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Jun 12, 2008

Sarah added it

I just bailed on page 16 due to the use of the word "unfortch." As you know, there are clearly NO extenuating circumstances ("circs") that excuse diction ("dictch") like that. I'd also like you to know that, before I even arrived at that misbegotten page, I sat, in the name of a warm backporch summer evening just crying out for noninvasive reading material, through the following:

"her skeletore bod" (you can't even get a reference to He-Man sp More...

6 comments like (14 people liked it)

Jun 24, 2011

Jessica rated it:

This book was totally entertaining. I rarely find a book that I can't put down. Warning: It does contain profanity! Hannah is from Seattle and she has just moved to Upper East Side with her husband who is a local. It's a crazy story about the competitiveness of high society. Her husband is busy working at a new job and trying to prove himself, while Hannah is set up with a major queen bee to help her get adjusted to her new life. The steps that are taken to get into the right preschool will bogg More...

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Jun 19, 2011

Rebecca rated it:

I liked the protag in this book a lot. One of the supporting characters was so unbelievable, but the rest of the book was okay. Mainly about a family with a new baby who move from SF to NY where the Man is from, but the Girl has to learn how to navigate the wilds of the UES. Drama! One of the women that the Man sets the Girl up with as a friend was pretty lame. Seriously, like, if she didn’t want to be friends with the Girl, then she wouldn’t be. The part about the schools was interesting, becau More...

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Mar 12, 2011

Kim N rated it:

The writing is awful, the made up words are terrible. Seriously, who talks like that? Although after reading the acknowledgements, I guess the author does. Bad editing, too many typos to count (and that didn't include the words that I wasn't sure if it was bad editing or just another made up word, I chalked it up to the latter). The story is okay, the telling of the story is just so bad. The main character doesn't even get that she's just as bad as the Upper East Side Momzillas that she's b More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 06, 2011

alex_destine rated it:

This book is two-dimensional, its characters are hackneyed and the end was too tasteless and unfulfilling. The villan is all-evil, the supposed heroine is a self-deprecating woman with low-selfesteem and a need to value her self-worth by other people’s standards until (gasp!) the very end of the book when she has a confrontation with her MiL (Mother-in-Law) which ends with the MiL saying that the heroine reminds her of herself.

The heroine is passive. She never does anything to fi More...

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Aug 12, 2009

Csutton624 rated it:

This book was very funny in the intro - the mommy definitions. I did laugh out loud at many of them. And the entire book was very chick lit....but it got to be a bit annoying and some of her lingo was trying to hard.

The main character, Hannah, was great at first, but then I wanted to give her a swift kick in the rear - pull it together and speak up! She was a silent character when the "villian" Bee was being awful. And, I did freel Hannah became a bit granola like - who we More...

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May 03, 2010

Mirjam rated it:

hmmmmm...rich, educated white chick is moved by her hedge fund husband from Berkeley to New York, where she tries to fit in with a group of women who are similarly educated but richer and whiter. Hilarity, unfortunately, does not ensue. But there is plenty of whining about how privileged and WASP-Y everyone is, and passage after passage in which the author explains via cutesy anecdotes that she is, really, a much hipper (she takes HER kid to the MOMA!) and also warmer, fuzzier, & more approachab More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 19, 2009

Sarah rated it:

By no means is this a book that is going to win awards for literary content, but I loved it. Sometimes I just want a complete fluff book to give my brain a break and just enjoy a good laugh. Where the language is sure to aggravate many people, I loved it. It made it much more relatable to me (unfortunately, that is so how many of my friends talk). I think I liked this more than other similar books out there because I get the impression that the author grew up in the same time period I did. There More...

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Jun 14, 2010

Allyssa rated it:

This book was ok - it had it's entertaining moments but overall was just another book about mom's complaining. The best part of the book was the Glossery at the front that had "mommy terms" which I found quite hilarious. The book was highly predictable and the lamenting of the main character began to grate on my nerves by chapter 5. Maybe if I was not a mommy myself it would have made a difference. The book was trying to deliver a positive message that being yourself and not competing More...

