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Thin, Rich, Pretty
by
Beth Harbison (Goodreads Author)
Twenty years ago, when they were teenagers, Holly and Nicola were the outsiders at summer camp. Holly was the plump one, a dreamer who longed to be an artist. Nicola was the shy, plain one who wanted nothing more than to be beautiful. Their cabin nemesis was Lexi. Rich, spoiled, evil Lexi. One night, Holly and Nicola team up to pull one, daring act of vengeance. But they n...more
Kindle Edition
Published
(first published June 29th 2010)
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This is the first novel from Beth Harbison that I've read and I enjoyed it. It was funny, moving and unpredictable! Thin, Rich Pretty is about three women Holly, Nicola, and Lexi who go through drama and tribulations to find true happiness in life. The first several chapters alternate between their present lives (20s to 30s) and past lives when they were 13-15 year olds. Back at camp when they were young, Holly and Nicola despised Lexi who they thought was a snob so they stole her jewelery and h...more
I checked out this book from the library on a whim since it's the last of my summer holidays before college starts and I have to say, I really like this! :) The first few chapters are a lil disconcerting to me because it flips from the present to 20 years ago where the girls were in camp, and back to the present. But it wasn't that big an issue when it gets to the middle.
What I really dig about this book is the relationships between the characters that Beth Harbison had so nicely weaved. Holly...more
What I really dig about this book is the relationships between the characters that Beth Harbison had so nicely weaved. Holly...more
I've read several of Ms. Harbison's other novels and they are always charming, light reads about young women in precarious situations (and how they ultimately work together to get out of them).
Thin, Rich, Pretty is a delightful addition to the author's formula of chick-lit. This book takes you on a journey that starts with three 13 year old summer campers and jumps back and forth between their present day 33 year old selves and the young campers that they once were. All three characters are full...more
Thin, Rich, Pretty is a delightful addition to the author's formula of chick-lit. This book takes you on a journey that starts with three 13 year old summer campers and jumps back and forth between their present day 33 year old selves and the young campers that they once were. All three characters are full...more
I honestly had an extreme amount of trouble getting through the beginning of the book. I felt as if I was just thrown into the past, and then all of the sudden it was twenty years later - with the same three girls Lexi, Holly, and Nicola. Now while I loved each of the girls, I certainly had my favorite, and surprisingly it was Lexi - the one who seemed to have it all during camp, only to lose it all twenty years later due to something that was completely not her fault. However, it enabled, her,...more
Beth Harbison is one of my new favorite authors after having discovered her in fall of 2009 when I read Shoe Addicts Anonymous (2007). The events that transpired in Secrets of a Shoe Addict (2008) even inspired me to open a new business (ahem), although short-lived, was very lucrative for me. I highly encourage you to pick up a Beth Harbison novel if you haven't already; I promise you'll fall in love.
Thin, Rich, Pretty begins twenty years ago, when three teenage girls are all outsiders in their...more
Thin, Rich, Pretty begins twenty years ago, when three teenage girls are all outsiders in their...more
I'm giving this book 2 stars because I didn't connect to the characters as much as I thought I would. I'm also not a big "flashback" fan, so I would have preferred for all of summer camp to have been written as a 'Part 1' to the book and then when the girls moved into adulthood to be 'Part 2.' Having said that, I did like it and it was a very fast read. After reading several emotionally charged books, I was looking for a 'light read.' This book did satisfy that for me. I loved the message of it...more
I love this book so far! I just finished a really deep, emotionally draining book and I went to the store looking for the most cheerful covers and then read the backs until I found a book that I knew would be funny and lighthearted and this is perfect. This is the kind of book that I will read again when I want to escape real life and avoid forming any emotional connections to the character(s) or event(s) in the story. It is pure chick-lit, although I can't stand that phrase. Basically, it start...more
This book, while not great, was certainly enjoyable. I tore through it, finishing it in about 2 hours. Some of the set up felt a little weak (certainly there were easier ways to make a rich girl broke or a chubby girl thin), but this didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book as a whole. I would have liked more interactions among the characters, but I understand why it was minimal. This book was what it promised, a quick read about the lives of three women. It didn't have the hidden depths o...more
Very accurate portrayal about what every modern day woman goes through.
