Customer Reviews

Spin: A Novel

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

August 2009 Review for Bookpleasures
Reviewer-Michelle Kaye Malsbury, BSBM, MM
Review
Robert Rave, author of Spin, was previously a publicist based out of New York City. He has worked extensively in the field of public relations and helped pull together many high-brow events from political campaigns and fundraisers to fashion shows and nightclub openings. The vast majority of those events involved an array of entertainment personalities and/or sports professionals. This is his first novel, but I hope not his last. For more information about the author please log on to his personal web site [...].

Taylor Green and Jennie Weinstein are the two most prominent characters of Spin, but not the only two to totally captivate and entertain you. Taylor hails from the Midwest and is the product of a single parent family where his mother worked almost non-stop to keep the family going and his grandmother, Ethel, raised him. He is greener than his name implies (in so many ways), but also a quick study which so works to his advantage. He lands in New York City working for a friend of his grandmothers' in a small-time, two person, public relations firm that deals primarily in small-time, ho-hum affairs.

Taylor's grandmother, Ethel, has told him tales about New York City and all of the glitterati there. Clearly she was more than enamored with New York. Ethel had once high hopes of making it into the big time as a dancer or actress on Broadway, but fell short of making her mark there. Now it's Taylors' chance to live her dream and make his mark on that stellar city. One day at an unlikely venue Taylor is offered his dream job---working with Jennie Weinstein Public Relations. It all happened so fast and caught him so off guard that he almost has to pinch himself to be sure this is really happening.

Taylor has gotten the chance of a lifetime, but it is not all Krystal and daisies. Jennie Weinstein is a real witch of a human being, but also a force to be contended with as she makes the stars in New York City and elsewhere rise or fall at her command. She is petulant, underhanded, non-repentant, devious, rude, over the top, and more. However, Jennie Weinstein is also widely thought to be the biggest and most influential public relations firm in the Eastern USA. She is driven to perfection and expects (no demands) the same from her employees. She has no qualms about calling any of her employees to do her dirty work at any hour of the day or night. All oblige her ever whim.

Taylor is one of the newer people at this swanky and prestigious firm, but he makes friends with the others fairly easily and even manages to find an office romance. One evening Taylor catches Jennie in some rather compromising circumstances. Naturally she is furious and out for blood. He manages to turn this event and that critical information to his advantage. Before long he is her right hand man and privy to all of her highest and most cherished clients, as well as, Jennie's darkest secrets.

This zany novel presented all of the necessary ingredients for non-stop reading and entertainment to the max (i.e., drugs, sex, insider celebrity profiles, scandal, and more). I was honestly sad to see it end. As a first novel this was better than superlative! I look forward to watching this book rise up the charts and gain recognition and accolades for author Robert Rave. Congrats on a job well done!

Robert Rave is my favorite new author..."Spin" and "Waxed" are two books that stay with you, even when you put them down. 2 thumbs up!!!!!!!!!

Spin was entertaining and put the reader right into the PR scene in New York-having lived there, I really felt the author's connection to the city. Many story lines woven together and a great book to read if you have an interest in celebrity mags or the job of a publicist. I am agree with another reviewer that it was nice to have a male's voice as a lead character telling the story. Looking forward to see where novel #2 will take us!

Pick up SPIN by exPublicist Robert Rave and you'll be on every V-VIP list in NYC, sneaking behind the scenes peeks of the Who's Who along w Tayor Green as he rises to the top and sinks to the bottom throughout his journey w the Jennie Weinstein Public Relations agency.

You'll love to hate Jennie as she plucks Taylor Green out of certain obscurity only to break him down w the most unseemly of tasks - bearing witness to the dirtiest of deeds.

Rave colorfully illustrates the glamour in NYC as he shines a telling light in the shadowy corners of the often dark PR world. You won't want to put this jaw dropping book down. Warning: This read will leave you yearning to relive Taylor Green's advenutres on the Big Screen!

Spin was probably my favorite book of 2009 hands down. If you love reading US Weekly and Perez Hilton you'll absolutely get a kick out of reading Spin. It's a quick, fun read but definitely different from other novels of the "chick lit" genre. The fact that the protaganist is male sets Spin apart right away (nice change to see a male point of view). I also loved that you never know whether or not Taylor will choose the right path - even the ending leaves things a bit open.

I read a lot of chick lit, some good, some *yawn*, but this book (beyond being refreshing because it came from a male perspective), had a vibrancy to it that I couldn't resist...not that the events were so sunny and happy...hardly, sometimes they were horrifying, mortifying, soul-crushing, and though I cringed for the characters many times, I still wanted more.

The author did a great job pulling in the reader from the start. The beginning chapter actually placed the reader deep into the story. It was like we were kind of "joining in progress", which made it all the more intriguing. The main character quickly wound up in the MOST precarious of situations, right from a few pages in. Then the next chapter started at the beginning, as we worked our way forward to how he wound up in that horrifying moment. It almost had a cinematic feel to it (I wonder if there will be a movie!).

From there every secret impulse to learn about the worlds of celebs was fulfilled. We were invited deep inside this secret world of back-scratching on top of back-STABBING, and who wouldn't love a bird's eye view of that?

Overall, it was the book that kept me from sleeping on the commuter train, as I "train read" this book faster than I've read any other.

So for a fast, fun and exciting read, I highly recommend it to anyone!

-Romi Moondi

Wow, this book was amazing! I have never read through a book so fast in my life. The story line was very past-paced and had you wanting more. The Jennie character was so hilarious and I found Taylor's romance very sweet. I found myself laughing out loud reading this book. The whole time I was trying to picture what Jennie would look like in real life, same with Mia...and Taylor.

I'm so sad I'm done with this book. I can't wait til he writes another. Highly recommended!

Spin is about the high stakes world of publicity, set it NYC. We have the guy, somewhat clueless, from the midwest who wants to be a part of it all. So, he hooks up with one of the most powerful--if not the most powerful--people in the business. And from there, he must go through, what I would call, a hazing. He gets humilated and he gets to learn the ropes. In the end, he has the dirt on her to come out on top. And so he does. All in all, this is a good one to while away the time waiting for the plane or bus or whatever. Read it at night, and you might not get to sleep on time!

Beautifully paced novel with great realized characters - from the grandmother to the publicist. Simply did not want the book to end. A few grammatical errors (the both of you, I could care less) which jarringly took you out of the book - but just for a moment. Simply a great read. A climb-in-bed- stay-up-late-to- finish book.

I bought it the day it came out and read it in one day. I loved it and I didn't want it to end. A definite must read.