Summer is a magical time in New York City and Carrie is in love with all of it—the crazy characters in her neighborhood, the vintage-clothing bouti...
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reviews
Jul 28, 2011
Diane
rated it: 
A bit disappointing, really. I wanted Carrie to do some touristy things and have a great glamourous time. With a few roadbumps along the way, sure, but this was a bit too unremitting with its seedy details and endless knock-backs.
Bushnell is great at creating an atmosphere and describing people, and this was a quick read that was pretty realistic about how lonely and confusing it feels to be a young woman on her own for the first time and what it's like starting out as a writer (swi More...
Bushnell is great at creating an atmosphere and describing people, and this was a quick read that was pretty realistic about how lonely and confusing it feels to be a young woman on her own for the first time and what it's like starting out as a writer (swi More...
Jul 22, 2011
Namratha
rated it: 
I sincerely, truly adored the first book in this series : The Carrie Diaries
And so, I was compelled to grab the second book. It helped that it had three of my favourite ingredients:
a) New York City
b) The tale of a fledgling writer
c) The coming-of-age journey of the delightfully quirky and iconic Carrie Bradshaw
Sadly, at the end of this fairly chunky read....I had to go...'eh'.
The plot and characters are predictable. You can immediately tell who is the More...
And so, I was compelled to grab the second book. It helped that it had three of my favourite ingredients:
a) New York City
b) The tale of a fledgling writer
c) The coming-of-age journey of the delightfully quirky and iconic Carrie Bradshaw
Sadly, at the end of this fairly chunky read....I had to go...'eh'.
The plot and characters are predictable. You can immediately tell who is the More...
Jun 18, 2011
Emma
rated it: 
I much preferred this to the first installment of the teen Carrie Bradshaw. I think it was mainly to do with the fact that the characters from the TV series that I was familiar with were more predominant in this book.
I had to keep reminding myself this book was set in the 80s I felt it wasn't referred to a lot, one instance only comes to mind when the actual year or period was mentioned so I kept imagining New York now rather than back then.
The characters were more inter More...
I had to keep reminding myself this book was set in the 80s I felt it wasn't referred to a lot, one instance only comes to mind when the actual year or period was mentioned so I kept imagining New York now rather than back then.
The characters were more inter More...
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Jun 01, 2011
Bobby
rated it:
The second book in Bushnell's Sex and the City prequel series is a vast improvement over the unremarkable first, The Carrie Diaries, thanks to its addition of some familiar faces and SATC's "Fifth Lady," New York City. And while fans of the show might be confused or disappointed that the books don't strictly follow the show's lore, it still manages to capture the energy and sentiments of the show enough that readers should enjoy this "alternate universe" Carrie and her navig
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May 26, 2011
Sarah
rated it: 
If you are looking for a fun, entertaining and lighthearted book to read this summer you need to pick up Summer and the City. This novel continues where the Carrie Diaries left us, as Carrie Bradshaw begins her relationship with NYC. Being a long-time lover of Bushnell's original Sex and the City book and a fan of the show, it was interesting to learn how the character of Carrie developed into the phenomena that we know and love. In fact, one of the most satisfying components of this novel is th
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Sep 27, 2011
Ali
rated it:
I liked the first book of this series, The Carrie Diaries but this one disappointed me immensely. Which still puzzles me for it is centered around the iconic character of Miss Carrie Brawdshaw, is based in New York City and it features both Samantha and Miranda. All the ingredients for a good book is it not? But something went seriously wrong...
Firstly, Carrie becomes the type of person I take all measures to AVOID. She just seems to suck all the energy out of the room around her, More...
Firstly, Carrie becomes the type of person I take all measures to AVOID. She just seems to suck all the energy out of the room around her, More...
