FAB: A Novel

by Kieran Batts Morrow, Tiffany Anderson, Adrienne Carter

They are highly educated, professionally focused, sexy, and looking for men to share the best life has to offer. Meet the fearless, funny women of FAB.

Bianca left her three best friends in New York to pursue a Hollywood dream job. The weather’s great, but the lower salary is making it hard to live “the good life.” Right when Bianca meets a sexy, sage professor, she starts resorting to fiscally questionable activities to finance her lifestyle. Eventually, hitting rock bottom while wearing the ugliest bridesmaid’s dress in history forces Bianca to reevaluate her priorities before her life falls apart.

Carolyn’s successful advertising career involves selling the idealized female body, and she’s obsessed with her own failure to fit that image. Certain that no man will love her as long as she isn’t model-thin, she comforts herself with designer shoes, Taco Bell binges, and therapy. When her new intern turns out to be a tall, handsome preppie with a quirky sense of humor, however, Carolyn realizes that if she can’t overcome her insecurities, she might miss out on the romance of a lifetime.

Taylor, a high-powered attorney at a top New York firm, earns more than enough to support a fabulous lifestyle; she just has no life. After her latest relationship implodes, Taylor decides that immersing herself in her career, with the occasional casual fling, is the best way to get through life heartbreak free. Her plan works—until she realizes that it won’t leave any time for her friends, family, or the hot investment banker she’s just met.

Roxanne’s best audition opportunity in the last year has been for the role of a spokeschicken for a fried chicken chain, and she’s sick of it. Despite the handsome filmmaker who satisfies her every sexual craving, Roxanne realizes that the constant uphill battle to land meaningful acting jobs is burning her out, and that a month-long California retreat with her surfboarding uncle is exactly what the doctor ordered.

From the witty to the wicked, these friends will let you know the score on life and love, and, in the process, make you laugh, cry, and laugh some more.

Genres: Chick Lit

320 pages, Hardcover

First published July 19, 2005

Reviews

[Chrissy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, I'm definitely usually one of those people who feels obligated to finish a book once I begin it.

But, this one was just THAT bad that I had to change my rule.

Now, don't get me wrong -- I am fully acknowledging that I only read half of the book. So, please, yes, take this review with a grain of salt. I can't tell you if the ending was great or if the characters ultimately came to fabulous realizations and became something more than the catty, shallow creatures I read about for the first chunk.

I'm fully open to the possibility that this *could* indeed end up being a 5 star book, had I finished it.

Then again, I was fully open to the possibility that I *could* indeed win the lottery, and that didn't get me anywhere either.

Basically, FAB alternated between four self-absorbed women, all of whom were, of course, boastfully well-endowed financially. Although their jobs, men, and frequency of the f-bomb varied slightly, I felt like I was hearing the same irritating voice in every single chapter. None of these women were likeable, in the least, and I definitely wasn't invested in the stories or outcomes of any of them.

I hate doing 1-star reviews (unless it's Danielle Steele or Mitch Albom), but the first half at least definitely deserved it, in my eyes.

As always, your results may vary...

[Ari · Rating 3 out of 5]

IQ "I don't want either of us to have to make such large sacrifices for the other that we start to resent one another and lose sight of what we were all about in the first place. I don't want one of us to be unhappy to make the other one happy; I don't want this to be a zero sum game. If that happens, we aren't in a relationship, we're just trying to stay in one." (Taylor, 118)

Easy, breezy, funny. Reading about these four spirited bougie women is a lot of fun, perfect for the summer. Just know going in that they're all a mess (obviously) and settle in for an amusing ride. Taylor was definitely my favorite character which is clear from the quotes I've chosen to highlight but I did recognize parts of myself in all of them.

Some of my favorite lines because they made me cackle;

"I wanted to ask him why he thought his mother didn't have an abortion, knowing that she'd be giving birth to Satan" (Taylor, 16)

"I don't take shit-especially because my mother said don't ever take anything that people are giving away for free." (Taylor, 17)

"The truth is, I can't really afford to go, but I'll feel like such a loser if I'm the only one who doesn't go. That's the problem with being friends with a bunch of fabulous, smart Ivy League grades. It takes a lot just to keep up, but I refuse to be the weak link." (Bianca, 179). IF THIS AINT A WORD

"This was the one time, probably since I'd been born, that I didn't want to be right." (Taylor, 256). Me always regarding my personal life.

[Bethina · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really disliked this book. This book definitely didn't well. There are some words I was surprised to see. I normally like books with different POVs but since this was a short book I didn't know enough about each character to care about them. I feel like this book went nowhere and since there were 4 characters it went no where four times.

[Saysha Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I had no idea when I started this book it would be SO GOOD! FAB is Sex in the City meets Waiting To Exhale. It was really hard for me to put this book down!

Once you meet the four main characters you'll have a hard time choosing which one is your favorite. Bianca quit her job as fashion publicist to move to LA to be a TV publicist, Taylor is a high powered lawyer who hardly ever has time for herself, Roxanne is a struggling actress/sex addict and Carolyn has low self esteem, but she's in love with her job.

I laughed, cried and talked out loud as I read each chapter of the girls lives. This book is fiction, but I feel as though every woman can see herself in one of these characters. The authors of FAB did an amazing job writing this novel. It deserves more than just five stars. This book was a perfect and flawless pageturner!!!!!!

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hated this book within a few chapters, but since it was a tad redeeming at the end I bumped up my rating to two stars. Unlike other reviewers I did not find the book to be humorous, it did not make me cry, and except for maybe one character (Carolyn) I did not relate to any of the characters and flat out disliked Bianca. The only thing redeeming about the book is that it showed 4 friends that stick together over the years. I found the writing to be poor & uneven (probably due to the fact that there were 4 writers), I found a lot of their discussions to be crude (and in no way do I talk to my friends like that), and really, these 4 independent women seemed to be way too obsessed with finding a man. It was a chore to finish this book (I was hoping that it would improve at some point so I stuck it out) and I would not recommend it to anyone.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sex in the City with black chicks. Easy read, entertaining and lots of sex. Great book to read on the beach or in a hammock.

[Jenni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hilarious

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fab was drab.