Rating: 
Summary: The title does not fit this book!
Review: "Using what you got" focused on Tiara a very naive 18 year old who had book smarts but really no common sense. Her father is the one who implanted in her the idea that a rich man is the only thing she needed. So he too was blinded by all the glitter when Lionel showed up. His insecurity about his wife leaving him made him really spoil his daughters and put them in a mind to be "Gold diggers" as was Tiara. The only people that had enough sense in this book were Aunt Charlie and Rashad. Aunt Charlie had pinpointed Lionel from the begining. Rashad could see people for who they really were on the inside. The glitter and glamour didn't please him. The title to this book did not fit the storyline at all. Tiara didn't know how to use what she had. She had brain power and looks. Even the end she was still in that golddigger frame of mind but refrained when she realized how it would hurt her father and the man she loved. I believe if her father would have accepted that proposal that was offered in the end Tiara would have also went along with it. But that's just my opinion.
Rating: 
Summary: Mediocre
Review: I read this book and I was disappointed. It focused on a girl who is very superficial and only seems to care about herself. I think in the end she really did not deserve to be happy. She still had the same attitude toward everything and the only reason she did not accept the money is because she did not want Rashad and her father to figure out she hasn't changed.
I thought the novel "I'm Telling" by Ms Karen Quinones Miller was much better.
Rating:
Summary: Mediocre
Review: I read this book and I was disappointed. It focused on a girl who is very superficial and only seems to care about herself. I think in the end she really did not deserve to be happy. She still had the same attitude toward everything and the only reason she did not accept the money is because she did not want Rashad and her father to figure out she hasn't changed.
I thought the novel "I'm Telling" by Ms Karen Quinones Miller was much better.
Rating: 
Summary: Vanity
Review: I really enjoyed this book by Karen Miller. This story is about Tiara, and she think everything is ABOUT HER. She don't even realize that she is only wrapped in herself and doesn't care for no one except herself. It's until she hits her very bottom to see how rotton she is.
Rating: 
Summary: I Enjoyed This Book..
Review: I really enjoyed this fastpaced read. This is my second book by this author. She has a way of weaving a tale that makes you think you are watching a movie. Tiara was a trip with her "yeah I got it like that". The only thing that was wrong with Tiara was that she was spoiled. I read another review where the reviewer states that if Tiara was all that why was she in the projects still. Hello duhh her father was working very hard I might add to get them out of their situation and also living in the projects does not mean that you have to have low self esteem. Because before I grew up and bought my own house I realized it wasn't where I lived but how I choose to carry myself. I still have friends that are single moms living in the pj's that are doing the Dayuum thing. Anyway........I am anticipating Ida B. GO Karen,Go Karen and by no means listen to the haters.........Peace Topazzz
Rating:
Summary: All That Glitters...
Review: In USING WHAT YOU GOT, Karen Quinones Miller uses a deceptively simple palette to paint an intricate portrait which delves into the dysfunctional dynamics of a single parent household headed by a father with a questionable value system. Harlem is the backdrop for this gritty story, with its vibrant colloquial style, but at its core is a theme of family love and loyalty.
The centerpiece of this provocative work of fiction is glamour girl extraordinaire Tiara Bynum. Tiara is a college student whose vain preoccupation with her physical appearance is only matched by her determination to find a wealthy man. Tiara and her tomboyish younger sister JoJo's only parental role models are their father Reggie, an ex-gambler/ex-prize fighter turned sanitation worker, and their whiskey imbibing Aunt Charlie, whose once beautiful face was disfigured in an auto accident. Reggie is fiercely devoted to his daughters and is indulgent with them to a fault. He has, however, instilled less than stellar values in Tiara regarding the importance of finding a man who can spoil and provide for her materially.
When Tiara meets Lionel with his sleek Porche and designer clothes, she is immediately mesmerized by his flashy lifestyle and sees him as her dream man. Matters become complicated when she finds herself attracted to Rashad, a down to earth, community oriented cab driver whose seeming indifference to her good looks only serves to peak Tiara's interest in him. Soon Tiara has to make a choice which will change her life forever.
In USING WHAT YOU GOT Karen creates characters that are at once endearing and exasperating. At the end of the story the reader is left with the impression that Tiara has somehow been reformed by her experiences, which makes the story a bit incredible. Overall this book is a very thought-provoking read. Reviewed by Autumn
of the RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
Rating:
Summary: Just OK
Review: Miller makes an attempt to delve into the life of Tiara, a beatiful young girl raised by her father after she and her sister were abandoned by their gold-digging mother. Unfortunately, Tiara has taken her father's love and affection as a sign that she should be the center of every man's universe. This leads to some troubling times in the Bynum family. She, like many other sisters wants the man with all the cash but overlooks the brother with upstanding values and character. Even though this book has some interesting characters, it does a mediocre job of tackling the issues at hand. I put this book down for about a month before I picked it up again. That's not a good sign!
Rating:
Summary: Oh My Freaking GOSH!
Review: THis book got on my nerves I don't know maybe it's just me but who wants to read a bok about some self-centered girl named Tiara, well I did. I'm not that mad though it did have a lot of good part for example when jo-jo, and Tiara and her girls whip home girl ***. Or when she met her mom and didn't even know it was her, or when her aunt Charlie whip her mom ***.But most of all it still dosen't compare to "I'm Telling" Ms. Miller please make another book of that caliber. PLEASE!
Rating: 
Summary: Hated it!
Review: This book was a total waste of time, all that went on in the book was Tiara and her friends arguing and talking to each other like dogs. She was also a spoiled brat that whined so much, I could've slapped her myself. I don't know what's going on with the author, but her books haven't been worth anything since Satin Doll.
Rating:
Summary: WARNING
Review: This is not Satin Doll. This book focuses on a self-centered girl named Taira. The main event and ending was written like a B movie starring Anna Nicole Smith. Basically Taira likes her beauty, she gets in trouble for it, and in the end everyone hugs. Oh please. The story was silly. My book club started reading it on a Monday by Wednesday we all (12 of us) decided to read something else by Fridays meeting. I couldn't imagine discussing this nonsense with someone else seriously.
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