Customer Reviews

Make Him Look Good

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Oh my, this was probably the one of worst pieces of fiction I have read in a while, and definitely the worst book I've read of Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez. I am so flustered, I just don't know what to say. I've read Ms. Valdes-Rodriguez's other two novels -- Dirty Girls Social Club and Playing With Boys -- and could not put those books down. However, this one? I had to force myself to keep reading it was so bad. From the overexaggerated characters (the ultra-obsessed groupie Milan, the eternally vain, shallow characters of Ricky and Jill, the uber-innocence of Jasminka) to the overbearing plot and numerous subplots, it was hard to get into this book. This is the first time that I didn't relate to the protagonist (Milan) in a novel.

While there were some delightful punches of humor, mostly provided by Milan's narration, and Milan and Geneva's fiesty mom, overall Make Him Look Good made me feel bad. Really bad. For starters, there were glaring inconsistencies throughout the novel, including one where Milan pops a Ricky Biscayne tape into the tape deck while driving, but a few sentences later and a few miles down the road, Milan is listening to a Ricky Biscayne CD?!?!

What stood out with me most is the fact that Ms. Valdes-Rodriguez's personal vendetta against Jennifer Lopez (aka Jill Sanchez) almost overtook the whole premise of the book! By the end of the book, it is no secret that the author has an axe (or two, or three, or fifty) to grind with Lopez (and for what reason, I don't know). The paralells and the digs were endless...down to the JSan (JLo anyone?) clothing and accessory line and recollection of the romance with rapper D-Kitty (P. Diddy). Many an author have characters based on their own personal antagonists in their real lives, but with enough creativity and level of disguise, the average reader wouldn't know. But this one? Jill Sanchez? Please.

It's somehow comforting to know that ethnic chick-lit can be as vapid and annoying as the typical mainstream variety. One good example of this is Alisa Valdes-Rodrieguez's "Make Him Look Good," a hideously inept satire on celebrity and self-absorbed males.

Chubby, fangirlish Milan is president of an online fanclub for Ricky Biscayne, a sexy crossover singer; so when her chic, urbane sister Geneva offers to get her a meeting -- then a job -- with Ricky, she jumps at the chance. Suddenly she's his new publicist, hobnobbing with the rich and famous -- and a convenient sex partner.

But Ricky's life is swarming with women -- his fragile, newly pregnant supermodel wife Jasminka, his disapproving mom, an ex-girlfriend who bore his daughter as a teenager, and man-hungry A-lister Jill Sanchez. When Ricky disgraces and lies to the various women, they band together to revenge themselves on him and the cunning Jill.

I love soapy chick-lit as much as the next person, but "Make Him Look Good" is almost offensive in its thinly-veiled, smug attitude. Instead of satirizing and condemning sleazy stars, celebrity-worship and marital cheating -- as it seems to at first -- it lingers on them like a lustful cameraman.

Valdes-Rodrieguez seems more interested in lingering on Miami chic clubs, A-list housing and clothing than on plot. She also apparently gets tired of certain storylines -- Geneva stealing Milan's past boyfriends is awkwardly dismissed with "oh... I was wrong, sorry." The climax is the height of the hilarity, with a "surprise" expose with the media that is more fantasy than Harry Potter, and written with campy ineptitude.

The characters aren't so great either -- our heroine Milan is a pitiful, spineless girl who lives in a fantasy world, and sleeps with a pregnant woman's husband without remorse. Why should we care about her? The other characters are "types" rather than people: sexy successful sister, arrogant and sexist Latin guy, fragile child-woman from war-torn country, vaguely butch firewoman and feisty teen.

The only really amusing aspect of this book is the affair between Jill and Ricky (also known as Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony), along with the fictional counterparts of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner. Jill is so nasty, conniving, cunning and manipulative that she's funny in a campy way, even if it's an easy stab.

"Make Him Look Good" doesn't make anyone in it look good, let alone Alisa Valdes-Rodrieguez. This vapid chick-lit book aspires to be a soapy guilty pleasure, but the only guilt is in reading it to the end.

I bought this book after reading the author's first two novels. The first two were great, this one was barely ok. The materialism and brand-name dropping is gratuitous and distracting. The characters are shallow and underdeveloped. Some characters -- Jill Sanchez, for one -- are so clearly based on real-life celebrities that there is no originality to their story. And the main character and narrator, while initially sympathetic, later becomes almost unbearably naive and annoying. I love high-end fashion, I love South Beach, and I subscribe to US Weekly. And even I thought this novel overdid it.

However, there are some bright spots -- a short chapter told from the perspective of a cat was amazingly written. Some of the romances are touching. And the plot is interesting, even though the climax and ending seemed a little farfetched. Hopefully the author's next offering will have more originality and substance, and less flash.

Generally speaking, I love Alisa's writing style, and enjoy the larger-than-life plot lines and crazy fantasy endings -that's the POINT of chick-lit, right? Make Him Look Good has some great character exploration, and I really get the feeling the Alisa connects with the idea that even chick-lit characters deserve some depth.

