America's Most Eligible

by Corie Skolnick

America's Most Eligible is a hilarious romp about an ambitious young woman who has come of age in the pretentious world of Southern California. With great humor, Corie Skolnick satirizes "the bad tweed set" of literary academia along with the self-important characters of Hollywood, journalism, self-help Psychology, politics and especially traditional commercial publishing even as the latter languishes in the throes of death at its own hands.

234 pages, Paperback

First published May 23, 2015

Reviews

[Charlie Boling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without a doubt one of the most gratifying novels I've read in some time. It seems like all too often I'm left disappointed by a weak ending to an otherwise good book, that most certainly wasn't the case with this one. The way the author ties everything together at the end with a surprise twist or two is brilliant. This one is going on my list of books to give as gifts this year for sure!

[Gayle Swift · Rating 5 out of 5]

Corie Skolnick has followed her amazing debut novel "Orfan" with another riveting page-turner. Her characters leap off the page and inhabit your imagination like intimate friends and despised nuisances. Heroines and villains tug your heartstrings. Each is memorable, loveable and hateable in some measure. I found myself rooting for them and (metaphorically) screaming at them. As the intricate story unfolds, the legacy of family secrets shapes, destroys and re-forms lives. As Shakespeare wrote, "It is a wise child who knows its own father...."

This is a book that will keep you up into the wee hours of the night and will linger in your mind long after completion. Get it. Read it. Enjoy!!!

[Mary Heineke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book

I like the style of the book. The writer, who is the main character shares tips throughout the book on how to write a good book. This was interesting and very funny at the same time. I felt that the author was sharing the process a writer goes through while trying to write a great book. This was a perfect way understand the main character's writing process. I enjoyed the character development and was invested in the story from the beginning. The book has several unpredictable twists and turns holding my attention to the very end. It's a fun and quick, feel good read that everyone would enjoy.

[Molly Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book from beginning to end! There are two things I rarely do when it comes to reading for pleasure: read on an e-reader and read during the day. AME gave me no choice but to do both! Corey Skolnick has a way with words that drew me in over and over again. The plot kept me turning (rather, swiping) the pages to keep up with her creative genius. Her characters are quirky, funny, and magnetic. After reading the last word, I was ready for more. If Athena Cervantes stepped out of the pages and into a TV series, I would binge-watch for sure!

[Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It was intriguing and a lot of fun to read. The plot takes surprising turns and some characters are very mysterious which adds suspense that carries to the very end. The idea of quoting one of the character’s rules for writing a good novel throughout the book while sometimes blatantly ignoring them was ingenious and very funny. The book ends gently and cleverly, which was fun. Everyone’s motivations and actions are revealed and make sense- there are no loose ends. You finish with a good feeling.

[Sharon Dukett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Corie Skolnick is a master of quirky characters. In this one, her characters inhabit California and provide a humorous and satirical look at the wide range of people that coexist there. The main character is a woman who is working for a newspaper but aspires to a great writer. The author pokes fun at writing rules along the way and sets out to break them in creative ways in this engaging page turner.

[Anita L.]

I am a huge fan of Corie Skolnick's writing. America's Most Eligible is a fantastically funny book. She has a wonderful way of developing her characters, with all their desires, truths and untruths. I found myself reading it faster than I wanted because I kept thinking something else was going to happen and she kept taking me in a different direction. I just found it a joy to read. I also loved her book, Orfan, which I highly recommend! So anxious to see what else she introduced us to.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read. So many twists and turns. Just like real life.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inventive, genuinely funny satire with a climax that has all the "WTAF?" hilarity of a slamming-door farce...a particularly clever trick in this meta-literary structure that is becoming a simulacrum of itself as it observes itself. That sounded complicated, right? But really, the bottom line is that this book will satisfy people who love "Arrested Development" and people who like Baudrillard. I mean, seriously...how many books can make that claim?

The e-book version may annoy sharp-eyed readers with its many proofing errors, but don't let that distract you from Skolnick's whip-smart brio and explosively joyful use of language. Highly recommended, especially for writers who are heartily sick of the literary scene (so, like, all of us).