"But she was beginning to realize she'd rather be lonely than live with someone who made her feel uncomfortable and self-conscious every minute of every day. Lonely was far, far easier."
"... I don't know, it was like I realized I've been so wrong about so much for so SO long. What I thought was up turned out to be down. Black is white. Fat is thin."
"But what I didn't realize until I actually hit the bottom was that being good...more
"But she was beginning to realize she'd rather be lonely than live with someone who made her feel uncomfortable and self-conscious every minute of every day. Lonely was far, far easier."
"... I don't know, it was like I realized I've been so wrong about so much for so SO long. What I thought was up turned out to be down. Black is white. Fat is thin."
"But what I didn't realize until I actually hit the bottom was that being good...more
Holly, Nicola and Lexi first meet at summer camp. Lexi was the mean girl who hung out with even meaner girls. Holly was overweight and very self-conscious. Nicola was painfully shy and never felt pretty thanks to her perception of her nose.
Holly and Nicola became fast friends. They often found themselves enduring the wrath of Lexi and her friends. Until one they, both decide to get their revenge.
Fast forward twenty years later. Holly is now dating Randy and they’ve just gotten engaged. Well, pre...more
Holly and Nicola became fast friends. They often found themselves enduring the wrath of Lexi and her friends. Until one they, both decide to get their revenge.
Fast forward twenty years later. Holly is now dating Randy and they’ve just gotten engaged. Well, pre...more
Completely predictable. I keep searching for good quality chick lit, but this doesn't make the list.
I think the author got excited about using a "20 years later" theme because it was a good round number. But I had no idea how these girls became who they were at age 33 (all single and without kids, but barely any mention of past loves) because she just doesn't fill in the holes for us. The worst example of this was the rich girl who still lives in her parents' house at age 33 and who has never w...more
I think the author got excited about using a "20 years later" theme because it was a good round number. But I had no idea how these girls became who they were at age 33 (all single and without kids, but barely any mention of past loves) because she just doesn't fill in the holes for us. The worst example of this was the rich girl who still lives in her parents' house at age 33 and who has never w...more
A little fluffy, but I needed a break from YA lit. Nicola and Holly were best friends at camp when they were thirteen. Now, Nicola is an almost has-been actress and Holly is a successful art gallery owner, but, just like at camp, they still struggle with self-esteem issues. Holly thinks she's fat, and even dates someone who wants her to lose some pounds before he gives her an engagement ring. Nicola still thinks she's ugly, and gets a nose job to try to become prettier and more lead-role worthy....more
I quite enjoyed my first foray into Beth Harbison's novels and work. "Thin, Rich, Pretty" was a fun, light read that features three main characters with a shared past: Holly, Nicola & Lexi. After you get to know the characters a bit more, you become more involved in the novel and wanting to see it through. However, the plot line left a an impression of a strong mystery of what Holly & Nicola did had repercussions on Lexi years later....this isn't really true and what actually ended up ha...more
I loved this book. It was completely different than the books I usually read - it was not about women in relation to the men in their lives. Rather, it was about friendship, lives forged by events that are both in our control and beyond our control, and coming into what yo always wanted, to find it's not necessarily the dream you had held.
