Cat's Meow

by Melissa de la Cruz, Kim DeMarco (Illustrator)

Cat McAllister grew up as a Hollywood child star, spent her adolescence modeling in Japan, and now, as she celebrates her twenty-fifth birthday for the fourth time, she lives for velvet ropes, Moët & Chandon, gold-leaf invitations, and other fashionista prizes. But on her way up the social ladder, making her way past the who's who and the what's what, Cat finds herself stuck in that seventh circle of celebrity hell.

What's worse, her funds are running dry.

What's a girl to do?

Marry rich. And so the ruckus begins, taking us from China for a baby adoption, to Paris for the couture shows, to the "it" world of Gotham. And that's just the hors d'oeuvres.

Punctuated with Kim DeMarco's illustrations, Cat's Meow is a spectacularly witty novel about a young woman looking for love, clothes, and what will make her truly happy in life.

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit

219 pages, Paperback

First published July 31, 2001

About the author

Melissa de la Cruz is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for teens including The Au Pairs series, the Blue Bloods series, the Ashleys series, the Angels on Sunset Boulevard series and the semi-autobiographical novel Fresh off the Boat.

Her books for adults include the novel Cat’s Meow, the anthology Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys and the tongue-in-chic handbooks How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less and The Fashionista Files: Adventures in Four-inch heels and Faux-Pas.

She has worked as a fashion and beauty editor and has written for many publications including The New York Times, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Allure, The San Francisco Chronicle, McSweeney’s, Teen Vogue, CosmoGirl! and Seventeen. She has also appeared as an expert on fashion, trends and fame for CNN, E! and FoxNews.

Melissa grew up in Manila and moved to San Francisco with her family, where she graduated high school salutatorian from The Convent of the Sacred Heart. She majored in art history and English at Columbia University (and minored in nightclubs and shopping!).

She now divides her time between New York and Los Angeles, where she lives in the Hollywood Hills with her husband and daughter.

Reviews

[Tracey]

Not worth ANY stars. This was horrible. It seemed like a cheap knock off of Bergdof Blondes, Melissa should stick to young adult books. I gave up after 20 pages.

[Chan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cat McAllister is used to the lifestyle of the rich and famous, although she is neither. Her father left her a sizable trust fund, but she managed to spend it all. She and her best friend, who is also close to destitute, are trying to maintain that status in society and earn a fortune.

I must be missing something about this book. Maybe Melissa de la Cruz wrote it for her fashion friends and it’s an inside joke. Or maybe it’s a spoof on a movie that I have not yet seen. Or possibly satire of celebrity culture. Whatever this is supposed to be, I do not get it. It could be that I do not understand the mindset of someone born into that type of life, and therefore could not connect to their seemingly juvenile and brainless decisions.

The characters needed some redeeming qualities and there needed to be some growth. If this was supposed to be satire, illustrating that the rich and famous can make the most idiotic decisions and in the end, their lives will continue to go on without much of a hiccup (which essentially happened with Cat at the end), then I did enjoy this story and it was not written well.

[Dorina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh, mixed emotions on this one. I think it was well written and speaks of a certain generation. I struggled with the first few characters not liking the main character. But the book was satire. I kept forgetting that. A spoiled young woman is searching for herself, love and a job. Overall a fast read.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only gave this 3 stars because it's not, in my opinion, a literary masterpiece BUT if you need a good laugh along with some frivolity this is the book for you I found myself laughing out loud!

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book disappointed me: Cat barely develops as a character, and she doesn't have to do anything to get herself out of her debt (among other issues) because her mother steps in and saves the day. Cat is initially selfish, vain, and naive, and she pretty much stays that way. Her only change is that she agrees to marry 'Prince' Stephan of Westonia despite his lack of wealth. She is still trying to deny her age, although she 'allows' herself to be one year older (after having celebrated her 25th birthday for how many years? 4?). The description of the book, along with the cover, suggested a light chic-lit book. However, I found most of it depressing (I guess it is funny in a "let's watch the main character dig her own grave" kind of way)?

[Stacey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. Another 'trainwreck' book. I call them this because once I start reading, I fully accept that the book is badly written and not worth my time, but I'm already invested, so I finish it anyway. I understand that the point of the story is to show the rich and sorta-famous side of NYC, but I'd rather watch Sex and the City, thanks. This is so being donated to the Salvation Army or something. I don't want it in my house, and I'd feel bad about myself if I donated it to my library. Yeah, it's that bad.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book, I was getting madder
and madder, getting angrier and angrier
at this 20-something generation until
I finally realized---Duh! This author
is not serious! It took me until I
got to the part where our main character
went to a doctor to try to get her legs
amputated as amputee fashion was very hip.

[Sasa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read the first chapter and couldn't go through with the rest. I skipped to the last chapter and it felt to me like character seems like she didn't learn squat, but I could be wrong. It's another heteronormative book about a cis-woman seeking a cis-man to fill a part of her life that's missing. I'm not into it because it's very formulaic and reads the same as everything else. I need spice, I need new, and I need better. This isn't it.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a light-hearted, crazy and downright zany read. It was a nice distraction from the doldrums of normal, everyday life. It did, however, make me realize and be very happy about the fact that I'm nowhere near as shallow as the main character.

[Kara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Basically a novella. If you've read any of Plum Sykes, you've read this book (I know, different author, but so similar it hurts). It also came out in 2001, so it's very, VERY dated already. Pop culture doesn't age well.

[Shiva khanom Nafezi · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a funny book! This book definitely identifies all the silliness of high society, fashionables of New York and their way of life! Easy read on a vacation.

[Melvie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. Don't read this book if you value your time.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't finish-- dated and awful!

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was cute, just a fast read. Very girlie. De la Cruz has come a long way in character development. Maybe this was a rough sketch that became Mimi?

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Laughed at the absurdity--but that's often the norm for the famous nowadays. It's a ditzy, scattered type of narrative, but that's the point. Don't take it too seriously & you'll have a laugh.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I normally try and finish all books I read, but I couldn't even get half way with this one. I was bored to death.

[Vera W · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh! Couldn't even finish

[Beautiful_Jade · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not particularly funny or witty, just a bit of a mess.

[Meaghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

really bizarre story but i enjoyed it. not at all what i expected.