Rating: Summary: A reader from Georgia Review: An extremely fun book to read. It was easy to get caught up in the drama and lives of the 3 unique Hamptons Au Pairs: Eliza, Mara, and Jacqui. I was actually sad when I eventually completed the book. Hope there's a second.
Rating: Summary: Excellent book! Review: Everyone should get this book! It's a good, fun read and it puts you in a great mood, it's definitely my favorite book!
Rating: Summary: Exceptionally Well Written! Review: I am not a "chick" and I haven't been "thirty-something" for twenty-something years, but I found this book to be exceptionally clever and engaging. Melissa DeLaCruz is obviously a brilliant young talent who will be a best-selling author in a very short time. This book was so much fun I could not put it down until I finished it. Yes, I live close the beach but nowhere near the Hamptons. The entire book was magnificent. The "rules for Hamptons travel" alone is more than worth the price of admission. I could not stop laughing! Anyone who shares my loathing of cretins who broadcast their cell phone conversations in public venues will revel in this chapter, and anyone who enjoys an exhilirating and delightful read will be captivated by this wonderful book.
Rating: Summary: awesome summer book!!! Review: i could NOT put this book down for 3 days. it's a breezy, fun, funny fast read about three girls from different backgrounds and their roller coaster adventures in the hamptons. melissa de la cruz offers a razor-sharp, witty, insidery look at the wealthy playground, and i totally got caught up in all the drama!! LOVE mara and ryan, LOVE eliza and jeremy!! when is the sequel coming out???
Rating: Summary: A Cute Sunday Read Review: I picked up the Au Pairs knowing exactly what I was getting into. After reading 'The Nanny Diaries' and the first 'Gossip Girl', I imagined Au Pairs would be a perfect mix of the two; it was, right down to the size 0 Versace jeans.
I'm one to read a good book or two and take a joy in stories such as 'To Kill a Mockingbird' but I do love a quickie pick me up book about abosutely nothing to do with my life.
Three teen girls are shipped off to New York's Hamptons to take care of four spoiled kids for the super-rich Perrys. Of course, personalities clash in the guest house.
Eliza, a tall gorgeous blonde, is staying at the Perrys to earn some much needed cash due to her father's bankruptcy and to excape the ho-hum life in Buffalo. All the while in the Hamptons, she is trying to hide the secret from her friends that she is not a rich 'it' girl anymore but merely, an au pair.
Jacqui is a hot, curvacious Brazillain who is desperately trying to rekindle a love with her spring fling, Luca. Although she is approched daily by men twice her age to take her shopping and board her in their lavish yachts, Jacqui is convinced her Luca is the only man for her.
And finally there is Mara; a country-bumpkin, naive girl who only wants to earn some college money and escape to a world truly foreign to her. She has a steady boyfriend, Jim, whom she loves dearly. The only problem? She may the hots for the Perry's teen heir, Ryan.
All in all, this fairly predictable story of sex, martinis and Visa's is a fun read for a quiet, Sunday afernoon. But you'll most likey forget the loose plotline by Monday.
Rating: Summary: Light, Fun Read Review: I think this book is a good beach, bus, or airplane ride type of read. The chapters move at a pretty fast pace. This book describes the Hamptons to a "t" from the Jitney (sp?) bus to the socialites scrambling around to host the biggest parties and charity events. I liked how the three girls came together but wish it would have happened sooner than at the end of the book. Those interested in fashion will start salivating when reading about the fashion sale that happens every summer. That was one of my favorite parts. Buy this book if you're into reading magazines like US Weekly, Star, or InTouch. You'll definitely relate.
Rating: Summary: The Au Pairs Review: I've read The Au Pairs four times now. It is one of the best books I have ever read. I love how the girls all grow and change throughout the book and even become friends though they obviously have your differences. I have reccomended this book to lots of friends who have also loved the book.
Rating: Summary: The Perfect Beach Book Review: Light and fun and a little less mean and snobby than the Gossip Girl novels, The Au Pairs offers a fun and fluffy read perfect for pool-side enjoyment. All three main characters are likeable and, unlike those too-enviable GG characters, you'll be rooting for them from page 1. Especially the small-town girl, Mara, who is certainly a fish out of water in the glitzy, party-all-night world of the Hamptons. The girls' conflicts add some depth to what might otherwise be a no-brainer sort of novel. Mara strives for independance and self-acceptance, Liza copes with her new lifestyle and Jaqui just wants to be loved for her brain and not her cup size. The setting offers a glimpse into the uber-rich, uber-exclusive world of the Hampton-ites and is quite appealing. You'll be sorry to see their summer end, but - fear not - the author appears to have set them up for a sequel. Christmas in Palm Beach, anyone?
Rating: Summary: Lightweight "Au Pairs" Review: Melissa de la Cruz has made a literary name for herself writing fluffy stuff about celebrities and the haunts of the idle rich. She doesn't change much in "The Au Pairs," except that it's aimed at teenage girls craving a story about designer labels, boys, sex, and beach parties. It's a vaguely interesting brief story, but not much more.
Three girls arrive in the Hamptons, destined to be au pairs for a wealthy family over the summer. There's Eliza, whose father's shady dealings destroyed her Park Avenue life -- and she's determined to get it back. There's Jacqui, a beautiful South American pursuing a gorgeous American boy who lives in the area. And small-town girl Mara is simply dazzled by her surroundings -- and her employers' hunky son, Ryan.
They soon find that being an au pair is a pain -- men think of them as being slutty, kids are difficult, and sculpted stepmoms ignore the kids and hired help alike. But as Eliza mingles with her old pals -- hiding that she is now poor -- Jacqui discovers the ugly truth about her "Luca," and Mara is torn between her domineering white trash boyfriend and the handsome, sensitive Ryan. (No, I can't believe she actually dithers about this either) Cue the parties, Gucci and underage cocktails!
"The Au Pairs" is basically a mix of "Gossip Girl" and the "Nanny Diaries," but without "Diaries's" wit and sweetness. It's a predictable beach read for girls not yet in a job, and probably unable to imagine more typical chick-lit's career gripes. It's fluff, essentially, and not a great deal more.
It's also quite predictable -- we know that Jacqui will learn the truth about Luke, that Mara's goody-two-shoesness will win the day, and Eliza will learn that (gasp!) money doesn't matter. De La Cruz's writing is okay -- not bad, not good, not witty and not stupid. It's middling, without a lot of descriptions beyond the occasional makeout scene.
None of the three girls are too bright -- I mean, what sane woman would wear designer clothing around little kids who projectile-vomit? Neither are they very appealing. De La Cruz portrays Jacqui as an unrepentant manipulator, and Eliza as shallow and rather twerpy. Mara is even worse -- she's nice. Boringly nice. Nice in a reality-challenged way. And she will certainly bug strong-minded girls by agonizing about her knuckle-dragger boyfriend.
"The Au Pairs" might be a good light read while girls wait for their nails to finish drying. But otherwise it's lightweight and predictable -- typical chick-lit, except with less likable characters.
Rating: Summary: This is so Great! Review: once you start reading this book, you can't stop!! this is one funny, fast, fashion-filled story. three teens, mara, a suburban good girl, eliza, a former upper east side princess, and jacqui a brazilian model, work for a rich family in the hamptons. de la cruz writes with wicked wit and and a sweet center, you'll root for the girls as they battle bitchy bosses and vapid hilton-sister clones, the writing is so clear and sharp you can almsot smell the beach and taste the passion fruit margaritas! anyone who loved GossipGirl and the A-list will want to be an au pair!! can't wait for the sequel --- am dying to know what happens!!!
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