case you decide to pick this up. It's cute and a nice easy read. I just wish the ending didn't just flop.
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