May 11, 2011
Amelia the Strange
rated it:
I am a huge, HUGE Sex and the City fan. This is the first book I have read on the Kindle app (holding an actual book and feeding my son is not a talent I seem to possess). This is the second novel in this series, which follows a teenaged Carrie Bradshaw. Carrie longs to be a writer. Every fiber in her tells her that is what she is meant to do. The problem is, she struggles to actually write (something I can relate to all too well myself). Summer and the City begins with Carrie bright-eyed and op
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May 29, 2011
Melissa
rated it:
I never thought I'd add a "chick lit" book to my favourites list, but this book really warmed my heart. Although I haven't read the books that the televesion series is based on, I did love the show. Waited in line to see the movies on opening night, own a copy of the DVD sets too. But, this book was amazing in its own unique way. This is the story of when Carrie first comes to Manhattan, moving from her small town to the big city for the summer so that she can go to a writing schoo
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Apr 28, 2011
Book Twirps
rated it:
Carrie Bradshaw is finally in New York City. It’s where she’s always wanted to be, and she just knows it’s where she belongs. Summer & the City picks up right where The Carrie Diaries left off. Carrie is supposed to be attending Brown University in the fall at her father’s insistence. He wants her to become a scientist or something that will take her places, but all Carrie dreams of is becoming a famous writer. In the last book he reluctantly agreed to let her stay in New York for the summer and
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Apr 26, 2011
Brian
rated it:
I was very excited to read this book since I really enjoyed the first book. That being said, I didn't like this one nearly as much. This book takes place directly after the first one ends with Carrie arriving in NYC. She meets an older guy, and becomes friends with Samantha Jones as well as not one but two other SATC characters. I felt the plot was a little humdrum and slow moving, and left the reader with little surprises. The book felt like an episode of Sex and the City, which isn't neces
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Jan 20, 2012
Tiffany
rated it: 
I admit, I wanted to give this book three stars, but then I thought better of it...
Okay, so, I think I finally understand these books. They're satire at its finest. The reason that Carrie Bradshaw is so abhorrent is that the author is trying to poke fun at teenage girls. I think. Or at least I hope...
After being so disappointed in the first of the series, I don't know why I picked up the second one. If only because I am warped and can't leave a series unfinished, even if a rotten one. More...
Okay, so, I think I finally understand these books. They're satire at its finest. The reason that Carrie Bradshaw is so abhorrent is that the author is trying to poke fun at teenage girls. I think. Or at least I hope...
After being so disappointed in the first of the series, I don't know why I picked up the second one. If only because I am warped and can't leave a series unfinished, even if a rotten one. More...
Jun 14, 2011
Carolyn
rated it:
This second book in the Carrie Diaries series definitely gets us closer to the Carrie we know and love in S&TC. In Summer and the City, Carrie takes her first steps in New York at living, writing, relationships, art & fashion, and friends--and pretty much falls flat on her face. We get more back story on how she becomes such good pals with her S&TC girls, Samantha, Miranda (the short, red hair was to rebel against her mother!), even Charlotte. I think we also get a glimpse of why she becomes so
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Jun 07, 2011
Carla
rated it:
I liked this book very much. I have read it in 4 days during my weekend trip and I can tell you.. I couldn't stop reading!
I love that it's set in the 80's, i love that it continues just where it ended in The Carrie Diaries 1. I love that you get to know how Carrie met Miranda and some other people :) (i don't want to spoil anything!)Oh, and i like the end of the book! :)
What I didn't like that much was the fact that Carrie behaves in a way that is totally uncommon for her in the s More...
I love that it's set in the 80's, i love that it continues just where it ended in The Carrie Diaries 1. I love that you get to know how Carrie met Miranda and some other people :) (i don't want to spoil anything!)Oh, and i like the end of the book! :)
What I didn't like that much was the fact that Carrie behaves in a way that is totally uncommon for her in the s More...
Aug 12, 2011
Samantha
rated it:
I guess I feel a little bit better about this book now than I did in the middle of it. Summer and the City is good as a Bildungsroman--albeit a tad cliché--and also leaves some open ends. It was OK, but maybe I should have used my time to read something more enriching. The thing that bothered me the most was that the premise of the book was Carrie's wanting to be a writer, yet very little writing is actually done by her. And a lot of things are left up in the air (Carrie's dad, what Carrie is go
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Jan 09, 2012
Melissa
rated it:
This was The Carrie Diaries I had thought would have been the 1st book (or rather it should have been). It is all about how Carrie survives her first summer in New York and how she remains thereafter.
It is filled with exciting bits of information about New York from her point of view as a tourist. I would have liked her to have done more sight seeing around New York's landmarks but she was, in true Carrie fashion, just too busy partying!
Candace has managed to capture th More...
It is filled with exciting bits of information about New York from her point of view as a tourist. I would have liked her to have done more sight seeing around New York's landmarks but she was, in true Carrie fashion, just too busy partying!