Thin, Rich, Pretty follows three woman in two different time periods - in sleep away camp when they were 13 and in the present. Holly and Nicola formed a life-...more
Thin, Rich, Pretty follows three woman in two different time periods - in sleep away camp when they were 13 and in the present. Holly and Nicola formed a life-...more
I absolutely loved this book! It was so thick, yet I completed it in a week. I stayed up every night,reading, because it was so good! These three women have crossed each other's paths 20 years ago. They all have their own problems, but at the end, they all realize what was wrong and how they can help ech other. This is a great book for someone who is currently doubting themself for different reasons. The story clearly reminds the whole world, that you don't have to be ~Thin, Rich, or Pretty~ to...more
So I was actually surprised how much I liked this book. With a title like "Thin, Rich, Pretty" I was expecting fluffly chick lit to the extreme. Although there is a definite fluffy feel, the story is entertaining and believable. The characters are realistic women and not just one sided weirdo self-obsessed over thinkers who so frequently appear in bad chick lit (see my review of Girls in White Dresses). I like the 20 years later concept, and I think the author did a great job of giving us each w...more
"Thin rich Pretty" by Beth Harbison is a book I read to participate in Katherines Corner on-line Book Club this month. I thought it was a fun read, humorous, entertaining, with believable characters. The message is to be yourself. It's about how three girls met at a camp when they were 13 and how the problems they struggled with such as Holly being too fat, Nicola thinking she was ugly and Lexi, the lonely rich girl carried with them into adulthood. It deals with bullying, friendship, and restit...more
Sep 13, 2011
Autumn
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
chick-lit,
books-i-own
This is the very first book I have read by Beth Haribson, and I actually really enjoyed it.
Thin, rich, pretty is a witty book that almost everyone will be able to relate with one of the characters in this fun quick read. (Even though it took me like a month to read- only because I've been so busy.) Whether that person be shy, self conscious, artistic Holly, or "ugly", kind, movie star in the making Nicola (How exactly to you pronounce her name? Nik-cola?) or many even rich, perfect and pretty,...more
Thin, rich, pretty is a witty book that almost everyone will be able to relate with one of the characters in this fun quick read. (Even though it took me like a month to read- only because I've been so busy.) Whether that person be shy, self conscious, artistic Holly, or "ugly", kind, movie star in the making Nicola (How exactly to you pronounce her name? Nik-cola?) or many even rich, perfect and pretty,...more
This book was suggested to me by a good friend and now I'm not sure that good friend is truly good...kidding! This book was awful. Complete torture to finish. This friend of mine suggested it only because she'd read other books by the author which were awesome and figured this would be about the same. The idea behind the book is great but its been done and the characters were very dry. I developed zero emotional connection to any part of this book even though I thought for sure I would based on...more
Lexie, Holly, and Nicola first met twenty years ago at Summer camp where a life long friendship was made between Holly and Nicola, and something very special is taken from Lexie. Twenty years later, their paths cross once again. Holly is tired of being "the fat girl" and starves herself into losing 20 pounds thinking it will buy her love. Nicola is tired of being ugly and gets a nose job hoping it'll boost her acting career, but the change is so dirastic she is no longer marketable. Lexie, who g...more
I really enjoyed this book - it was an easy, breezy read and although I can't say I hated to put it down, I never dreaded picking it back up either. I especially liked that the book was more about the women's issues with themselves than it was about their issues with men. I found that refreshing. Although I did not particularly relate to any of the characters, I rooted for them all. And I was pleased to discover that the "mean girl" wasn't so mean after-all. I doubt that is the case for the girl...more
Thin, Rich, Pretty is the story of three women who believe that happiness is the next dress size down, the next dollar figure up, or the next appreciative glance from a stranger. But mostly it's the story of how three women save each other, and show each other the path to true contentment. Told with Beth Harbison's knack for thirty and forty something nostalgia, and heartwarming humor, Thin, Rich, Pretty will strike a chord with any woman who has ever got on the scale, looked in the mirror, or t...more
**Spoiler Alert*
Interesting but highly unlikely and unbelievable situations.. that kind of ruined it for me. I mean, whose father leaves millions of dollars to the wicked stepmother in hopes that she will share it with his daughter?? Who is 33 years old and has no useful job skills? Or who becomes totally unrecognizable and very beautiful when she has a nose job? (And who hates the nose job when it makes her suddenly beautiful? And who is grateful when someone hits her in the nose...) OK, sorry,...more
