Everybody Rise

Title: Everybody Rise
Author: Stephanie Clifford
Published: August 18, 2015 by St. Martin's Press
Pages: 384
Source: Publisher at BEA
Rating: 3/5
Goodreads

It's 2006 in the Manhattan of the young and glamorous. Money and class are colliding in a city that is about to go over a financial precipice and take much of the country with it. At 26, bright, funny and socially anxious Evelyn Beegan is determined to carve her own path in life and free herself from the influence of her social-climbing mother, who propelled her through prep school and onto the Upper East Side. Evelyn has long felt like an outsider to her privileged peers, but when she gets a job at a social network aimed at the elite, she's forced to embrace them.

Recruiting new members for the site, Evelyn steps into a promised land of Adirondack camps, Newport cottages and Southampton clubs thick with socialites and Wall Streeters. Despite herself, Evelyn finds the lure of belonging intoxicating, and starts trying to pass as old money herself. When her father, a crusading class-action lawyer, is indicted for bribery, Evelyn must contend with her own family's downfall as she keeps up appearances in her new life, grasping with increasing desperation as the ground underneath her begins to give way.

Bracing, hilarious and often poignant, Stephanie Clifford's debut offers a thoroughly modern take on classic American themes - money, ambition, family, friendship - and on the universal longing to fit in.

My review:

I have to admit that this book did not really deliver until the second half. It starts out with a great premise, but it is kind of flat. There is definitely action and stuff going on, but it's all rather boring. The bright spot in the first part of the book is Evelyn's mother, a has-been social climber, who (of course) is always trying to give her daughter advice. Once things start to go downhill with Evelyn, the book really picks up speed and my interest. I very much enjoyed the latter half of this book, and I went from kind of tolerating Evelyn, to rooting for her to get her act together. The secondary characters were well done, and while I can't profess to know anything about that lifestyle, it seemed to be on point. Writing style was fine, no issues with that. Giving this one a 3 (average of a 2 first half, and a 4 second half).

Bottom line......an enjoyable story if you can get through the beginning. I've heard from several people who gave up on it, I'm glad I kept with it since it did get better. I don't regret reading this, I'll be interested to see what Clifford comes up with next.