Smile and Look Pretty by Amanda Pellegrino

Disclaimer: I was sent a free book and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

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Outside of all things Disney reading brings me the greatest joy. I love going on adventures, getting lost in another world, or traveling around the world. Reading takes me places I can only dream of in reality.

Book Description

Best friends Cate, Lauren, Olivia, and Max are overworked and underpaid assistants to some of the most powerful people in the entertainment industries. Like the assistants who came before them, the women know they have to pay their dues and abide the demeaning tasks and verbal abuse from their bosses in order to climb the ladders to their dream jobs.

But as they are passed over for promotions and the toxic office environments reach a breaking point, the women secretly start an anonymous blog detailing their experiences, which snowballs into hundreds of others coming forward with stories of their own. Confronted with newfound viral fame and the possibility of their identities being revealed, the assistants have to contend with the life-changing consequences of speaking out against those who refuse to share the power.

About Amanda Pellegrino

Amanda Pellegrino is a twentysomething TV writer living in NYC who has spent many years as an assistant to actors, producers, writers, and directors. Most recently she worked on Showtime's "Rust" and HULU's "The Looming Tower." Her writings have appeared on Refinery29 and Bustle. The Twentysomethings is her debut novel.

My Thoughts

This story was a face-paced, page-turning read for me.

The story is about four female friends who work in the world of personal assistants. As they work hard to climb the ladder they are subjected to many forms of harassment both verbal and sexual. They look at it as paying their dues to grab the golden ring of success.

However when they start seeing their male counterparts being promoted and rising up the ladder of successes they team up to shed light on the toxic work environment.

They begin writing a blog anonymously about all they are facing but when their blog goes viral and they become famous they run the risk of being found out.

What I loved about this story was that these women chose t to speak out. They gave a voice to all those who suffered in silencece. It also made me think of my son who tells people when we meet them to be careful what they say as they may end up in my blog.

I thought the writer did a great job in shedding light on a situation that is all too familiar to many women in the corporate world. IT is sad to know these things still happen but by bringing them to light we can work towards stopping.

Overall I enjoyed this book and the characters. I found it to be a quick and interesting read.