Rating: 
Summary: A fun and interesting look at Latin culture
Review: I'm not realy sure what's up with all the negative reviews. I read this book and absolutely loved it. It literally made me laugh and cry. The novel focuses on 6 girls, the "sucias" (dirty girls) who have been friends since college and meet twice a year to catch up. The chapters rotate with a different girl as the focus. There is Lauren, a journalist whose sarcastic remarks make you crack up; Usnavys, who is chubby, materialistic, and afraid to love a man who isn't rich; Rebecca, who seems cold and distant and whose upbringing makes her very conservative and afraid to show her feelings; Elizabeth, who is a dark-skinned Columbiana that everyone always assumes is African-American and also turns out to be an in-the-closet lesbian; Amber, a singer who considers herself Indian because of her indigenous Mexican roots and becomes obsessed to the point of renaming herself Cuicatl; and Sara, who has a marriage her friends envy but isn't as perfect as it seems. The characters are compelling and even if the story seems far-fetched at times (hello, that's why it's called FICTION), the emotions are raw and real. The Dirty Girls Social Club is a novel that is so many things: a romance, a friendship story, a study of contemporary latin culture, it even deals with homosexuality and abuse. Pick it up if you want a light read that turns out to be much more.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent debut - well worth its hype
Review: THE DIRTY GIRLS SOCIAL CLUB is a juicy, profound, well-written, and emotionally riveting novel about six professional Latina girlfriends who are all going through various stages of life. From Rebecca, a magazine owner who is trapped in a marriage she cannot stand, to Elizabeth, the attractive television anchor who has a secret that threatens her career, the sucias (dirty girls) all have hurdles to jump, decisions to make, new lessons to learn. When the manuscript was on submission, this book caused a bidding frenzy and after reading, it's easy to understand why. The Dirty Girls Social Club is destined to earn a lot of attention. It's culturally rich, yet relatable as it deals with the universal themes of women, friendship, family, work, and relationship issues. The content is heavy on the Spanish, but it's a very sophisticated novel, textured, detailed, and is eye-opening in many ways in terms of exposing cultural stereotypes uncommonly known. Some scenes caused the hair to rise on my neck and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Fantastic plot twists, great description that places the reader in the scene (whether you're in Boston, LA, or Rome), there are dozens of compelling scenes, and so many elements of life and love which ring with honesty regardless of your ethnicity. This is the book to get, the book to read, the book that will cause tongues to wag from the East Coast, to the West Coast and beyond. It's a kicker of a novel, one of those types where the more you read, the better it gets, and the warmer you feel. Women all over will be cheering for The Dirty Girls Social Club.
Rating:
Summary: Not very dirty...
Review: Which, for everyone out there who is tierd of a decent storyline bogged down with silly, meaningless sex and smut, is a VERY good thing. This book tells the tale of the lives of a close group of women who are struggling to discover who they are and what they really want from their lives as they also contend with their identities as Latina women.
On the whole I enjoyed the story, it was humorous in some places and the writing was very smooth. I got through this one in a few days and I must say that it was more serious than I expected, and this is why, in my opinion, it is not genuine chick-lit. It is a few steps above that.
However, this seriousness is also why it gets four stars and not five. As a Latina (I actually call myself Hispanic), parts of this book just hit too close to home for me to REALLY enjoy it. I pressed on because I did like the story, but a book like this can make you feel uncomfortable if you can relate to the frustration these women feel when it comes to ignorant stereotyping of Latina women and Hispanic, Mexican, Spanish, WHATEVER roots. The ignorance of some people in this world is seriously jaw dropping to me, and so seeing this true ignorance these (fictional but very real) women deal must deal with, particularly in their careers, was just really true and really frustrating.
Also, I can see why some people would have a problem with this book because it DOES play upon some stereotypes itself. For instance, this book does not portray Hispanic, etc. men in a very flattering light. Nor does it seem to have much patience with first generation immigrants. None of this really offended me because personally, I think they are pretty true.
But ANYWAY, do not read this book if you are Hispanic, etc. and are looking for a beach read. Because this book might hit too close to home (like it did for me) and I guarantee your blood pressure will rise and for reasons of your own you might even start hyperventilating.
Like I said, great story, great writing, but too close to home for comfort.
Rating: 
Summary: Ridiculous stereotypical trash
Review: I cannot believe that St. Martin's actually shelled out as much money as they did for this trivial 'work'. Maybe one day, Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez will be a good author, but this offering doesn't show that.
The characters in this book, especially Usnavys, despite Valdes-Rodriguez's efforts, feed into every stereotype Americans have of Latin-American women. Her obsession with labels, her need for a propertied and rich man, all sound like the type of money-grubbing, bling-bling wearing hoochie mama that people have labeled us as.
