Audiobook9 hours
A Total Waste of Makeup
Written by Kim Gruenenfelder
Narrated by Allyson Ryan
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
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About this audiobook
Charlize "Charlie" Edwards certainly knows, in theory, what it takes to lead a successful and happy life. She owns a nice house in Silverlake, the trendiest neighborhood in L.A. She has glamorous and loyal friends who accompany her to the hottest clubs in town. And she works as the personal assistant to Drew Stanton, Hollywood's sexiest movie star. But she's also turning thirty, chronically single, and faced with serving as maid of honor at her younger sister's wedding. Charlie finds herself struggling to juggle the chaos of wedding planning (while wondering if she'll ever wear the white dress herself), her all-consuming job for lunatic boss Stanton, and a serious crush on Jordan, a photographer on the set of Drew's latest feature-a man who might actually return her feelings.
Author
Kim Gruenenfelder
Kim Gurenenfelder lives in Los Angeles with her husband and son, and continues to avoid anything even remotely resembling a real job. In addition to her novels A Total Waste of Makeup and Misery Loves Cabernet, she has written feature films, episodic teleplays and two stage plays.
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Reviews for A Total Waste of Makeup
Rating: 4.181818181818182 out of 5 stars
4/5
11 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hilarious and honest - which is difficult to pull off. Charlie, her friends and family were all very realistic and well drawn out, especially for something in the chick lit genre. The author's experience as a screenwriter lends itself well to her first novel.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The ReviewA girlfriend of mine who loves reading Chick Lit as much as I lent me this book. I have been in a happy, feminine reading mood all this week and treated myself to not one, but two Chick Lit books this week! It’s nice to pamper thyself!Kim Gruenenfelder hit a home-run with her debut novel (published 2005/2006). Although I didn’t get a copy until recently, I am happy that I did. What I discovered is that this is one of a two-book series with Charlie as our heroine. Gruenenfelder has very recently published its sequel entitled Misery Loves Cabernet. I am so hoping to grab a copy and review it soon!Back to A Total Waste of Makeup, our heroine Charlie juggles a cast of supporting characters in her life in addition to the movie star that she is a Personal Assistant for. Some parts of Charlie’s life are as glamorous as you’d want, although Charlie is as real and down-to-earth as you can get. She is attacked with a barrage of phone calls on her constantly ringing phone. It’s either her neurotic sister, looney mother, needy boss, or wimpy dad. Unlike Charlie’s best friends, who are described as being gorgeous and Size 2’s, Charlie is our Size 6, more classic gal. (O.K., I have to say… Charlie… a Size 6 is TINY!). She’s had some problems in the love department by picking the wrong men. However, by the end of this book, our heroine has what looks like the beginnings of something positive. My favorite part of the novel was the trip that she and her friends took to Las Vegas for the Bachelorette Party. You could imagine yourself right there in the thick of it with them! On Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale:”A great romantic comedy, A Total Waste of MakeUp is a perfect classic escape. For your tropical vacation, poolside, or summer fun, I would most definitely recommend this book. But, since the sequel is published, I’d get both books so that you can read on and find out what happens to Charlie. I know I can’t wait to find out!For the genre Fiction:Women’s Fiction/ChickLit, I am going to rate this book a 9 OUT OF 10.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Love, love, love this book. I can't remember the last time a book made me laugh so hard or so much. Great weekend or relaxing vacation read.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5I have no idea how I actually ended up with this book, as it's not something I would buy of my own accord; regardless, I read it, and it was pretty bad. The main character is totally unlikeable and vapid, and now that I think about it, so is every other character. The storyline is weak and doesn't really hold interest. I see this as an example of what "chick lit" should NOT be.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/54.5 ★
This book was hilarious. The diary entries were the best, LOL.
The protagonist, Charlie, is a pathologically-single-made-of-honor-for-her-little-sis-about-to-turn-thirty gal. She has a glamorous, high paying job, as she works for one of Hollywood’s top celebrities, but her track record with man is disastrous. She’s writing a diary for her great-grandniece with advices for dating, and life in general.
I enjoyed this book. Charlie’s family is nuts, and Charlie herself is super funny.
The books leaves a lot of things hanging, but since I‘ve seen there’s a follow-up book it’s understandable. I’ll bring this book back to the library and borrow the second chapter, as I’m not about to spend 9.99 for an eBook. (I think some authors are a bit crazy with their pricing, I’m going to start a new shelf – Borrow-it-it’s-too-expensive)
Things I didn’t like, hence the deduction of .5 star:
Her bestis are a bit of a riddle. I didn’t get Dawn at all, she was confusing, and at times a bit obnoxious. Didn’t like her that much! She would definitely not be my best friend. Kate was ok, but … sometimes hard to believe.
Drew, the Hollywood star, was portrayed a bit too insecure to be credible! I mean, I don’t think that one of the sexiest men alive, rich to boot, and as successful as it gets would be such a pushover with women, and such a chaser, for that matter. This characterization bugged me a little, but other than that, he was a really nice guy, funny, and with the odd pearl of wisdom here and there.
Fav. quote: We laugh, then down our shots. It’s going to be a night to regret. I love nights like this!
Fav. life philosophy: I mean, why not just roll the fitted sheet in a ball and throw it in your linen closet…
I have to share with you some of my favorite diary entries, I’ll put them in spoiler mode so that if you still haven’t read the book I will not spoil your fun!
Sometimes, when you’re single, it’s good to make your married friends jealous. ♥ Spend a night listening to the bartender problems. ♥ No matter how successful you are, no one can work out for you. ♥ When someone presents you with a gift, no matter how strange, do not respond with “Huh?” “Yikes!” or “What the hell is this?" ♥ The heart has a mind of his own.