Synopses & Reviews
It’s all the rage. It is Gossip Lit: a genre of novels—dubbed by
The New York Times as a massive new publishing trend—that offer inquiring minds a tantalizing peek at the rich and powerful behaving badly. In this juicy, irresistible tradition, Broadway Books proudly presents the ultimate summer cocktail with a fresh new recipe:
The Perfect Manhattan.
Cassie is a young college graduate with the world on a string, a yen for screenwriting—and a staggering pile of student loans weighing her down. In lieu of the lucrative snooze-fest of a reliable consulting job, she shocks everyone she knows by opting for a sexier, more flexible job: mixing drinks. Never mind that she doesn’t know single-malt whiskey from Jack Daniels: she’s eager to learn. And under the tutelage of a sexy SoHo bar owner, she’s soon cranking out three-olive martinis with the city’s glitterati thirty-deep at the bar.
When she accepts a summer gig bartending in the Hamptons, Cassie finds herself catapulted into a whirlwind of dazzling celebrity and over-the-top wealth unlike anything she’s ever seen. Surrounded by playboys, moguls, spoiled kids, and Paris Hilton clones in strappy stilettos, she soon wonders if playing the ersatz socialite—while trying to actually make a living—is more than she bargained for.
Authors Leanne Shear and Tracey Toomey bartend at hot spots Onieal's in SoHo and the Star Room in the Hamptons, rubbing elbows with the likes of Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and the Hilton sisters. Their uncanny ability to blend blistering social satire—shaken, not stirred—with a healthy dose of romance, comedy, and scandal, results in a fast-paced, enormously entertaining look at life on the chichi side of the tracks.
Synopsis
Meet Cassie Ellisa young college graduate with the world on a string, a yen for screenwriting, and a need for fast cash to pay off her student loans. Eager to avoid the lucrative snooze-fest of a reliable consulting job, she shocks everyone she knows by opting for a sexier, more flexible job: mixing drinks. Never mind that she doesnt know single-malt whiskey from Jack Daniels: shes eager to learn. And under the tutelage of a sexy Soho bar owner, shes soon cranking out three-olive martinis with the citys glitterati fifteen-deep at the barall while angling for tips, fielding bad pick-up lines, and trying to keep up with the other bartenders who party as hard as their stylish clientele.
When Cassie accepts a summer gig bartending in the Hamptons, New Yorks most elite summer destination, she finds herself catapulted into a whirlwind of dazzling celebrity and over-the-top wealth unlike anything shes ever seen. Life behind the velvet rope is hard to resist, especially when she finds herself falling for a Hamptons hottie named James. But as the summer progresses, and she finds herself surrounded by playboys, moguls, spoiled rich kids, and Paris Hilton clones in strappy stilettos, she soon wonders if playing the ersatz socialitewhile actually trying to make a livingis more than she bargained for.
Drawn from the authors own experiences as bartenders in the thick of New Yorks party scene, The Perfect Manhattan is a perfect mix of sparkling social satire, romance, comedy, and scandal that provides a fast-paced, enormously entertaining look inside the life on the chichi side of the tracks.
About the Author
Leanne Shear writes for New York magazine, US Weekly, and In Touch magazine. Tracey Toomey has appeared on All My Children and Law & Order, and in the Oscar-winning film A Beautiful Mind. When they arent writing and acting, Leanne and Tracey can be found behind the bar at Onieals in New York Citys Soho and the Star Room in the Hamptons, where they first met and became great friends.