Not-Quite-Supermodel

LOCAL AUTHOR

What a fun, albeit unreal story! This “coming-of-age in your twenties” story that, according to the author, has some very real parts in it reads like a book from the Shopaholic collection but at the same time is almost messier. And by messier, I mean, very, very what-happens-in-Vegas-stays-in-Vegas.

Alex Emmerson is a fish slicer in Canada at a Safeway. Scouted by a woman named Robin one day, she finds herself thrown into a world of mean girls, name dropping, and girls with staples in their heads (what?). Alex is uncoordinated, doesn’t know fashion from the back of her hand, and really doesn’t know what she’s in for. The one thing that saves her from having a complete mental breakdown is the friends that she meets at La Brasserie. It is at La Brasserie that yes, she blacks out in drunken fits, but she is able to finally be herself and be accepted for it. Her friends Virginie, Tyler, Dante, and Laurent know how to make her feel better after a disaster on the runway. Alex is starting to think she’ll never get to supermodel status.

I truly enjoyed reading Not-Quite-Supermodel because the plot was fun and lighthearted and the character was realistic. Little did I know while reading the book that the author had modeled the main character after herself. This made the book even better. One of the funniest, quirkiest parts of the main character’s personality is that she says she has a fear of plumbing, as in “plumbaphobia.” I looked it up, I admit it, and could not find it anywhere but in this book. And the whole time I was wondering how she got clean if she was wrapping herself in Saran Wrap in the yucky shower. Read the book, people. Alex ends up answering that very question. I also thought the Linus towel was a nice touch. Alex’s security towel is just one more thing for people to make fun of. As the author drops several brand names in the book such as Jimmy Choo, Frette, Christian Louboutin, Bergdorfs, and Cavalli, this book bleeds fashion. Alex does end up spending eight thousand dollars to revamp her wardrobe, so of course we want to know what she ends up getting. Right, ladies? Alex’s transformation from start to finish is a wonderful thing to witness. Sometimes I forgot that this character was only twenty-one years old. Overall, Not-Quite-Supermodel was whimsical with a little bit of “oh-no-she-did-not-do-that” thrown in. Perfect for lovers of chick-lit.

Read Kristi Elizabeth’s interview with Not-Quite Supermodel author Kathy Tong.