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Sep 20, 2008

Melanie rated it:

Imagine Gossip Girl grew up, Miranda Hobbes became a stay-at-home mom, and Juno kept her baby. Mix these characters’ worlds together and you’re hanging out with Hannah Allen, the sympathetic heroine of Momzillas.

Add the slick, stylized tone of chick-lit classics like Shopaholic Ties the Knot and Baby Proof, and the resulting literary concoction is Jill Kargman’s Momzillas: It’s a Jungle out there on Park Avenue, Baby.

At-home mother Hannah, her investment-banker husband J More...

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May 16, 2008

Lori rated it:

This was predictable chick lit, but fun chick lit. I've been reading some pretty heavy WWII stuff so needed this kind of tidbit to get me out of the funk of depression.

I related to this book, not because I live in NYC, but because I feel that all moms, no matter where they live, feel competitive and/or feel insecure about how their bringing up their child and how it's perceived by Others. Where I live, there are three private schools, two which really matter, and when I tell them m More...

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Mar 03, 2008

Nitrorockets rated it:

Sure it was interesting and there were some things I could relate to in regard to the insanity of competitive mothering. Hello life in a big city. However there was not much character development as I expected. The book was written from the main character's perspective, almost as if she were telling you the story herself, perhaps a glimpse of her journal. Although not nearly as interesting. I was not interested in this character because she was not personable. I couldn't relate to her nor connec More...

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Jun 19, 2007

Suzanne rated it:

This book makes way too many cultural references (to excessive proportions), some of which are already outdated. Furthermore, Kargman references the wrong John Hughes film. The "cool" janitor who was the "eyes and ears" of the school was in The Breakfast Club, not Pretty in Pink. Hello editor?

Now I am anti-Momzilla and could care less what percentile my daughter is in, but Kargman's protagonist is a little too negative for my liking. There is even a mini profanity More...

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Jul 10, 2011

Leighann rated it:

I checked this out at our library with reservations. I really just wanted to read something funny, fluffy, mindless. Now I know why I don't read things that are mindless. Where was your editor Ms. Kargman? A couple of times I had to re-read a passage because I couldn't believe how many misspellings/typos were on a page. Ugh. Just goes to show, you need to follow your gut.

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Jun 25, 2008

Amy rated it:

It wasnt the author's fault, but I came into this book thinking that it was a nonfiction account of lives of mothers in New York City. It turned out to be fiction. I have recently read a lot of fiction and chick lit and kind of needed a break from the genre, and then I ended up with this book. So my assessment probably is biased.
The book is ok. I didnt like some of the vernacular or language used in the book. for eg. beeyotch for "bitch." I was wondering if the events in this boo More...

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Jun 01, 2009

Muttix rated it:

This book was entertaining enough for me to bring it to work with me. That is saying a lot as the title and cover art proclaim it pure fluff, and "mom" fluff at that. I liked the style of writing though the first couple chapters seemed like a lot of slang to handle, and I'm still a few years from 30! All in all, I liked this book but am not inclined to buy it or read it again.

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Mar 15, 2009

Msor rated it:

basically the same as The Nanny Diaries, except from the perspective of a recently-moved-to-manhattan-ite-mom vs. a UES nanny. Although this book was entertaining, all in all, i liked the nanny diaries better, as it explored the (in my opinion) more worthwhile and meaningful perspective of the child, rather than the perspective of an outsider mom.

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Feb 16, 2010

Michelle rated it:

Occasionally amusing but not great. The story didn't really go anywhere, and the character seemed a little naive. The end wrapped up in record time - it was like the author thought, "Ok, this book is __ pages now, so I'd better end this thing. What should I do? How about this and this and this?" Kind of fun to read, but it really left me feeling like I wasted my time, and I rarely feel that way about anything I read (I'm not very discriminating!).