Candace has managed to capture th More...
Aug 11, 2011
Sara E.
rated it:
Ugh. This book was a miss on the hit-or-miss scale for me. The likeable Carrie, and her interesting friends are warped from the first book into almost unrecognizable characters in this second attempt. I just feel like Bushnell was trying way too hard to make Carrie into Sex and the City Carrie, and it was sloppy, along with throwing in Miranda, Samantha, and in the end, Charlotte. I feel like this is a book that will turn off the teenaged reader and also not appease the adult female reader/watch
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May 26, 2011
Brenda
rated it:
Summer and The City is a must read for loyal fans of Sex and The City! I can say this one is better than The Carrie Diaries. It is so fun reading the story when Carrie met Samantha and Miranda. The whole story is about the 18 years old Carrie Bradshaw. For me it is very important to know about the young life of this NYC fashion icon. Carrie Bradshaw started from zero, she came to New York with nothing but strong will to reach her dream to be a writer, which is so inspirational for me because I w
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Aug 08, 2011
Heather
rated it:
--A Sweet Read--
“I will succeed. I must succeed. Damn everyone.”
The Carrie Diaries novels are like candy. Sweet tidbits that reveal the early times of New York’s beloved Carrie Bradshaw. “Summer and the City” starts Carrie’s writing career. It’s in a time before cell phones, where it costs 25 cents for a candy bar and she is penniless and full of doubt in New York City.
With the help of Samantha Jones and her new friend Miranda Hobbes, Carrie deftly navigat More...
“I will succeed. I must succeed. Damn everyone.”
The Carrie Diaries novels are like candy. Sweet tidbits that reveal the early times of New York’s beloved Carrie Bradshaw. “Summer and the City” starts Carrie’s writing career. It’s in a time before cell phones, where it costs 25 cents for a candy bar and she is penniless and full of doubt in New York City.
With the help of Samantha Jones and her new friend Miranda Hobbes, Carrie deftly navigat More...
May 26, 2011
Eric
rated it:
I really enjoyed reading the first book in THE CARRIE DIARIES series, so I was looking forward to this one, the second. Candace Bushnell didn't disappoint. She's really grown as an author since the choppy SEX AND THE CITY original novel. SUMMER AND THE CITY was a quick read; the chapters flow from one to the next, written with expertise in the genre.
SUMMER was even better than the first because the Carrie Bradshaw that we know and love from the SEX AND THE CITY TV series is aliv More...
SUMMER was even better than the first because the Carrie Bradshaw that we know and love from the SEX AND THE CITY TV series is aliv More...
May 23, 2011
The original posting can be found at Within Pages.
I received this book as part of the Goodreads First Reads Giveaways.
If you are a fan of Sex and the City (the show this series prequels) then I feel that you would absolutely love this book; if you are a big fan of Chick Lit, you could enjoy this book. I however, am not a particular fan of either of those two and abandoned this book half-way through the book.
I chose not to give this book a rating because it doe More...
I received this book as part of the Goodreads First Reads Giveaways.
If you are a fan of Sex and the City (the show this series prequels) then I feel that you would absolutely love this book; if you are a big fan of Chick Lit, you could enjoy this book. I however, am not a particular fan of either of those two and abandoned this book half-way through the book.
I chose not to give this book a rating because it doe More...
Aug 21, 2011
Lisa (Badass Bookie)
rated it:
The Short Story? – The sequel to New York Times #1 Bestseller did not disappoint! A vibrant summer adventure of hardship, sex, friendship and everything in between. Carrie takes us on an epic journey through New York. Great characters, fantastic plot and a brilliant ending. The Summer and the City is a girl’s best friend!
The Long Story? – I admit I’ve never actually read Sex and the City but I’ve watched the TV show and seen the movies and I love it! Honestly, I’m still not quite con More...
The Long Story? – I admit I’ve never actually read Sex and the City but I’ve watched the TV show and seen the movies and I love it! Honestly, I’m still not quite con More...
