Monkey Business [Paperback]

Sarah Mlynowski (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2004 | Series: Red Dress Ink Novels

MB is for Masters in Business

Which is what Kimmy, Russ, Jamie, and Layla are supposed to be studying for at the University of Connecticut. Jamie at least has serious academic intent. Well, until the first day of preterm when he develops a not-so-secret crush.

MB is for Marriage Bait

Layla's goal is perfection: perfect marks, perfect six-figure salary, perfect (I.e. rich, gorgeous, sexy) New York banker husband. . .candidate already identified as Bradley Green. The trouble is, seducing him could get her expelled.

MB is for Multiple Bed-hopping

Definitely Kimmy's favorite homework--starting with Jamie but moving swiftly on to Russ, until she discovers the small matter of his girlfriend back home. Hopefully Business Studies includes a minor in boyfriend embezzlement--a skill Kimmy will need if she's to keep hold of Russ.

MB is for Misbehaving Boyfriend

Russ didn't intend to be unfaithful--to either girlfriend! He never thought he'd find one woman who wanted him, let alone two. But since he can't even pick a major, how can he choose one true soul mate?

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Mlynowski, author of Fishbowl (2002) and As Seen on TV [BKL S 15 03], returns with another delightful tale about an unlikely group of friends. Kimmy, Jamie, Layla, and Russ meet in business school at the University of Connecticut. Kimmy hooks up with Jamie before classes even start and regrets the move almost instantly, especially when he begins writing her love poems in the co-ed bathroom. It's handsome Russ who catches Kimmy's eye, but Russ has a girlfriend back at home in Canada. Not that this means he's able to keep away from flirtatious Kimmy. Layla is more focused on school than the other three combined, and she's already picked out her future boyfriend from the crop of next year's applicants. The shifts in the group's loyalties and friendships--Kimmy and Layla form an unlikely but deep friendship, while Jamie begins to realize that his affections for Kimmy are being replaced by much deeper feelings for another--keep Mlynowski's fourth novel fresh and riveting. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Mlynowski, author of Fishbowl, returns with another delightful tale about an unlikely group of friends...Mlynowski's fourth novel [is] fresh and riveting." --Booklist

"Warning: do not attempt to read Monkey Business while drinking. Sarah Mlynowski's hilarious writing had me snorting tea all over my new unvarnished oak dining-table." --Internationally bestselling author Chris Manby

"You will get to know these characters as well as your own friends...I did not find anything in this book I didn't like. It was thoroughly enjoyable, endearing and will keep you turning pages until the end." --chicklitbooks.com --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Red Dress Ink (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373250711
• ISBN-13: 978-0373250714
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,035,399 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sarah is the author of MILKRUN, FISHBOWL, AS SEEN ON TV, MONKEY BUSINESS and ME VS ME for Red Dress Ink, GIMME A CALL, BRAS & BROOMSTICKS, FROGS & FRENCH KISSES, SPELLS & SLEEPING BAGS and PARTIES & POTIONS for Random House, and TEN THINGS WE DID (AND PROBABLY SHOULDN'T HAVE) and HOW TO BE BAD (along with E.Lockhart and Lauren Myracle) for HarperTeen. TEN THINGS WE DID (AND PROBABLY SHOULDN'T HAVE) will be out this June. Sarah has been featured in the short story collections, AMERICAN GIRLS ABOUT TOWN, SIXTEEN: STORIES ABOUT THAT SWEET AND BITTER BIRTHDAY, 21 PROMS, FIRST KISS (THEN TELL) and FIREWORKS. Sarah also co-edited the bestselling chick-lit collections GIRLS' NIGHT IN and GIRLS' NIGHT OUT and co-wrote the first ever guide to writing chick lit, SEE JANE WRITE.

Sarah's books have been translated into twenty-one languages and optioned to Hollywood. She was born in Montreal but now lives and writes in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner from Mrs. Mlynowski....., September 29, 2004

By 

Chick-lit fan "A reader" (Buffalo, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Monkey Business (Paperback)

If you enjoyed Sarah Mlynowski's other books, or chick-lit in general, go grab this one. It's hilarious, and as she did in Fishbowl, the author seamlessly goes from one character's point of view to another. I especially appreciated this as a business school student- sometimes it was as if she were talking about my own school!

The story centers on four characters living in the same co-ed dorm, attending a prestigious (fictional) business school. We have Jaime, a pudgy, girl-crazy but very nice guy, Layla, a beautiful, ultra-smart and super-motivated Manhattanite, Russ, a Canadian guy torn between his girl back home and finding something new, and Kimmy, a pretty Jewish girl who falls hard for Russ and is not sure what she wants out of school- other than a boyfriend.

The story follow through the first year, following crushes, relationships, and some pretty big deceptions. But the characters are all likeable and flawed, which is something that has made Mlynowski's books so good in the past. This is better than average chick-lit, not just a single-girl-in-the-city story, but a story of four people and the deep bonds they form while living in a co-ed down (nicknamed "The Zoo"). If you like the funny, wittier writers in the chick-lit genre, this is right up your alley. Highly recommended!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, June 7, 2006

By 

J. Goodman "avid chick lit reader" (Upstate, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Monkey Business (Paperback)

This was my first book I've read from Mlynowski, and I can't wait to read her others. There was great character development, discriptions, chemistry and an original plot. I am currently an undergrad business student with hopes to also receive an MBA. I could relate to book, situation and characters!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, January 12, 2007

By 

Venus "beach-reader" (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Monkey Business (Paperback)

This book is great: as opposed to one person narratives the story here is told from the point of view of all four of the three main characters. This alone makes this book a lot more interesting than a lot of the other books in this genre.

The story is about four students, all at their late twenty's, and takes place in a business school.

One of the characters is Kimmy, who ends up having a one night stand with Jamie on the first day of school. Later she gets a crush on Russ, who she starts having an affair with, but he leaves her to get back with his ex-girlfriend Sharon who is pregnant with his child. It is good to see Kimmy gaining self esteem in the end, getting good grades and a great summer job in New York, plus Layla lets her stay in her gorgeous apartment for free.

Well, Layla takes school very seriously and found the perfect good on paper type of boyfriend while checking applications for the school. Of course it turns out that in real live he isn't all that great, and Layla ends up dating Jamie.

Never superficial or shallow, funny, exciting, and romantic, everything a girl can ask for - I loved it, and will check out other of the authors' books. (The only complaint I have is that the coed dorms including bathrooms for business school students seem way unrealistic and out of place, but I was willing to look over this detail)