Interesting but highly unlikely and unbelievable situations.. that kind of ruined it for me. I mean, whose father leaves millions of dollars to the wicked stepmother in hopes that she will share it with his daughter?? Who is 33 years old and has no useful job skills? Or who becomes totally unrecognizable and very beautiful when she has a nose job? (And who hates the nose job when it makes her suddenly beautiful? And who is grateful when someone hits her in the nose...) OK, sorry,...more
This story was somewhat entertaining, but overall, filled with some very unlikable characters. While reading I went back and forth between being annoyed with Holly and then with Lexi; however as a whole the character of Holly annoyed me to no end. Throughout, she did little more than whine and feel sorry for herself. Yet had no interest in doing anything to change it, except to rely on complaining. Her worst quote came as an adult with regard to maintaining a healthy weight, "what was she suppos...more
Feb 10, 2013
Allie Smith
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction-chicklit
This was a quick, easy read. I really like the book. I stop short at calling it fun, because there’s some sad stuff going on in each of the heroine’s lives. Lexi is the rich girl, who has lost her mother and has lived a life filled with material thing, but very little love. Holly is the girl with a weight problem, which has robbed her of confidence and self-esteem. Nicola is the actress that is not considered pretty, so this has supposedly held her back in her career as an actress. The three wom...more
Thin, Rich, Pretty by Beth Harbison was read during a very rough patch in my life; to be honest on a public page (oh gee), I was going through an eating disorder and severe depression at the time. I picked the book up not because of the name, not because of the author, not even because of the cover (don't you know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover?) but because one of my ana sisters told me to read it. So that day I put on my running shoes and ran the two in a half miles to the li...more
When I chose this book, it's because I had just finished "Lolita" and I was looking for a light, easy read without a lot of garbled nonsense to weed through. You know, "chick lit." However, unlike most books in the genre, this story had really good messages to it. The characters were relatable both when told from the 12-year-old camper point of view to the 33-year-old professional viewpoint. The main characters dealt with real issues like body image, disliking a particular facial feature, money...more
I had a hard time relating to the characters of the book. At times it felt like there was no real character development and halfway through, when I figured out the plot of the story I was disappointed. I don't want to include spoilers but it just didn't seem "real". The overall message of the book was good and well received, and it was believable based on the limited amount of character development. However, at the end I realized that I just didn't care enough about any of the women to care abou...more
Oct 08, 2010
Debbie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audiobook,
contemporary-fiction
Finding a friend in summer camp was easy for Holly and Nicola, they had to be friends with each other because the others girls wouldn’t be. While Holly had been fighting her weight and wanted to be thin, Nicola had a nose that no one thought was pretty, so a bond was formed to protect themselves and each other from the mean girls in the cabin with them. Always being grouped with the mean girls helped keep Lexi from being picked on like Holly and Nicola were, but it also left her more lonely than...more
Thin, Rich, Pretty volleys between summer camp twenty years ago and the present day. In the past, we see Holly picked on because of her weight, Nicola self-conscious of her large nose and Lexi being hateful to all those around her because of her mother's death and the introduction of her step-mother. In the present, we see Holly still concerned about her weight, Nicola still fretting about her nose and once rich Lexi left virtually penniless due to her father's will and her step-mother's cruelty...more
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| If this was made into a movie.. | 1 | 8 | Sep 11, 2012 08:37pm | |
| Augusta Ladies Bo...: September Book Club | 1 | 5 | Sep 05, 2011 06:23pm |
Beth Harbison grew up in Potomac, Maryland, in the shadow of Washington, D.C. Apart from the occasional irritation at being held up in traffic by a presidential motorcade, she has remained fairly uninvolved in the politics that define her home town.
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“Standing in the small space, Holly was overwhelmed by memories and a strange protective feeling for the child she'd been”
—
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Jul 17, 2011 04:14pm