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Nov 25, 2008

Mrsstuds rated it:

I lied, I'm actually listening to it during my commute. It scares me about the constant worry and guilt associated with motherhood. I find the stories of Upper East Sides lives intriguing so it's appealing to me. Some parts can drone on but otherwise I'm enjoying the character's point of view on life as a mom.

This light read was a reminder to stay true to yourself.

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Sep 16, 2011

Kristi rated it:

OMG. So very bad. I skimmed the last 4 chapters or so, because I couldn't take it. I thought it would be a fun, cheesy read, but it was just not an interesting story. Maybe it's because I had already been a stay-at-home mama for a few years before I read it, but I just couldn't relate to the main character and her city lifestyle. PASS.

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May 19, 2011

Kate rated it:

Wow! I really wish that I haven't finished this book yet!!!! Hannah Allan (the main character) Is such a witty, observant, good-natured being, and her views on these crazy stuck up New York City moms are sadly sort've true and funny. One good thing about Hannah Allan is that she marches to the beat of her own drum, and doesnt get sucked into all of it.

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Aug 19, 2010

Megan rated it:

Another one where I wish I could give 2.5 stars. I hated the first 20ish pages, but the book grew on me fast. Hannah is an extremely likable narrator. I really liked her. The book was very cliche with major plot reveals you could see coming from the opening chapter, but for a fun summer read while sitting outside in the park- I enjoyed it!

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Jun 18, 2008

Kristen rated it:

Read this in 3 hours on the plane, yes it is pop corn for the brain. Problems with the book are the horrid grammar, and this coming from me, queen of horrid grammar (although the writing gets better towards the end and the book reads more like a novel and less like a text message or IM )the over generalizations about MIL angst and the thin characters (and I am not just speaking of weight).

But the good things are the pop culture references which worked for me. Anyone who quotes Pr More...

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Aug 20, 2011

Keri rated it:

I really liked the premise of this book but I was very dismayed at the author's writing style and occasional word choice. One in particular that bothered me was the use of the r-word. It was just so out of place that I was shocked upon reading it. It definitely knocked the book down a few pegs.

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May 23, 2011

Anjiebringhurst rated it:

Gossip Girl meets Sex in the City and they had babies. The book was entertaining but had a lot of unnecessary language. I was bothered that the main character was written to be so much less dramatic than the Park Avenue Momzillas but she abbreviated her words just like them (i.e. Whatever=Whatevs).

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Sep 04, 2009

Connie rated it:

A fun read, from the perspective of getting a glimpse of the social life of upper Manhattan stay-at-home mommies along with a look of one woman's attempt a fitting in & inevitably deciding she doesn't want/need to!I appreciate stories about moms who are trying to "figure it all out"...

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Apr 28, 2011

Ali rated it:

When I read the back cover, I thought I'd really enjoy this book. But then I got into it, and it just seemed a bit much for me. I couldn't identify with any of the characters.

Then just when I was starting to regret picking it up, since I'm a finisher, the story matured & picked up the pace. I actually really enjoyed the ending & twist I didn't see coming...

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Apr 16, 2011

Elaine rated it:

This book is fun, ideal for some light reading on the beach... the author gives a comic yet real description of the New York Elite families and their quest to put their daughters/sons in kindergarden schools... you would think that they are applying for colleges instead lol!

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Jul 20, 2010

Donna rated it:

Okay story...predictable. What made it difficult for me to get through was the tone of the narrator/main character. She speaks as if she is in high school ("convo", "fam", etc.) so it was hard to take her seriously. If it wasn't so slangy, it would be much better.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 07, 2011

lola rated it:

i really wanted to like this book. it was not as well written as other books like this, the nanny diaries or even the british books like it, i don't know how she does it or sophie kinsella's books. it was good but not great. a decent summer read.

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