Wait, before you think I’m getting too smutty this is the title of the last book I’ve finished. After five years of antici…..pation, Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez has finally followed up her first novel, The Dirty Girls Social Club, with Dirty Girls On Top. These books are about the lives of six latinas who met in college and have promised to meet up with each other twice a year, every year, for the rest of their lives.
I must say I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t as good as the first novel (big surprise). This is more in the realm of “serious chick-lit”. Ms. Rodriguez’ characters are highly flawed, some dealing with addictions to abusive husbands, philandering fiances, compulsive eating, and slight narcissism. Each chapter is written from the p.o.v. of one of the characters in the book.
There’s: Rebecca: the uptight workaholic; Cuicatl: the musician/activist/free spirit; Usnavys: the no-nonsense, plus-sized, amorous girl from the streets; Lauren: still searching for who she really is; Sara: the beautiful and misguided host of a cooking show; and Elizabeth: the Afro-Columbian, poetic spirit, who is probably the most down to earth and likeable of all the characters.
Don’t get me wrong, I love it when authors let the characters develop into real people, (even if you don’t care for them). I just wanted to prepare you for this level of “reality” the a novel.
But aside from all the heavy stuff, it’s got all the things I love about chick-lit: designer clothes and shoes, sexy young Latin men, and plenty of laughs.
P.S. I’m also a fan of Make Him Look Good , by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, it’s a fun spoof on the “latin pop-music fever” that was all the rage back in the early 2000’s (…did just say early 2000’s? Yikes!)
