Customer Reviews

Mim Warner's Lost Her Cool (Red Dress Ink Novels)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had no idea she had a new book out and found Lynn Messina's new book while I was doing research on an article. Not only was I more ecstatic to do the article, but I was extremely happy that I could read her latest book. Lynn Messina has this dry sense of humor, sarcasm, romanticism, and professionally disgrunted characters to make any story good. This story is about a person who goes out to different spots to create trendsettings, but in the process she finds out her bosses have a few screws loose, her man friend is more complex than he appears, and book sales are deadly. I loved it! All the way to the last word. For some strange reason, it took me a minute to get into it, but when I did, I swallowed the story whole. Once again, I am pleased. Her characters are always going through the same dumb drama I'm going through--it's scary but fun.

Mim Warner's Lost Her Cool is not a typical "girl in the city" tale, despite the trendspotter premise. Messina mixes in a very odd group of characters to pull off a page-turner. Despite the title, Mim's not the main character - although she's certainly central to the plot. Mim runs a trendspotting firm and starts acting quite bizarrely. This forces those close to her to take extreme measures - but for one, Megan, things are more than just complex. Her dad is picking up women and singing in nightclubs to fill the void her mother's death has left, her ex-boyfriend Ian needs help promoting his new novel, her best friend chides Meg for using Ian. And then Ian's book starts showing up in very odd places. Definitely worth the read!

I really enjoyed Lynn Messina's Fashionistas, so I looked forward to reading another witty foray into the world of chic and I wasn't disappointed. She scratches entertainingly at the mystifyingly opaque surface of what makes a trend, while holding up a magnifying glass to the people who take it upon themselves to define "hip" while sliding ever towards the ugly obscurity that lies beyond the coveted 18-34 advertising demographic. The book was a funny, enjoyable and often thought provoking read. I look forward to seeing the upcoming movie of Fashionistas, and I think this could be a fun movie too. (I want to see those much-mentioned kids in Williamsburg wearing the glasses!)

Once again, Lynn Messina has come up with a clever, witty novel chock full of wry observations about our modern life. Her first two books (FASHIONISTAS and TALLULAHLAND) were very different from each other, but this one shares elements of each: there's an unusual (to say the least!) caper and rampant media manipulation. While I certainly wouldn't call it a romance novel, I found the romantic relationship very real and satisfying. I zipped through the book in a weekend and recommend it very highly!

I read this cover-to-cover in about three sittings. It was a really unique book. I loved Lynn Messina's "Fashionistas" and she is still the best "chic lit" writer when it comes to doing take offs of the magazine world and the fashion world. Mim was a hilarious creation and I really look forward to more of this author's work!

This book is flat-out fun. It's dark and witty and chock full of hilarious satire. The characters are really well drawn. I love Meghan. She's strong and full of pathos. The perfect foil for the almost comically over-the-top Mim. I won't ruin it for you, but there's a fun mystery with an unexpected ending.

Red Dress Ink is a series in which I typically find hit and miss books.

This one is a definite miss for me. While the basic premise is cute - I could never get into the storyline which felt as though it was being told from someone sitting in a corner who is never actually part of the storyline.

The main character is so clueless that you want to scream at her.

I enjoyed this author's first book, but have never really enjoyed the others and this one is no exception.

This is a definite pass.

Expecting a light and glamorous read, I was surprised to discover that this book was actually pretty deep - if you can overcome the froth in the first part of the book.

Meet Meghan Resnick. Things are going OK for her - she is a "coolhunter" at Pravda, (a trend forecasting company), and has recently broken up with her last boyfriend Ian because he based a character in his novel (quite unflatteringly) on her. But lately her job seems to lack the excitement it once did for her. For one thing, Mim Warner, her boss and co-owner of the company, has lately been extremely careless. Her latest trend forecasts, which are outrageous and unlike her, have lost business for the company. As a matter of fact, she has horrified her fellow staff and colleagues enough for them to decide on a strategy to silence her for a while - until she "gets better". After all, none of them will have jobs if they lose any more accounts!

Meghan has seen the other side of Mim though - her caring side, and greatly admires Mim as a person, so she decides that she had better find out for herself what is going on. She unintentionally begins stalking Mim, and what she ends up finding both horrifies and shocks her. Meanwhile, Meghan has her own personal problems to deal with, such as her attachment to her ex-boyfriend Ian, whom she can't seem to completely let go of.

I ended up loving this book. About halfway through, I was completely hooked - I had to keep reading to find out what would happen to Mim, Meghan, and Ian. Lynn Messina did an excellent job of creating both palpable suspense and very intriguing characters in this book. The story is told from Meghan's perspective in a first-person point of view, but Mim Warner herself was an amazingly well-drawn character. I felt I got to know Mim and Meghan better than I know many people in person!

This novel also has the general fun chick lit plot elements, such as a little bit of froth, glamour, relationship angst, and humor. The wonderful characterization, Meghan's curiously offbeat view on life, and suspenseful story line add a lot more substance. Regarding the story line, the far-fetched nature of it could have ruined the book had it not been for the excellent handling by the author.

Other than the first few chapters being a tiny bit vapid, there was nothing I would change about this book.

Overall, I highly recommend this book for a great and unusual read, and I'm eagerly looking forward to this author's next book!

Anyone with a dominant cool gene knows that Mim Walker is the coolest coolhunter in the world. Her column is always on the mark even before rumors say the "F" word that ultimately sucks the cool out of a trend.

However, to the shock of the in-crowd, Mim's last two predictions were so way out and off the chart her friends are wondering if she is terminal. Selecting dirty hooker T-shirts for preadolescent girls and sharp edged samurai swords for preteen boys is not considered cool by anyone even the manufacturers of the products. Could cool Mim become yesterday's fad, which means clients will go elsewhere seeking a new magnet of coolness. Mim's employee Meghan Resnick like the rest of the staff worries about the future. However, when Mim loses her cool over a corpse, even loyal rationale Meghan believes her boss will look nerdy in pinstripes.

MIM WARNER'S LOSES HER COOL is an amusing satire that jabs fads and chick lit tales, which ironically Lynn Messina, a sub-genre author, treats like a fad. The story line never takes itself seriously even when the voice of cool finds a dead body. Chick lit fans who appreciate the laugh at the sub-genre and at the "F" word (fad for you uncool recessive souls) will chuckle at the antics of Mim and her retinue trying to help her regain her lost cool though the plot is a one joke novel.

Harriet Klausner