But, Alisa, get yourself a better editor! The unevenness of the writing, and the internal inconsistencies should have been caught by the editor, not by your fans.

My bone to pick with this is that Ricky's immigrant Serbian wife "thinks with an accent!" As a writer who constantly harps on the issues of Latinas being underestimated, I was shocked and saddened to see you treat this particularly sensitive and accessible character with the same racist attitude you complain about. I've read all of your books, and in none of them does a Latina express her thoughts in less than perfect language.

Half of my family are recent immigrants from the Eastern bloc, so perhaps I am particularly sensitive to this, but Jasminka deserved better, and to represent this character in this way was a slam to those who struggle to learn this language and adapt to a whole new way of life at the same time.

You know better, so you should have done better.

And this will be the last Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez book I will buy.

I was extremely disappointed in this book. I loved her first two novels and expected much more out of this one. The blatant references to JLo ("JSan"? Really?) were unoriginal, the characters were weak and boring, the storyline itself was completely transparent. Don't waste your time or money on this book. Check it out from the library if you "must" read it, or check out one of her first two for a better read.

I was so surprised, and not in a good way.

I really enjoyed her first book. The second, not so much but still I thought that she was funny, sharp, created characters that were a little more then one diamensional, etc.

But this - I was unprepared for the bomb that is this book. I am suprised that her publisher did not shoot this idea/outline down before it turned into a book.

I am surprised that someone who showed so much promise with her first book is now seemingly a one trick pony. I expected so much more.

I loved Valdes-Rodriguez's "Dirty Girls Social Club"...it wasn't perfect but it had soul. Since then both her following books haven't impressed me much.

Make Him Look Good is filled with one too many characters, as much as I'd like to know everybody's story it gets kind of annoying. The characters don't warm up to you as much, some I cared about, some I very happily skipped. They were all pretty much cookie cutter predictable characters. The story was also equally predictable. The most unbelievable was the way the end shaped up.

It's a pass-time type of a read as long as your expectations are low!

I'm still 20 pages away from finishing this book and I dread picking it up everytime.

I read Alisa's first 2 books and loved them. I waited patiently for "Make Him Look Good". I was stupid enough to pay full price. I wish I would've just checked it out from the library.

The plot and character development is poor. Too many characters, not enough time to develop them. The story lines seemed rushed. Milan goes from frumpy, sad little pathetic homebody to an even sadder, more pathetic "starlet" in a matter of pages. And we're supposed to believe that she's going to go from sleeping with Ricky Biscayne to having a meaningful relationship with Mattew in just a matter of pages. I hate this character.

The only character I have enjoyed is Geneva. And unfortunately Alisa is so obsessed with trashing JLo ("Jill Sanchez") that she misses a great opportunity to develop a deeper, more meaningful character.

The dialogue between the characters is shallow and hollow. Leaving little room for one to really become lost in the storyline.

I'm so disappointed. Read Alisa's other 2 books ("Playing With Boys" is her best one, IMO). But skip this one. It's not worth it.

As a fan of Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, I had high expectations for "Make Him Look Good". It turned out to be a sore disappointment. Though it had its interesting moments, this book got to the point of being almost painful to keep reading. The writing was unimpressive, the plot completely over-the-top (even moreso than "Dirty Girls"), and the author included sexual situations that were crass and unnecessary to the story. Characters were recognizable as parodies of Marc Anthony, Dayanara Torres, Jennifer Lopez, Tommy Matola, and Thalia. I'm not sure what Rodriguez has against these celebs, but wow. You know, on second hand, maybe you should read this book, just to see what I'm talking about. Piece of advice though: borrow it from a friend or the library. It's truly not worth your money.

Let me begin by saying that I've read Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez's other books, and that I truly enjoyed them. Dirty Girls Social Club was a fun read and Playing with Boys had substance and emotional depth that made it even more enjoyable than the first.

If you've read either of those books, don't pick up this one. It is shallow, it is vapid, and worst of all, it is poorly put together. The characters are not likable, with some being so transparently modeled after current tabloid celebrities that it is embarrassing to read (Jill Sanchez, known as JSan, with her music and acting careers and fashion and perfume lines based on the fame of her big backside, engaged to a slightly less famous and starstruck White actor, dallying with her machista Latin pop star ex as he's about to do a crossover breakthrough and then dropping in a couple of paragraphs about her dangerous relationship with the rapper D-Kitty and the gang shoot out she had to reveal she witnessed, since the gun was found under her carseat? Jennifer Lopez should sue!).

The worst part about this book is the editing, however. On one page a drugged out novela starlet is named Analisa, on the next she is Analicia...in the same sentence a shirt is sleeveless and has short sleeves...the purported protagonist describes in detail a capri pants and tank top outfit she dresses in on the way to work, and is wearing a black suit and lacy camisole when she gets there...and the list goes on and on.

If the publisher couldn't get someone to reign in the high school quality writing in this one - giving the feeling it was rushed to print to capitalize on the success of the previous two - at the very least they could've assigned an editor with a modicum of attention to detail and a modest control of syntax and grammar to polish it.

Don't waste your time.