An unassuming fictional book about a 5' 11" 120 lb 18 year old Catholic girl who puts her college education on hold to pursue a summer of work as a fashion model. I shouldn't have been surprised by someone as accomplished as Alt, an actual model, writing such an impressive first book but I was. While not written for young adults this is an interesting book written from the main character's point of view. The book ends in Palm Springs at a hotel called Esperanza Hotel but is probably The Riviera. The ending seems planned to be followed by another book covering Melody Ann Croft's success after a big Sports Illustrated photo shoot. Good girl/bad girl foil; rich men who don't know how to communicate; lots of time planning time-consuming meetings with people whose only purpose is to further the models' careers. ( )

This book is very inspiring and shows that you can do anything you desire in life. I read this book because I want to be a model.

If you like chick flicks you will love this book. It's about an average high shool girl who is found by a modeling agency and convinced to be a model. She goes through figuring out her true friends, bf's and even publishing companys. I had read a book by the author before and liked it so I thought I would try another one. I'd also never read anything about models so I thought it would be fun. Q4P4 AHS/Mackenzie S.

A frivolous and wild look at the high fashion trade by Carol Alt, herself a super model in the 1990’s. This story follows a naïve 19 year old as she enters the modeling world and takes off like a rocket, becoming the current “flavor-of-the-month“.

We are given a peek under the veil of glamour that surrounds the fashion industry. We are shown the every-man for himself mentality, the jealousy and back-biting that occurs. Models can be treated like cattle, poked and prodded, and starved all in order to get that perfect shot. Young girls, seduced by the call of fame and fortune are used and discarded as trends dictate. They face too many temptations from drugs and alcohol, yet if they succumb to these temptations, their career is often abruptly over.

Certainly not great literature, but an interesting look at an industry that I know very little about. A quick and light read. ( )

Reviewed by Angela S. for TeensReadToo.com

Melody Ann Croft is your average hometown girl - very practical, with her whole life planned out ahead of her.

That all changes one day when a customer at the restaurant where she is working tells her she could be a model and gives her his card, along with the numbers of all the top agencies in New York. Melody is a little curious, despite thinking this man is crazy, so she calls one agency and just with the mention of this man (who happens to be a famous photographer), she gets an appointment immediately.

That begins her career as MAC, the model, for Delicious Models. Her booker, Francesca, has her going on go-sees at lightning speed and she books her first job in no time.

Melody plans to save her money for college so she won't need a scholarship, but making so much money so quickly with modeling is addictive, and Melody starts thinking that maybe she can defer college and model for a few years instead. With the obvious perks of modeling also come the many pitfalls: lecherous men, drugs, and other things Melody is not used to.

After a fling with a male model named Duncan and being stabbed in the back by her so-called best friend, Jade, Melody starts to wonder who she can trust, if anyone. But after booking her first cover, only a few months into her career, Melody is hooked on modeling and traveling to exotic locations.

The only question is, how much of herself does she have to give up in order to succeed in the modeling business? ( )