Monday, April 19, 2010

Review: Poor Little Bitch Girl

Summary: Three twenty-something women, one hot rich guy, two mega movie stars, and a devastating murder: Poor Little Bitch Girl has it all.

Denver Jones is a hotshot twenty-something attorney working in L.A. Carolyn Henderson is personal assistant to a powerful and very married Senator in Washington with whom she is having an affair. And Annabelle Maestro—daughter of two movie stars—has carved out a career for herself in New York as the madame of choice for discerning famous men. The three of them went to high school together in Beverly Hills—and although Denver and Carolyn have kept in touch, Annabelle is out on her own with her cocaine addicted boyfriend, Frankie.

Then there is Bobby Santangelo Stanislopolous, the Kennedyesque son of Lucky Santangelo and deceased Greek shipping billionaire, Dimitri Stanislopolous. Bobby owns Mood, the hottest club in New York. Back in the day he went to high school with Denver, Carolyn and Annabelle. And he connected with all three of them. Frankie is his best friend.

When Annabelle’s beautiful movie star mother is found shot to death in the bedroom of her Beverly Hills mansion, the five of them find themselves thrown together . . . and secrets from the past have a way of coming back to haunt everyone. . . .

A new, sexy, and explosive novel from perennial bestseller Jackie Collins. -- St. Martin's Press

In the past (and before my blogging days), I used to read almost every book that hit the best seller list. I think it had something to do with my desire to talk about books with others, and I knew my chances were better if I read a book that lots of other people were reading. So it's probably obvious that I've read a few Jackie Collins' books during that time period.

I was so excited when I had the opportunity to review her latest novel POOR LITTLE BITCH GIRL. I had read some terrific reviews of the book, and it had been awhile since I've read one of Ms. Collins' book. I have to say that I wasn't disappointed. POOR LITTLE BITCH GIRL was filled with everything I remembered from Ms. Collins' other books -- sex, murder, scandal, and much, much more! It truly was a very fun read!

POOR LITTLE BITCH GIRL pulled me in right away from the first few chapters. Part of the reason is Ms. Collins' writing style, but I also think the characters she creates are just so interesting. They are all flawed (some more than others for sure), but I just love reading about their world. Needless to say, the characters and events in her book couldn't be further from my own life; and I actually think that's why I (and so many readers) find her books so appealing. The thought that there might be people out there living these kinds of lives is mind-boggling and at the same time intriguing. Ms. Collins even says, "If anything, my characters are toned down - the truth is much more bizarre." Crazy, right?

I did find the plot to be very captivating as well. There was a Hollywood murder mystery storyline that I found interesting; however, I also enjoyed the story about the scandal involving a senator. As outrageous as these plots were in the book, there weren't outside the realm of reality to me. I won't go so far as to say that I was kept guessing about either of the storylines, but I don't think that was the intent of the book. I think it was just supposed to be an entertaining story with entertaining characters. And POOR LITTLE BITCH GIRL certainly was that!

Evidently, many of the characters in POOR LITTLE BITCH GIRL have appeared in Ms. Collins' other novels. (Remember, I did say it's been awhile since I've read her books?) A few of the characters in this book, like Bobby Santangelo Stanislopolous and his mother Lucky, are great (and very likable) characters; and I'm excited that I can go back and learn more about their lives in Ms. Collins' other books. In addition, Ms. Collins left POOR LITTLE BITCH GIRL with quite a few open-ended stories, so I have a feeling that she might be using some of the same characters in her future novels as well.

Ms. Collins has had an unbelievable amount of best-sellers during her career -- something like 27 books. In fact, POOR LITTLE BITCH GIRL was an instant best-seller, but there's really no surprise there. Ms. Collins is known as the "Queen of Steam" for a very good reason, but I think she's also a fantastic storyteller. She certainly knows how to weave a tale that's sexy, intriguing, and full of larger-than-life characters. And there is no one who does Hollywood gossip better! There is no doubt in my mind that when I want to read a juicy book that just allows me to escape -- I can turn to a Jackie Collins!

Thanks to Get Red PR for sending me a copy of this book!

Make sure you come back tomorrow because Ms. Collins will be making an appearance right here at Booking Mama. And there just might be a special surprise too!

6 comments:

Sandy Nawrot said...

Oh dear. Well, like you, I read all the Jackie Collins books in college. My friends and I learned alot about all things kinky with these books (my mother would be so proud to know I was reading this and not my accounting textbooks). It would be interesting to read one again, but honestly the thought never would have occurred to me until this moment!

bermudaonion said...

I read some Jackie Collins books years ago, too. This sounds like a good beach read!

Misty said...

wow... you got me interested!
Hope to get to read this one!
-Misty

April said...

Excellent review, Julie!! I haven't read Jackie Collins in years, but loved her. I will have to get my hands on a copy of this one!

Beth F said...

I probably read a Collins or two years ago. Good to know that this one is a hit.

Unknown said...

This sounds like fun and I'm going to read the gumpy level. I'd hate to start and not finish.