Synopsis (with Spoilers)

The book starts with Andrea going to pick Miranda’s dogs. I saw this coming, the plot of Andrea following the strict orders of bitchy boss, and telling her what to do. I just didn’t expect to see it in the first chapter. Then in the next chapter, we go back into time to when Andrea was going for a job interview?  That abrupt change bothered me and got me less interested in reading this book.

But in a nutshell this book tells the story of landing any job right after graduation, in hopes that it leads to your dream job, until you find out your life is crumbling, and it’s not leading you anywhere. But it’s the job a million of girls would die for! Says everyone else, but Andrea, and us, the readers of this book.

In this book we read about Andrea struggling to maintain a relationship with her boyfriend who’s a teacher in another state, and a friendship with Lily, who is becoming a literal alcoholic, as Andrea is an workaholic, working 12 hour, sometimes 14 hour shifts. Andrea so desperately wants to spend time with both of them, but she can’t because Miranda Priestly is always feeding her work to do. 

Miranda Priestly being the grand supreme bitch of them all, requires her coffee hot when she gets it, a peligrino, steak for lunch, and every other request is an order. I mean this character is a piece of work. I love the character in the book, but in the movie, Miranda is much more elevated.

And then there is Emily, Miranda’s senior assistant, and I actually love Emily. She has a very strong work ethic, she says it as it is with no filter, and is snarky. She is the only character from the book that is faithful to the movie adaptation. 

By the end of the book, Andrea goes to Paris fashion week with Miranda instead of Emily because Emily has gotten a bad case of mono. In Paris while Andrea is working hard, obeying every ridiculous request, Lily gets into a car accident for driving under the influence of alcohol and is put in a coma. Hit by these news, Andrea wants to leave Paris and be by her best friends side, but she’s conflicted. Should she leave Paris and get fired? Or should she stay despite the fact that Lily is in a coma? Andrea chooses Paris and then later regrets it, and tells Miranda fuck you in the middle of a fashion show and leaves to NYC to visit her best friend in the hospital. The end. 

What I liked about the book:

I loved the concept of the book. I love the humor and how well the book was able to capture the world of fashion. Not many books could mention designer brands and know what they are talking about.  It was just an overall fun read.

What I didn’t like about the book:

The details. The slowness. The first 100 pages of the book is about Andrea settling into Runway, working in the office while Miranda is away on vacation. I kept waiting for Miranda to come back from her vacation and get into the juicy details.

I also didn’t like the fact that Andy’s character basically cheats with her boyfriend, and Lily encourages it. That part of the book bothered me, because it felt out of character.

It wasn’t until half way into the book that I started to enjoy the book. Even though it was annoying that I had to wait 200 to enjoy the book, those 200 pages were the best moments of the book. 

What could of made the book better:

Edit. If Weisberger edited her book, loosing most the details, the book would be easier and funnier to read. 

Will I read the next book in the series?

No. From the reviews that I’ve read, the second book isn’t that great and since I didn’t enjoy the first book, I will most likely read the next. But the next spinoff book that I heard is worth the read is When Life Gives You Lululemons, and I will be reading that this summer. 

Follow the next page for an the differences and similarities between the novel and the movie.