Rich and Pretty by Rumaan Alam

Because I read a book I knew I would enjoy from BOTM, I now had to read a book that I was more hesitant about. That is how I have decided to proceed until I am out of the books that I am less thrilled for. Out of the 60+ books I have from them, there really is just a small number of these books, but after reading Rich and Pretty, I am going to have to give myself more than just one book of my favorite genre to make up for it. This book was rough.

(Source: Kelsey Darling)

Sarah and Lauren have known each other since childhood and have always been close friends, despite their differences. Sarah is the only child of prominent parents and is constantly worried about her standing in her group of friends and those around her. Lauren is single and trying to make it in the publishing world. Despite their "friendship," they both envy and are scandalized by the others life's decisions. Will their twenty years of friendship hold up while their lives take them in clearly opposite paths?

Okay, I really cannot tell what drove me to picking this book. It was one of the first books I got from BOTM and I must have been heavily medicated or something because I do not know what would have drawn me to pick a book about girl drama. And it's not even crappy reality TV show girl drama, this is just normal life girl drama.

So Sarah is the "Rich" part of the title and at the start of the novel, she announces to Lauren that she is engaged to her boyfriend of ten years, Dan. Dan is a doctor, and therefore a suitable pick. Sarah even says at one point that she is physically attracted to Dan, he is just a good match because of his job and family background and schooling. The fact that this was written in 2016, I am going to assume that it takes place in 2016, not 1950. While those are all good things to have in a match, and things that I considered when I was in the dating scene, you have to be attracted to something about them - their looks, humor, cooking. They can't just check financial boxes; that's a recipe for a miserable marriage and inevitable divorce.

"'It's vacation.' She is surprised they're discussing it at all, but not surprised by the tone in Sarah's voice: disgust. She's barely trying to conceal it. 'It's not a big deal.'

'Embarrassing, though, right?'

'Embarrassing for whom, Sarah? Am I embarrassed that Meredith, who is your friend, not mine, saw something, and gossiped to you about it like a prude? I don't know. It's her choice. But you know. It happens. I fucked a guy. If this were Afghanistan, you could stone me.'

'It's just embarrassing. It's just...' Sarah pauses, looks around the room as if willing the right word to appear. 'It's tacky.'" (p. 158)

This is Lauren's way: disappointing, and then far exceeding, expectations. Even now, Sarah still doesn't get it-why she'd fuck someone, not just someone, a stranger (and, as she'd admit only to herself, as she'd never say out loud: a waiter, it's worse that he's a waiter), and turn what was supposed to be a trip about the five of them, together, having stupid, harmless fun, into something about herself." (p. 166)

(Source: Giphy)

Lauren is the "Pretty" part of the title. Sarah is very concerned with Lauren's dating life, more so than Lauren. Honestly, I am on Lauren's side of this argument. While it is important for your friends to like who you're with, you also need to like them and if it's not working, you shouldn't just do it because they check financial boxes. Sarah at one point during a bachelorette weekend slut shames Lauren and that was really almost the end of the book for me. I was so mad during those chapters. Lauren is very work driven and cares more about her own success than finding a husband who has his own financial success. She is not without err though. She holds her parents lack of success and money against them, and by doing so does not share their lives with Sarah, even when Sarah asks.

(Source: Goodreads)

Really, the entire novel is internal monologues about how both Lauren and Sarah feel like they are drifting apart and they don't have much in common anymore and they only remain friends because they have known each other for twenty years. Everything is a competition between, but it's not even a real competition, they are constantly comparing each other against their own beliefs of how life should be. This book is the perfect example of what men think women think about and it is so terribly wrong it's not even funny - it's an insult. Even on Alam's Goodreads page, someone calls him out on it. Knowing women does not give you insight into how we think, just as me knowing men does not give them insight into what they think.

Rating: 1/10
Author: Rumaan Alam
Genres: Chick Lit, Con temporary
Dates Read: November 2-4, 2019