Growing Up Beautiful

by Lori Jones

[Cocktails and Books]

Are you a fan of America's Next Top Model and trashy 80's mini-series? This is your book, it centers on three young girls in Milan for the summer to try to make it in the modeling business. Their stories intersect only to the point that they are all from America and room together in a low budget hotel, an arrangement made by their modeling agency. The focus is not their friendship but each girl's experience. Because there are three leads the author is able to dramatize a different aspect of the modeling world.

I meant it when I said this book reminds me of a trashy 80's mini-series ( in a good way), think of it as a junior version of Lace. The author plays to the more stereotyped pitfalls of modeling: the agent that loses your booking (accidentally on purpose), the sleazy owner who "sells" his models to rich patrons and photographers, and the girl who falls for the money and power. This book is filled with juicy plot twists all packed into a six week summer vacation. What about the characters? They are more caricatures than well drawn characters and that works perfectly against the backdrop of scheming models and lecherous photographers. Born Beautiful is a certified guilty pleasure.