Friday, July 6, 2012

Bought by Anna David

I don't know how Bought wound up on my tbr list. It's the kind of book I like to read though. A thinly veiled fiction about Hollywood and high end mistresses/call girls. Chick lit with a message. While I liked the message, the story didn't really do it for me.
Emma feels like she is stuck interviewing celebs as they enter parties and movie premiers. She became a journalist because she wanted to right hard hitting stories, not get quotes about what designer someone is wearing. While at a party, Emma meets Jessica, her ex-boyfriend's date. Emma finds out that Jessica is a girl for hire. Men pay Jessica for sex, companionship, you name it. But unlike a hooker, Jessica doesn't take cash. Jessica gets her rent paid for, new computers, high end jewelry and clothes. These gifts are Jessica's payment. Emma decides that Jessica and women like her are where her next story lies.
Honestly I had a hard time relating to Emma. I couldn't tell you much about her. If this was nonfiction and Emma was the reporter, that would be a good thing. You'd want Emma to let her subjects shine though. Since this is a novel, I wanted to understand Emma. Instead I got a characterture. Emma spends a lot of time being sad about her ex-boyfriend. Emma's angry at her married friends. Emma feels that her parents think her younger sister is better than her. Thank goodness she didn't complain about her weight because then she would have every other female in most generic chick lit. Emma had none of her own defining characteristics. Jessica on the other hand was a little bit easier to understand. She was a manipulative bitch but the kind who cries about not having female friends. I understood Jessica and kind of liked her character. She was transparent. 
Overall, I was meh on this one. The story had an interesting premise but the execution fell flat for me. Others who shared their thoughts on Bought: S. Krishna's Books, Books Are Fabulous, and Chick Lit Reads.

1 comment:

  1. Meh to me means that I will be passing on this one. Too bad because the author could've fleshed out that character and gave her some depth!

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