Customer Reviews

Secrets of the Model Dorm

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

 

 

Love it. In fact, I think I owe my sanity to this book - it's the perfect antidote to a week of wholesome holiday family fun. It's hardly going to win a Pulitzer, but if you're tired of the usual toothless chick-lit favorites ("Oh no! I'm unmarried and saddled with a wacky family/zany group of close friends! Will I ever meet that mystery man?") then you'll enjoy the glamour and the wicked humor. For a New Yorker and a loyal (secret) viewer of America's Next Top Model and Project Runway, Kerlin's book was a complete guilty pleasure.

I finished this book only because I paid $30 for it. I read a lot, and considering that, this is one of the worst books I've ever read. At times it was painful - I was constantly cringing and looking away with my eyes closed.
The reasons for this are:
1. Cliche. This book is one big cliche - the most unoriginal metaphors and similies I have ever come across. Awful.
2. Language - I suppose it's supposed to be written as the author speaks or thinks, but it doesn't work - it screams unoriginality. Chick lit does not have to be this banal. One of the worst examples is this: Heather is casually dating a French man named Robert - when they finally kiss it is described in this way: "I swore I felt an electric charge pass between us. I pulled in a quick breath and let him hold me close, as we even - yes, I'm sure you're wondering - Frenched a little bit. It was, well, wonderful." Revolting. How was this book published?
3. Predictable. Stereotypical.
4. Bad editing - the main character would be wearing one brand of shoes to an event, and on the next page she would be wearing a different kind.

Despite all this, it's like a car accident (I had to add in a cliche to fit the book) - it's awful but you don't want to look away.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read. As an "America's Next Top Model" addict, this fed my habit. This won't require deep thought, but it is a good rainy day book.

There are days when I enjoy getting absorbed entirely into the wonderful worlds created in fantasy or sci-fi novels; and then there are the days when I look forward to something that's a little more girly and easy to read. I had one of those days when I read this particular novel so it suited my needs at that moment in time.

The book is written by a former model, Amanda Kerlin, so you can be assured that there is some semblance of reality in the interesting portrait she paints for us throughout the story. I duly applaud the time and effort she took to write this book, which is basically just her story with occasional bits of fabrication here and there, I'm sure.

What I liked about it was that it was rife with the glamorous parts of being a model (getting to shoot important campaigns, rubbing elbows with famous people, easy entrances into a lot of places), as well as being populated with an interesting variety of characters. It's also a major plus for me that the whole story was set in New York City, where I currently work and play.

It's also nice how Amanda takes the rose-colored glasses off when it comes to the world of modeling and shows us a seemingly real, grimmer portrait of the real life of a model. I say "seemingly" because although the situations in the book may be true, I can't honestly say what goes on in a model dorm in the real world. This seems to be a pretty accurate account though, so it was also interesting for me to see that.

I finished this the same day I started it because it was just such an easy read. Though enjoyable and demonstrating an interesting, decisive perspective into the world of modeling, I found that this book was just average for me.

This book was very mediocre, but I read it until the end. You have the party girl gold digging eastern european who speaks in 3rd person and screws Russian mobsters, check. Black girl who was kicked out the dorm for being a baby mama and who could dance, check. Sweet as pie christian who has the favor of the lord on her and all good things happen, check. Playboy french charmer modelizer, check. Bitchy boss/agent with gay happy boy assistant, check. Meh!

The protagonist is nice enough, but very laissez faire about everything. She CLAIMS to want to be some big model but wants to do none of the work for it. Sure, she goes on some castings, but the girls spend like every single night partying and getting drunk, then refuse to ever workout yet expect to drop weight. They whine about the "lucky bitch" who DOES get up every morning to workout and ends up snagging a huge campaign, yet don't put 2 and 2 together that maybe they should also workout. She goes to the gym for half an hour ONE time the whole book, big whoop. Then wonders why she isn't working. NONE of the girls in that dorm are working, so I don't know if they should even be called models. Just party girls who want to bitch about everything.

The "love story" is weak at best. They go on 3 whole dates in 6 months, two of which he doesn't kiss her or anything, yet she's soooo wrapped up in him to the point that she won't date anyone else. You can tell that he's some slick talking suave playboy but she decides to take his side even when someone nice and helpful clearly has her best interests in mind and has done no wrong. Weak plotline with Row-Bear for sure.

I too hated the inconsistent accessories like other comments mentioned. One moment jimmy choos another louboutins, get it together!

Quick enough read, but not that exciting. Knew what was coming a mile away (not to mention we start the book 6 months in and then go back to lead up to it, so we are literally told what to expect) and it was way too cliche so there were NO surprises.

How convenient that she meets this guy who gives her a super high paying job for no reason whatsoever and then gets her into college JUST as her modeling is falling apart. And her one big break in the WHOLE book happens on the day something else occurs, oh wow, suspense and "what will she do??"...yawn. She's whining about the industry yet didn't put any effort into being a part of the industry, just felt like a silly girl who liked the IDEA of modeling.

This book is predictable, boring, and sometimes painful to read. The heroine -- no, not heroine, as she doesn't actually DO anything -- is mildly interesting, if only there were a plot for her. The most aggravating thing, though, is the book's junior-high insistence on repeatedly replacing characters' names with ridiculous phrases. As in, "the Frenchman" or "the Russian girl." So annoying.

I bought this book for my daughter to read on our beach holiday and she LOVED IT!! She read it in two days!! Kerlin really knows what she is talking about because she herself used to be a model. I love how she shows the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of the fashion world. I am also happy to see she makes out alive in one piece!! 5 stars!!

This is just one of those books that is pointless, but addictive and fun to read. And as far as I can remember, its written by an actual model.

Its pretty much predictable though. A small town, naive girl aspiring to be a model moves to New York City after getting signed with an agency, and the agency places her in a dorm with other models. The models are all typical: you've got the naive, small town girl (the main character), the nympho model, the cokehead model, and the alcoholic model. (I can't recall if there were any other ones that lived with her)

All in all its a good read, as long as your not looking for something serious to read.

Its pretty much the book version of the show "8th & Ocean"

This is no Jane Eyre or Little Women, but it is a fun, lighthearted book, that I enjoyed reading in one big gulp. It was of course a little predictable, but fun to read nevertheless.

Yes, I have an addiction to cheesy model novels. This book is a breeze to get through, the characters aren't all really developed but their actions are memorable. "metamucil martini" anyone? It's fun if you consider the author actually did live in a model dorm and is probably writing a lot based on true events. I say read it over the summer on the beach, you only need a few hours.