In the summer of 2000 in New York, Janey Wilcox has become a Victoria's Secret model. However, she is tired of the "sex and the city" scene while always looking to climb up the social ladder. Janey has made a new friend in the Hamptons in socialite Mimi Kilroy. Matchmaking with Janey's encouragement, Mimi introduces the lovely model to her wealthy neighbor Selden Rose, head of MovieTime.

Knowing her modeling career is on the age precipice, Janey goes all out to become the wife of Selden. They marry following a 100-yard dash romance. Their Italian honeymoon is not quite the fun Janey anticipated as she misses her shopping sprees. To make matters worse, married life in Manhattan proves tedious especially when Janey feels she picked the runt of the litter. Reassessing her values, will Janey find some middle class morality or will she seek a higher rung on the social ladder?

Though amusing and satirical, yet insightful into the Manhattan style life of a wannabe, only the die hard Sex and the City fans will gain pleasure from the tale. The irony is that the story line is well written and often perceptive, but the problem is that the key protagonist is so amoral, she offers no balance and thus most of the audience will detest her as she is no modernized Holly Golightly. Still fans of Candace Bushnell will appreciate the latest adventures of it happened to Janey.

Harriet Klausner

This is a fantastic novel. It reminds me of Gone With the Wind, or Tom Jones, but set in NYC in modern times. I saw the author on Oprah right after she got married, and she impressed me as smart, funny, and down to earth but glamorous. Her novel Trading Up is smart, funny and glamorous, but also wise. She realizes it's not all about just finding Mr. Right. I've bought five copies of this book to give out to friends!!!

I love Sex and the City and I loved Candace Bushnell's last book, Four Blondes. I read a strange review of her new book in The New York Times, but knew I had to get this book as soon as it came out. I don't know what the Times reviewer was talking about. She missed the point of this brilliant, hilarious, smart and incredibly entertaining book entirely.
Candace Bushnell is my hero. Everyone should read her new book.
If the author weren't so beautiful and glamorous, people would be comparing her to Tom Wolfe and Bonfire of the [Vanities!!!]

Well, most of the people who will read this book will do so because of the great success of the HBO's series. But try not to expect too much. It was a good starting point for the TV show, but sometimes it is dissappointing in some details. In my opinion, the TV show is better. But hey, go ahead and read it! It is not bad at all. It surely shows some aspects of single-life here in New York, and the shallow characters are so easy to find in real life! I can say that, because I am currently living in Manhattan and I have seen similar weird situations depicted in this book. If you want some summer fun, pick up this book. I finished it in just 4 days...

'Sex and the City' is fun to read and entertaining. The people's lives are so outrageous that you wonder in what farm have you been living. I love the topics, the toxic bachelors, the guys who would only date models, the whole concept about threesomes and the four city girls including "Carrie" visiting married women with children in Conneticut and enjoying themselves, to their dismay. The book focuses Carrie's life and her boyfriend, "Mr. Big". I love the HBO series based on this book, but the book brings a total different perspective to life, and is even more outrageous and sexually explicit than the actual series!! It's a great read!!

Very, very funny -- Bushnell can write. (As an aside, both my husband and I also adore the HBO series...we have Candace to thank for that) Finally, women get to have a sense of humor about their conflicted desires and sexuality. Good God, it's about time. I look forward to her next work. I just finished reading "HE NEVER CALLED AGAIN", It was amusing and witty, a look into the real world of publishing!

I am sure the only reason this book was even published was Candance Bushnell's Sex in the City success. This book isn't worth the paper it is written on. After the first story I skimmed the second and couldn't even finish the third or begin the fourth. This book isn't even worth 1 star. Stick with Sex in the City!

I highly doubt that any of us went into reading this book for its literary content. In that assumption we were correct- this is no Gustave Flaubert or Jane Austen. Nor is it something that will cause you to engage in deep thinking (unless you count casual sex and the Hamptons to be deep thinking material).

There are many things this book is not. However, there are many things that this book IS and I will choose to share those with you since other readers have bombarded you with numerous complaints about this book, which by now we are all familiar with. Candace Busnell's "Four Blondes" IS...

1. Full of dry, dark, sexual humor. One has only to look at the characters to see the irony- Janey Wilcox, possibly the most dependant character you will meet in your reading history, who's only goal in life is to find a wealthy man with a huge Hamptons home and an expensive but blonde-friendly car to live with over the summer. Winnie & James Dieke, journalists with celebrity connections, a failing marriage, and a cocaine problem (due to the celebrity connections). Princess Cecilia, obviously the wife of a prince, who is insecure in herself, her position in life, and her marriage (her husband's family wants her to be next Di. No brainer there). Finally you have an anonymous writer in a quest to find an Englishman decent in bed.

2. Amusement purposes. This is two of the stars- there are seriously some lines in here that are laugh-out-loud hilarious. Candace Bushnell is the Queen of one-liners. However, for all the humor and amusement that these pitiful and pathetic characters provide, the book barely salvages three stars.

There are many things this book is not. I did not expect this book to be the greatest read of my life. However, I DID expect more fully developed characters and that is my main complaint with Ms. Bushnell. The characters seriously lacked development in several areas, making them at times too whiny and difficult to relate to. Amusing as they were, and they did have their lucid intervals of genius, I found them not up to par with the standard Bridget Jones, Becky Bloomwood, Jemima Jones.

I was especially disappointed in the last of Bushnell's protagonists, the anonymous writer. She was very possibly the best developed character, and I was most unbelievably disappointed when her story was cut far too short. I could have read an entire book about HER instead of one crowded with mini novellas of three other psycopathic women.

In short, this book is a guilty pleasure, and a guilty pleasure with a warning sign stamped across the front. If you are REALLY looking for an enjoyable read about smart, sexy women, read "Bridget Jones Diary", "Confessions of a Shopaholic", and/or "Jemima J", which are MUCH more well written novels.

3/5 stars. Be glad I gave you that, Ms. Bushnell.

The new tales from author Candace Bushnell, pick up right where she left-off. While this isn't a sequel to "Sex and the City" (which, I might add is WONDERFUL) it has the same tone and demeanor. These tales of New York City women and their lives are filled with sex, money, and well.....being shallow. Yes, these are the shallowest bunch of people I have ever read about. And, I loved it. It's the perfect way to escape into a world that very few of us will ever realize or experience. This hip and wealthy world of New York celebrity is full of ego's and the people who "rule the world." While this isn't the BEST book I've ever read, (it's divided into sections with different characters) I found it exciting and a delightful and naughty treat. Recommend for the less adventures readers. It's not difficult but, fun all the same.