Customer Reviews

The Cougar Club: A Novel

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Three best friends, Kat, Carla and Elise, are back together in the same town after many years apart. They are now in their mid-40's and are each at a turning point in life:

Kat just recently lost her job in Manhattan because her superiors have decided younger employees are the way to go and upon finding her much younger boyfriend having some cyber fun, she has decided he's got to go too. So she packs up and heads back home to St. Louis and her two BFF's.

Carla is the town's news anchorwoman... a celebrity of sorts. She's hot at 40, and she knows it, not to mention she's going out with the young Sportscaster at her station. But she suddenly finds herself in a déjà vu moment, when a younger woman is a threat to her job... just like she did once upon a time to her predecessor.

Then there's Elise - whose life seems to be the most stable. She's been married for years, her children are grown and gone from home and now she finds herself in a rut. Her marriage and sex life sucks and her husband is quite possibly cheating on her.

Their unofficial "Cougar Club" is what they'll need in order to see, get through and move forward from these not-so-great moments in life.

This was a fun and quick read that had it's funny and light moments but also had some moments that were thought-provoking. I love the idea of a cougar. Why? Well because I've never felt that age should define a person. Plus I give kudos to any woman who at 45 can still live and look like they are in their late 20's, early 30's. You go girlfriend!

Ms. McBride's writing is hip and fun. She really brought these woman to life - made you feel as if you could know someone like them in real life. The issues and struggles they face were realistic and most women over 30 can definitely relate. I truly enjoyed this story about friendship, love, and just life in general.

I loved the Club's motto:
True friendship never dies, the only way to live is real, and you're never too old to follow your heart.

I think that is so true and certainly something every woman, no matter the age, should live by.

This was a wonderful treat to read and I definitely recommend it.

The Cougar Club has everything that I love in a chick lit book, particularly the fact that this book is written about women who are over the "young" age of 40 something and are looking for younger men! Gasp!!!!! I loved it!!!! Its about time we reverse the roles here and this book basically describes my life to a "T". Yes, people, there are no guys my age left (or at least it feels that way) and actually, one of the only men I have ever loved was 10 years younger than I - so, I had a lot invested in reading this novel.

First of all, the characters are smart and witty and interesting. No wimpy little "poor me" characteres here and led by Kate - they are about to go on an interesting and kind of scary trek into the world of dating younger men.

The writing, although very smart, is also funny and down to earth. I found myself shaking my head at so many of the descriptions in the book and particularly at the reflections made by the women as they try to naviguate their way through romance and men of all ages.

I also like that the overall message is positive and optimistic - never give up on love (although I have, personally, wanted to do this many times). I loved, this chick lit book and I suggest you get to know The Cougar Club.

Meet Kat, Elise, and Carla---the three fabulous women who star in author Susan McBride's new series, The Cougar Club. With this new book, McBride leaps from Maggie the hard-boiled detective; Andie, the dropout debutant; and the three high school debs to ahem, women of a certain age. Closer to forty-five to be precise. McBride's trademark style of humor and sarcasm makes the leap effortlessly, providing readers of all ages a guaranteed laugh.
When Kat loses her Manhattan advertising, she realizes she has also had enough of her boyfriend/boy-toy, Roger. She packs her stuff and heads back home to St. Louis. The Gateway City is just what Kat needs to soothe her soul. Not only is it "home," it's where her two best friends have stayed.
There's local newswoman Carla, the face of St. Louis, who is being nudged out of her anchor chair by a blond bimbo, in much the way Carla forced out her predecessor. To round out the trio is dermatologist Elise, who everyone thinks has the perfect marriage, the perfect husband, and the perfect kids. However, poor Elise is suffering from a less-than-perfect sex life with the only man whom she's ever slipped between the sheets.
While Kat tries to decide what to do with the rest of her life, she helps Elise and Carla navigates the minefield of men and life makeovers at middle age.
The Cougar Club is not only a celebration of women but of friendship and life and, finally, getting what you want out of life. There are three surprises waiting for the three friends and for the readers that will leave them with an OMG-I can't-wait-for-the next-book longing.

Forty-five year old New Accounts advertising team leader Kat Maguire is downsized after fifteen loyal years at her firm; when she finds her twenty-eight years old lover Roger having cyber sex she downsizes him. She decides to go home to St. Louis where her family and two BFFs live.

Her buddy Carla Moss is a successful news anchor, but the station seems to be grooming a bimbo replacement. She also has personal problems as her beloved mom is losing her grip on realty.

