LoveHampton [Paperback]

Sherri Rifkin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 13, 2008

After a recent break-up sent her into a self-imposed “personal hiatus,” thirty-something New York TV-promo producer Tori Miller is determined to get a life. The fastest way? A Hamptons summer share house.  She ditches her old look—thanks to a last-minute makeover on a reality show pilot—and over the next three months, the new-and-improved “Miller” becomes the wing-woman to a glamorous new B.F.F., goes head-to-head with her house’s prickly Resident Alpha Female, and is drawn into a web of secrets by a charming Brit.  But soon she finds herself entangled in one too many complicated romantic situations—and the many Hamptons Unwritten Rules threaten to implode her new, carefully cultivated social standing.  Now the fabulous life Tori has might not be the one she wants, and she must decide who she really is, what she wants, and what she’s willing to give up to get there…all by Labor Day.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Rifkin's dazzling debut, Manhattanite media pro Tori Miller shares a posh Hamptons summerhouse with five upwardly mobile 30-somethings. Wanting out of the depressing slide her life takes after being dumped by her first love and losing her dream job, Tori starts MillerWorks, her own TV production company. Still, Tori's depressed, bringing about an intervention staged by her loyal employees, Jerry and Jimmy, her best friend Alice and the Transformation Trio—three make-over experts who use Tori as the pilot subject for their new reality TV show. Tori flirts with a glamming lifestyle, and her fling with George, a rich playboy with a publicist, while she's also secretly canoodling with a housemate, banker Andrew Kane, is a recipe for disaster. Tori must think fast on her borrowed Manolos, especially when Cassie Dearborn, her new friend and housemate, needs help with her own disastrous Hampton hijinxs. Hotter than a sand dune in August, cooler than a mojito in South Beach (or Southhampton), this book will appeal to Sex and the City fans and summer beach readers alike. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Tori Miller is reentering the social scene after two years of wallowing following an awful breakup. Her frustrated friends Jeremy, Jimmy, and Alice sign her up as the first subject of a new makeover show. The transformed Tori then joins a summer share in the Hamptons, and soon becomes too comfortable with the glam lifestyle—juggling dates with wealthy playboy George and secret liaisons with her housemate Andrew. The latter puts her in the vengeful path of another housemate Leah. When a housemate’s well-being is endangered, Tori realizes her socialite behavior is jeopardizing her true friendships, her floundering production company, and the opportunity for a real relationship with Andrew. Most readers will never experience a Hamptons summer, but this debut novel will transport them to this world of fashionable people and nonstop parties. It’s a beach read with style, substance, and romance—an irresistible combination. --Aleksandra Walker

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Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; First Edition edition (May 13, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312380216
• ISBN-13: 978-0312380212
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #397,023 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sherri Rifkin is a writer living in New York City. Ms. Rifkin writes web and mobile content for a variety of entertainment and media clients, including USA Network, TNT, HBO, Bravo and E! Online. She is the author of a number of web, newspaper and magazine articles--including a "Carrie Bradshaw"-esque weekly web column under the pseudonym Sydney Ridgeway for TBS's launch of Sex and the City and features for the New York Post's Sunday TV section--as well as two non-fiction books: Givin' It Their All (Ballantine), an unauthorized biography of the Backstreet Boys, and Astrological Intelligence: A Practical System for Illuminating Life's Everyday Choices co-written with Andrea Valeria, a well-known astrologer in the U.S. and Mexico (Harmony). Prior to dedicating herself to writing full time, she was a cable television marketing executive at Bravo and Oxygen, in charge of online marketing at HarperCollins and a book editor at both Harmony Books and Ballantine Books. In September 2007, she was awarded a fellowship from the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA) in Amherst, Virginia. She is currently at work on her second novel.

Follow Sherri on Twitter: www.twitter.com/sherririfkin
Visit her website at: www.sherririfkin.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I fell in love ..., May 22, 2008

By 

NYFoodie (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: LoveHampton (Paperback)

I bought this book thinking I would take it to the beach with me on Memorial Day weekend, but then I started reading it and couldn't put it down (now I need to find something else to read)! It's as fun and funny as several Sex and the City episodes, with totally lovable and relatable characters (you'll even love the "baddies" for how bad they are). It really captures the essence of summer shares, Hamptons-mania, the trek to the beach, the feelings of inadequacy in the face of great beauty and wealth, the sweetness of a first kiss with a new boyfriend/girlfriend. A great beach read, a real mini-vaction.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Loved, loved it, June 6, 2008

By 

Tina "Tina" (Montreal, Quebec) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: LoveHampton (Paperback)

I am a picky reader. I am especially picky about my contemporary romance reads. Although some dislike the term "chick lit", to me it is a badge of honor! I have been recently bemoaning the apparent demise of the genre. Well, I am thrilled to report that LOVEHAMPTON is literally making me eat my words!

This debut novel, written by Sherri Rifkin has brought back all that is wonderful about a well written contemporary romance.

Our main character Tori (or it is Miller?) has led the life of a recluse for the last two years, thanks to her former boyfriend. Well, her friends aren't going to take it anymore and practically force her to take part in a house sharing program in the Hamptons and we get to along for the ride.

I absolutely adored the detailed scenes of the socialite parties, the beautiful clothes and the even more wild relationships and hook-ups (although these were all described with surprisingly little sexual content) - which tells me that the author understands that, for most of us, reading these books is really about romance and love (okay and maybe a little bit about the shoes and the clothes!!!).

Although there is alot going on (there are quite a few characters to keep track of), Rifkin somehow manages to make us care about each and every character - although I have to admit it was more of a stretch for me to care about Leigh!

However, throughout the good times, the partying and the in-fighting (you knew there had to be some right?') - the author never forgets about Tori - and the fact that this character is a smart, hurt and vulnerable person.

Although, at times, I have to admit that I wanted to scream at her to 'get tougher' and to 'stop letting other people tell you what to do', it is obvious, by the end of the story, that the author had a very definite arc planned for her. I thouroughly enjoyed watching Tori learn her lessons the hard way and through it all still held on to her empathy, warmth and hope!

I loved, loved, loved this book. I can't wait for the second book by this author.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Life after a breakup, August 1, 2009

By 

Shon - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: LoveHampton (Paperback)

Tori (aka "Miller" to her Hampton housemates) is waking up after a two-year depression caused by the breakup with her boyfriend. With the help of her best friends, Tori is made over, has started her own business, and thrown into a house share with strangers in the Hamptons. As the summer progresses, Tori comes out of her shell and begins dating, she can't help but wonder if "this new Tori" is the woman she truly wants to be.

LoveHampton is a perfect way to spend a lazy summer afternoon. Readers immediately connect to Tori as she struggles to move forward with her life. Yes, at times, she doesn't make the best decisions, however when she falls, she's able to pick herself back up. Readers will cheer her on as she tries to navigate her way through life and continue to "drive her bus" despite where the road may lead her.

Although, her love choice is obvious, Tori cannot see it until it's almost too late. I didn't understand why she was with George (he didn't appear to be what she wanted in a boyfriend) and at times I was frustrated with how he treated her and that she allowed him to do so.

The secondary characters added depth to the storyline. There's Alice, Tori's married best friend, who only wants the best for her; Jimmy and Jerry, her employees and relationship advisors; Cassie, one of her housemates, who just may not be as perfect as she appears; Leah, the control-freak and the one Tori needs to watch out for; and finally Andrew, Michael and Jackson, the three male roommates.

All in all, I enjoyed reading LoveHampton. My only regret? It has been sitting on my bookshelf for over a year. I wish I had read it sooner.