Jul 07, 2011
Robin
rated it:
This was a fun follow up to The Carrie Diaries. You can see more of Carrie's Sex and the City persona emerging as she spends her first summer in Manhattan and meets Samantha and Miranda. Like on the show, there were times when I didn't like Carrie very much. She can be a bit inconsiderate and obsessed with herself. But I did enjoy her fashion choices and her excitement over NYC, since I love the city so much, too. And I really just loved the younger Miranda - with bright red hair and protesting
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May 22, 2011
Courtney
rated it:
I'm a huge fan of the (TV) series and have seen both movies (not the best but fun)...as this is the 2nd 'Carrie' book, maybe my take isn't what it could be as I didn't read the 1st book...
I liked the pre-adult Carrie story...Bushnell does a good job of showing us how Carrie's personality exists before we know her as an adult. I love Carrie, for all her faults, neuroses, and flaws, and it's interesting to see how her selfish side comes through as a teenager. And - her eclectic love for More...
I liked the pre-adult Carrie story...Bushnell does a good job of showing us how Carrie's personality exists before we know her as an adult. I love Carrie, for all her faults, neuroses, and flaws, and it's interesting to see how her selfish side comes through as a teenager. And - her eclectic love for More...
May 25, 2011
Megan
rated it:
Carrie is back! What is it about these characters that hook you from beginning to end? From the TV show to the books, it seems like people just can't get enough "Sex"...including me!
"Summer and the City" picks up right where "The Carrie Diaries" left off. Carrie has just graduated high school and is now in New York City to pursue her dream of becoming a writer. She's taking a class, shopping for vintage clothes, making new friends, and doing basically eve More...
"Summer and the City" picks up right where "The Carrie Diaries" left off. Carrie has just graduated high school and is now in New York City to pursue her dream of becoming a writer. She's taking a class, shopping for vintage clothes, making new friends, and doing basically eve More...
May 19, 2011
Jodi
rated it:
Being a fan of Sex in the City, I really enjoyed Summer in the City. This installment was more enjoyable than The Carrie Diaries simply because it included familiar characters.
It was a light, fun read which I finished quickly. However, I will say, as I believe in my review of The Carrie Diaries, I don't really see this as a Young Adult book. To me, this is more for people who were fans of the show and always wanted to know how the characters met and what they were like when th More...
It was a light, fun read which I finished quickly. However, I will say, as I believe in my review of The Carrie Diaries, I don't really see this as a Young Adult book. To me, this is more for people who were fans of the show and always wanted to know how the characters met and what they were like when th More...
May 23, 2011
Giselle
rated it:
Maybe I'm biased since I read this on a bus tour to and from New York city, but this was a great book! I loved it. It's the second novel of the series about Carrie Bradshaw before SATC; when she was 18.
The first book was a bit disappointing. She was still in high school and no mention of anything from the show was in the book. The plot was also very teenager oriented. I wasn't even sure I was going to read the 2nd, but I'm glad that I did. In this one we have Samantha and Miranda. As More...
The first book was a bit disappointing. She was still in high school and no mention of anything from the show was in the book. The plot was also very teenager oriented. I wasn't even sure I was going to read the 2nd, but I'm glad that I did. In this one we have Samantha and Miranda. As More...
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Oct 07, 2011
Rebecca
rated it:
YA books, but I love them. Bushnell oddly enough really needs to stick to YA because like the last Carrie book, this book was better then her adult books. Man, what even happened? Just general summer-y stuff, school sort of, boys of course, older men who I sort of thought would turn into Big, but didn't, but it didn't matter. She has friends that we know (Sam! and a total feminist Miranda!) and people that fall off the radar later in life, but you don't really care. And I am so MAD at myself for
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May 18, 2011
Melissa
rated it:
This was ok. I thought Carrie was a lot more unlikable in this book than she was in the first book. In this one, she goes to NY to take a writing class for the summer before she starts college and ends up living with Samantha, becoming friends with Miranda, hooking up with an older playwright, and going to all sorts of ridiculous parties that it's hard to imagine a teenager at. She's vapid, self-centered and clueless in this book and yes, she is 17 and most 17 year olds are somewhat vapid, self-
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Nov 20, 2011
C_
rated it:
I'm a huge fan of Sex and the City, so I had to buy this audio book, especially as the German Carrie voice reads it. Carrie came to New York finally to attend writing classes. She stays with a terrible women and another girl but gets thrown out there soon. She makes friends easily, especially with Samantha, whose telephone number she already got before she arrived in NY. So, it's all about new friends, the new city, new night life and new sex life...of course ;) But I really was disappointed bec
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May 12, 2011
Wan Ni
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