Having read 'HIGH MAINTENANCE' I knew to expect the sort of dark and sardonic humor that only Miss Belle can produce. However, while it was easy to read, 'GOING DOWN' did not posses the same charm as it successor.

'GOING DOWN' is the story of NYU freshman Bennington Bloom, who turns to working as a call girl to pay her way through college. That is really the most that I can say about this book because there was really nothing else to it. There were virtually no characters to focus on other than Benny, there was no understandable motive for anything that Benny did, and the entire plot consisted of Bennington going from "house" to "house" and her various exploits. The only saving grace for this book was that distinctive Jennifer Belle humor that every once in a while caused me to laugh out loud. I cant wait to read Belle's third novel so that I can compare the three and decide whether or not I would buy a fourth novel by this author, but if you liked 'GOING DOWN' you will love 'HIGH MAINTENANCE'.

I love Jennifer Belle's writing. I cry a lot during her books, because she will take the sad part of an ordinary part of life --whether it is a memory of the main character's from the 5th grade or her current situation --- and write about it so succinctly that it conveys the pathos all the more sharply.

Bennington is an 18-year-old at NYU who needs to pay her tuition and is suddenyl out of her apaprtment. She decides to fil the financial void by becoming a call girl. This isn't too bad, she reasons, except that there really is no way to do it "just once". Once you are on the slippery slope, there is no choice but to go down.

There is a large cast of strange characters in this book, who enter and depart quickly, like moths around a flame. Dylan, her brother, her parents and stepparents, "clients", madams, her dad's dog, and finally, it seems, true love.

The great thing is that Belle is not judgemental of the industry that Bennington finds herself in -- it is more like a journal written in stream of consciousness as she lives her gritty daily life.

Okay, so maybe you've never wanted to be a call girl, escort,whatever, but Jennifer Belle sure makes it sound interesting in her debut novel -Going Down-. Now, that title may be a tad misleading, but Ms. Belle sure keeps the interest level high with her smooth writing style and "just one more chapter and I'll go to sleep" plot pace. Bennington Bloom is just another starving college student looking for ways to earn her tuition (an buy the occasional Vuitton bag) without slinging drinks. Hopping from one escort service to the next, Bennington makes some money and picks up some new friends on the side. But "Pretty Woman" this is not. Mix in your run-of-the-mill dysfunctional family (let's just say that Bennington discovers her stepmother's previous place of employment), some freaky Johns, and a controlling boyfriend and you've got a book that just might make you stay in this Friday night.

I just finished this book and the only thing I found remotely funny was on page 288 and that's it. This book is about a pathetic 26 year old woman (I use the word "woman" loosely), who has never taken care of herself, has no idea how to use a computer (how did she ever get through life), can't drive, has a boyfriend (again using this term loosely) who bites her earlobe off during rough sex one night, and she married a man who said this romantic phrase to her "I still think you're beautiful, but when I woke up this morning, I looked at you under the covers, and I prayed you wouldn't wake up and start speaking."

I agree with him. She is whiny, has no brain, is pathetic and has no idea how to deal with people or situations. She has no friends and every single person she comes into contact with is a stereotype. I am a single woman and I am not stupid, or pathetic, or whiny. I find this book an insult. There is not one positive character in this entire book. I have had my fair share of rotten boyfriends and bad dates, but I never been (or met anyone who is) so stupid and annoying. Save your money and buy another book...any other book.

Oh yeah, did I mention that she opens a board game of Clue and eats the game pieces one night, or that she carries a gun around in her purse and randomly points it at people for fun. Very odd book, I wish I saved my [money].

Recently divorced Liv Kellerman finds herself having to move out of her million-dollar Upper East Side apartment that she once shared with her husband into a run down tenement with a non-working refrigerator and used furniture. Even though Liv's father is a famous fashion designer, so she could really move anywhere she wanted but Liv decides not to ask for help and try to make it on her own. Liv starts out on her journey to independence by becoming a reader for a blind judge but she soon decides that that is not the job for her and that she is just pushy enough to be a real estate agent. She soon finds that this is her calling and begins working for an androgynous woman by the name of Dale who owns a real estate gallery, which sells real estate and knick-knacks as well. On the road to independence Liv encounters some of the strangest characters one could imagine none stranger that her love interest Andrew who in my opinion is the nut job of the century which says a whole lot about Liv who decided to date him in the first place.

This book was not at all what I expected. I bought 'HIGH MANTINENCE' thinking that it was going to be a light-hearted romantic comedy but it turned out to be a bit dark, very sarcastic and extremely strange. It took me a while to warm up to the book because I couldn't relate to the characters nor did I like them but the further I read the funnier it got until I found myself laughing out loud. I grew to like Liv and her sarcastic nature but continued to despise her boyfriend Andrew (who was living with another woman the entire time) till the bitter end. I could not understand what Liv could have possibly seen in Andrew who upon their first meeting asked her "what would you do if I threw you off of this balcony?" and then proceeded to lift her up and dangle her over the edge. I kept waiting for Liv to see the light and get rid of this creep but she continued to go back to him as their relationship got stranger and stranger. As I said this novel was completely the opposite of what I expected but that's what made me stay up at nigh trying to finish this book.

Jennifer Belle definitely has a much different style of writing than other featured "chic lit" writers. Although this book is funny at parts, it has a sense of darkness throughout the whole novel. The main character, Liv Kellerman, while recently separated from her husband, struggles in NYC with her rundown apartment, new job as a real estate agent, and a jerk of a boyfriend. I'd have to say I was rather impressed with Belle's writing; at times it is very moving and beautiful...so much so that I wondered why she writes in this particular genre. If you were a big fan of Bridgette Jones or other funny female characters, this might not be the book for you because this main character isn't exactly funny in a light, whimsical way. She's funny at times in a dark, sick way. Overall I enjoyed this book although it may not be the kind of lighthearted read I assumed it to be.