I didn't pick this book up looking for an intellectual read at all--on the contrary, I was looking for something light and fun to unwind after finals last semester. What I got was a tightening in my gut thinking that this book has a four-star rating on Amazon while it's perpetuating every negative thing that people have to say about Latinas.
The writing itself also drove me bonkers. Valdes-Rodriguez has a choppy style that does this already clunking plot a huge disservice.
I'll never understand what drove the bidding war that resulted in the publication of this book, but I can do one thing to make myself feel better for falling for the hype...I can get my money back. I'd stay far, far away from this wanna-be Sandra Cisneros if I were you.
Rating: 
Summary: blah
Review: I did not fall in love with the characters. Rather, I would like to kill every one of them. I bought this book thinking it would be a fun read. I ended up wanting to get my money back. This book is full of pompous, money-grabbing women whose idea of a good life is to find a rich boyfriend/husband. A life-altering, earth-shattering crisis arises when one of them (...) must decide whether or not to choose a "poor" man. Between Usnavys who flaunts her riches to stuck-up (...) Rebecca, and Amber/Cuicatl who is reminiscent of the Christian evangelists, this book merely goes through the motions of being "diverse" in its portrayal of Latinas.
Rating:
Summary: Relatable to all women
Review: I found the book extremely entertaining and very relatable. While I am not Latina, I could see myself and my close group of friends mirrored in the charatures. I think we all have a "Lauren" or a "Rebecca" that we know. As for people who feel that Latino men are not represented well, stupid men are found in all races. This book has a similar flavor (but milder) as "Sex and the City". I can't wait for the author's next book
Rating:
Summary: A Great New Voice...
Review: Valdez-Rodriguez is a great new writer. As a Hispanic who reads, writes and thinks in English, I appreciate her style, content and ability to break the rules. The Dirty Girls Social Club is a funny novel that touches our realities in a smooth easy to read way. I enjoyed her treatment of each character, her ability to weave social situations, and her humor. Unlike Hispanic literature from native Spanish speakers, or translated works, Valdez-Rodriguez is a writer for us here in the US - focused on the relevance of our lives instead of something removed and far away. Read the book and keep an eye on her (hopefully) future works. Joel Font
Rating:
Summary: Great reading of a cute book
Review: My only complaint with the author's reading of her book is that it had to be abridged. The abridged version was enjoyable (can a CD be a 'page-turner?'), but it was over too soon! The author did a great job of differentiating voices for characters, without going over the line into the ridiculous.
Rating:
Summary: An exciting look at why Latinas are and are not all the same
Review: Great book! I could not put it down. Valdes does a good job of tying together the cultural differences of each of the characters and how those differences help shape their individual identities. Can't wait for her second book.
Rating:
Summary: Fun and Fiesty Read
Review: Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez's debut novel, The Dirty Girls Social Club is a sizzling yet not entirely substantial read. It follows the lives of 6 latina women who were best friends in college in the media program that call each other Sucias, or spanish for Dirty. While the first 40 pages are somewhat drab, as you get into the novel which is divided into parts for each woman, you find yourself truly interested and rooting for each character. Essentially most of the conflicts in each girls life revolves around an aspect of their love life, but there is a more far reaching element to Valdes-Rodriguez story; the question of the place of each of these women in the world, as an immigrant in some cases, or as an outsider in another respect, or in terms of their position as a Latino woman. The 6 women include Lauren (a newspaper columnist who makes destructive decisions), Usnavys (a larger charity-working woman who loves to flaunt her assets and isn't happy to settle down with anything), Rebecca (uptight and miserable magazine exec), Elizabeth (Colombian news anchor that is placed in the news spotlight for a secret), Sara ('happily' married with some bad consequences), and Amber (Mexica movement princess who is seeking a music career in her hippie-type lifestyle). While reading this story, which does capture your attention as a guilty pleasure, you might find yourself dissatisfied with the level of language used, the book itself is not one of considerable merit. However the spanish terms and feel to the book are very connected and give it its own character, and afetr finishing it I found myself using a few of the terms and slangs picked up throughout. When I looked for a theme in the book that all women, latino and others alike, could relate to, I found that a big part of the plot was what makes these women happen, and in turn had me asking what makes me happy. Essentially Valdes-Rodriguez shows that the thing that gives each sucia their happiness, is freedom - on many levels. So just like each Sucia finds her path to freedom, you have you freedom to choose whether or not you want to read this novel. A great fun read for the summer that gives you some perspective into the Latina world in a variety of settings!
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