Dermatologist Dr. Lisie Randolph has been successful at work, with raising her kids and apparently in marriage. However, the empty nest syndrome is hammering at her while her spouse whom she married in college ignores her.

These three middle age women in terrific shape physically, but a bit down mentally unto they re-forge their friendship and go on the prowl as cougars hunting young male meat. However, each knows deep inside their soul they really seek love, commitment and the meaning of life.

This is a fun tale of three women seeking their groove as middle age has each wondering if that is all there is to life while attempting to hang onto their dwindling youth. The characters are solid including the support cast of each of the lead females and the rotating point of view enhances understanding what each wants. Although somewhat unlikely perhaps even over the top of the Arch, fans will root for the Cougar Club members to get what they want.

Three women in their mid forties who were best friends in high school come back together during a stage in their lives when their age makes them lose job, potentially lose jobs, reevaluate relationships and figure out where they are in life in general.

While I felt the three women were overly sexually charged to be realistic, I did enjoy the book overall. This book is perfect to read at the beach or at the pool this summer. I found myself looking forward to reading the book for about two days after I had actually finished the book, ending up disappointing myself that I had already finished it! LOL!

The Cougar Club centers around three life long friends- Kat, Carla and Elise. They've just turned 45 and each of them is facing changes in their lives. Kat gets canned from her ritzy Manhattan advertising firm and simultaneously dumps her going no where relationship with a younger man. She moves back to her home town of St. Louis where she reconnects with Elise, a dermatologist, and with Carla, a prominent local TV anchorwoman. Carla is in danger of losing her job to a younger woman and Elise's plastic surgeon husband might be having an affair. I really loved the friendship among the women and how they dealt with turning "older" in a youth obsessed society. I have to admit, Carla "Car" was my favorite. This was a fun, fast paced read with a happy ending that I didn't want to end!

I really did enjoy this book. It was a breezy summer read, and I finished it very quickly, because I liked the characters and wanted to see how they all ended up. I also think the author is a good writer.

My only quibble is the excruciating amount of detail. One of the characters mentions that someone gave up a mansion off Litzsinger in Ladue. Another character couldn't just drive down the Interstate; she had to drive down the 64/40 and get off the Fourteenth Street exit and turn left on Clark Street and end up in front of the Scottrade Center (paraphrasing here). Realism is one thing, and I appreciate that she seems to know St. Louis really well, but do we really need exact directions? That same character's mouth was foaming with Colgate. Why not just say toothpaste? Love isn't just comfy and warm, it's comfy and warm like a Snuggie. I know I sound like I'm nitpicking, but it just got annoying after a while and took me out of the story. A few mentions scattered through a story are atmosphere; too many and they become commercials.

I would definitely read another book by her if she would just dial down all the details, though. So if that sort of thing doesn't bother you, I can recommend this one.

I am a fan of Ms. Mcbride's mystery series so I had high hopes going into this book. Luckily I was not let down. I loved each woman in The Cougar Club and her quest for love & happiness. The writing is as quirky & charming as her debutant dropout mysteries. Women past 35 will esp. enjoy this and find so much to relate to.

The Cougar Club by Susan McBride isn't to be passed just because you aren't a cougar! A cougar, a term coined popular by celebrities such as Demi Moore, is when an older woman hooks a young man, such as Ashton Kutcher. The three characters in this novel are high school friends that drifted apart but are now coming back together, all in their 40's and at a crucial point in their lives. Kat has just been fired from her cushy job and broke off her relationship with her younger man, and ran from New York to her hometown of St. Louis in need of the comfort from her family and friends. Carla is the top anchorwoman that is determined not to let a much younger bimbo steal her job and spotlight, and Elise is watching her marriage fall apart, convinced her husband is having an affair. The three friends tighten their bond and help one another through their separate journeys.
I found The Cougar Club to be a smart, witty, and thought-provoking novel. The characters are all extremely likeable and down to earth, making it easy to feel their problems and search for the solutions along with them. I am not in the "cougar" age yet, but that didn't hinder my reading experience at all. The life lessons, love lessons, and overall meaning of what true friendships are all about makes this book a must read for chick lit fans.

Society has come far over the years. For hundreds and hundreds of years nobody thought anything of it when an older man married a much younger woman. Now us middle-aged women turned the pages. I think this time is the best time of all to be a middle-aged woman, and books like this make aware of it. I am glad to see that!
Sonja Paris, author of MAKE THE COUGAR PURR