I don't enjoy giving negative reviews, but I'm going to have to have to be honest here and say that this book is a hot mess.

I've read many of Bushnell's other books -- Lipstick Jungle, 4 Blondes, Sex and the City, and Trading Up -- and I remember enjoying them. I was younger then. I don't know if my taste has changed or if this book is an outlier, because this book doesn't make any sense.

The first couple of chapters are a confusing amalgamation of scenes where the main character (and I as the reader!) can't seem to figure out if she or an actress named Sondra is "Monica".

The middle part of the book goes back in time finally provides some context for the plot.


The final quarter of the book is completely convoluted and had me wondering if I was reading a science fiction/fantasy novel, or just the script for some sort of "B" grade movie.

I hate to do this, but 1.5 stars rounded up to 2 only because I liked the author's previous works.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )

This was much more complex than I was expecting it to be, but not in a bad way.

This features the New York City life that Bushnell's fantastic at writing but in a new perspective, with more of a mystery set on top,

The timing of this book was a little confusing, starting in the present, then going to the past, catching up, and continuing from there, but it worked to get me hooked into the book and even more curious as to what would happen once we did catch up.

The ending, however. Oh dear. The ending. I think the ending ultimately detracted from the book because it was a little too ambiguous so though I'm pretty sure I know what happened, I'm not entirely sure. It definitely wasn't what I was expecting, though it was definitely something I hope will pop up in more books. (Though perhaps not in such a sudden form.)

This raised some interesting questions about who a character really belongs to and the role that the public has in its formation, and I loved the behind the scenes literary perspective that came along with it.

This isn't Bushnell's best work, but it was definitely worth the read and the chaos added to the chick flick feel of this book.
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Perhaps it was because I read this book in sections right before bed, (but after taking NyQuil), that this book felt like a sequel to a book I never read. The characters never felt explained, and their behavior seemed to make no sense or be completely contradictory to what was previously learned about them.

Maybe I was trying to make a book involving celebrities have some basis in reality, or tried too hard to see a point to the story but I am not sure I have ever read a book that I went thinking would be a quick fun read and instead I got such a bizarre, convoluted, frustrating mess.

Two stars is probably overselling it.
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I have to say, I have always been a huge fan of Candace Bushnell's writing, ever since I picked up her first novel. But I've never once read any of her Sex in the City stuff, nor have I been a fan of that particular show. Just her other novels. (And I say this for a very good reason, explained later).

I had loved Bushnell's writing for over a decade, because of her sharp, satirical style mostly. The "tokens of status" that her novels provided, such as the designer clothes, the magnificent homes, the extravagant vacations, or the deliriously expensive jewelry were a very 'guilty pleasure' of mine, and one that I'd never be guilty of having. Her descriptions of a life I will never live were a balm to my simple life, as Bushnell has a beautifully deft touch in her descriptions. The characters in her previous novels were complete, likable, and true to their back stories and 'pasts'. The characters were complete adults, and the novels they resided in were not only intended for adults, but also dealt with some very adult situations, etc.

The novel I tried to listen to tonight seemed more like the ridiculousness that appeared in chick lit instead. Or maybe even..... YA? I also don't think I've seen a more flagrant example of resting on ones laurels as I have in this new novel of Bushnell's.
In only FIVE chapters, not only has Bushnell cured me of ever wanting to read (or listen to) another Bushnell novel for some time, but she had also shown a complete contempt for the author's reader as well. Writing about rabid fans refusing to accept anything else other than the Monica character the main character (PJ) of the novel has been churning out since before she got famous.....well, that's just crass. And bad mannered. But Pandy (PJ), who is an unlikable, juvenile creature who does nothing but whine, cry, and drink too much, while obsessing about a huge sign of her character she lives in the shadow of. In fact, ALL of her characters in this novel are unlikable, and juvenile. They did NOT seem like 40-50 year olds at all, more like 20 year olds. (Wait.....was this supposed to be a YA novel....?)
In Killing Monica, Candace Bushnell seems to have written this book as a vehicle to deliver an eclectic collection of grievances. The focus on purging her bitterness apparently distracted her from giving any sort of dimension to her characters, which were as empty and unbelievable as her plot. And may I say, I am sooooo disappointed.....? The author should not have to write the word "cock" every chapter in order to seem more appealing to a younger audience......and while I am not in any way a prude, nor do I dislike any use of 'naughty words' in the novels I read. But just having women my age who are screaming "cock" out while getting drunk, seems very immature. (Or sunbathing....). Her characters used to have SO MUCH CLASS...! Seriously, though. I felt like I was watching some weird mashup-reality-crap like The Real & Horny Housewives of the Kardashians, or some such. No amount of name-dropping, product placement, or silly names will he,p this novel, in my opinion.

After these few chapters, I had to grab my headphones off my head in order to stop the bile and rancor from oozing into my ears from this disappointment of a novel. Who does Bushnell think she's fooling? So, you want to kill off Carrie Bradshaw and the rest....? Go ahead, I'll hold your extra magazine cartridges for you. Just don't force us all to read any more of this tepid 'hate letter to your fans', in the meantime. Save that for your therapist. Or better yet, get one. I, for one, ain't interested.
Also, get another narrator. Therése Plummer sucks. Her voice was grating, shrill, and uninspired.

1star, from what I had managed to slog my way through ( )

Pandy Wallis has created a character that she writes about called Monica. Pandy invented Monica to teach her sister, Hellenor, the wonderful ways of being a good girl. The Monica books prove so popular that they are made into films and casting for Monica proves difficult, as Pandy modelled Monica on herself. Then Pandy spots a photograph of a model who will be perfect to play Monica, so she arranges to meet SondraBeth Schnowzer. The pair quickly hit it off, SondraBeth lands the part of Monica, and they become inseparable and known around town as PandaBeth.

They typically fall out over a man, Pandy gets married and divorced, and her husband Jonny is out to take every penny she has. Pandy’s agent, Henry, advised her to get Jonny to sign a prenup but she didn’t do it as she was so in love!

Pandy goes back to spend some time at her ancestral home after her historical novel about her ancestor, Lady Wallis, failed to get accepted by her publisher. Then Pandy, through a case of mistaken identity, accidentally gets reported as being killed in a fire. SondraBeth pays a visit to who she thinks is Pandy’s sister, Hellenor, but it is actually Pandy. “Hellenor” is now the owner of the Monica franchise, and when “Hellenor” reveals to SondraBeth that she is in fact Pandy, the pair cook up a plan to get revenge on Jonny.

It sounds a bit silly, but it wasn't too bad really. It is my first Candace Bushnell novel so I don't have the Carrie Bradshaw yardstick with which to measure it against. I didn’t really pay much attention to the snippets about the real Hellenor, who apparently lived in Amsterdam, but part way through we find out that Pandy has a secret that involves Hellenor. Then when the real Hellenor makes an appearance we realise that she was under our noses all along!

I received this e-book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )