Last Night at Chateau Marmont

Cover Thoughts: I hate the title of this! I think it's verbose and it made me spend the majority of the book wondering when Julian is going to cheat. The rest of the cover though is okay. The fact that the shoe is most definitely a Louboutin clues me in into the genre. I also really like the placement of the keys. That to me shows that Brooke won't tolerate whatever happened "Last Night at Chateau Marmont."

Why did I read this? I own and have read Lauren's other three novels and have LOVED them so when I discovered this gem on sale I knew I needed it!

Thoughts: I have spent many a daydream on what it would be like to date/marry a rock star. In my daydreams it goes a little something like this: he serenades me on a daily basis, never show more strays, surprises me with trips and other famous people and life is bliss. Books like this ruin that daydream for me, because life is nowhere near as blissful as a dream. Weisberger does a really great job at reminding you of all the little details you forget about in your daydreams. In real life your rock star husband travels nonstop. He is surrounded by all kinds of people, many of whom you may never meet or may hate. The paparazzi will surround you and provide you with a daily headache and a contract-less reality-TV show. Additionally you will never be able to take people at face value ever again. Everybody always wants something. Life is actually quite the opposite of bliss.

Brooke, who I picture in my head as Isla Fisher, goes from being a normal person just trying to make ends meet to the wife of the latest sensation (think Gotye and probably the only song you know of his and you get just how big Julian is). At first life is exciting. She gets to travel with her boy and gets to see him in his element the only foreseeable downside is spending time with J's jerky agent, Leo. Then some of Leo seems to rub off on J. It's a slow yet noticeable process and I couldn't help but feel offended for Brooke. Lauren writes in such a way that you feel like you are actually involved and invested in what is happening. There was many a moment where I wanted to reach into the book and give Brooke a big hug while ripping Leo and J and new one!

While I enjoyed the story there were a few moments that made me pause and not in a good way. These moments were really just things that didn't quite make sense to me. For example, the first big break J gets is in LA. First night there and all of sudden they are hanging out with Bon Jovi, who lives in Jersey and who probably wouldn't be hanging out on the Jay Leno set, so how did they all meet up? It just seems like it's too good to be true.

My second and I guess final issue has to do with tension. Throughout this novel there is a building tension in B & J's relationship and also with the paparazzi. I thought that the tension surrounding their relationship was handled rather well. The paparazzi tension, not so much. See there are all these hints that someone close to them is leaking information. I wanted it all to really hit the fan, but it just sort of made the fan sputter for about a half a second. The answer was revealed in passing and it wasn't as awesome as the tension and the hints had made it out to be.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. It's a nice way to relax and I think it would make a pretty awesome chick flick!

Advisory: This does have a little bit of language. One or two f-bombs is all I can recall. No graphic adult situations. No drug use or mention of drugs. Some nasty in-laws which is why there is some drinking. show less

I hate giving a book I've read a one star rating, mostly because if it wasn't a book for school, there is obviously a reason why I decided to finish the book. I still don't understand why I never put this book down (well, stopped listening to the audiobook).

I usually don't read books that can mainly be described as "chick-lit" but for some reason this book caught my eye so I thought, why not go out of your comfort zone and give it a try. I regret EVERYTHING!! I feel horrible, I really do because this is the first time I have ever read anything written by Weisberger and I hated it so much! A lot of people on the site say The Devil Wears Prada is a lot better but I have no desire reading the book after watching the film (I know shame on show more me).

My main problem with the book is how negative the author views being married to someone famous when you yourself are not. I think the story would have been just a little bit more relatable to me if Brooke actually enjoyed and experienced some of the perks of fame because no matter what, Brooke had a negative view on things.

I also couldn't stand Julian. We barely get an idea of who he actually is besides this amazing musician and how handsome he is. Oh, also that he comes from rich parents who aren't supportive of his career UNTIL he makes it big. I felt like this was such a stereotype of people with rich parents. I was almost expecting Will Smith to drop in and sing "Parent's just don't understand" during the scenes involving his parents.

There are like multiple plots in the story, none I can really keep track of and characters just seem to pop up and just vanish. I found Brooke's best friend really annoying. A lot of the people Brooke talks to at parties or award shows start to run together and I can't remember names. I got really confused when Kaylee (is that her name?), who seemed like she was going to be an important character because she's mentioned a lot in the first half of the book just disappears along with Brooke's job there. Brooke states several times how important she is to her yet once she stops working at the school, she doesn't anymore? I felt that way through the whole book about everything. The book had a way of contradicting itself that it got so boring.

The last thing that bothered me was Brooke and Julian's relationship. He cheats and she throws him out, yet she realizes she loves him and he decides he will be able to balance his career and marriage. Yup, sounds so realistic. I felt the author didn't know if she wanted Brooke to be a strong independent woman or one who always stands by her man. Either way, I was bored with the split personality and wish I could get these hours back I spent while reading (actually listening to) this book.

Weisberger has obviously written better books but I now realize I need to stay away from anything she writes because it's not for me. If you want to test the waters of chick-lit, leave this book on the self. I hate saying it, but this is for readers who don't mind the typical chick lit stereotypes and predictable plots. show less

Summer is a time when I inevitably turn to reading books from the chick-lit genre as a refresher from Fall (which is a time for classic literature), Winter (high fantasy), and Spring (teen/urban fantasy and graphic novels). It's been a few years since I read anything by Weisberger, so I'm a few novels behind, so I was glad to step back into the glamourous world of (semi) fabulous New York women. Since the protagonist (Brooke Alter) is married and the plot revolves around marital issues I found this novel hard to get into initially, but I was definitely hooked by the halfway point!

I've never read a book by Weisberger before, though I have seen the popular movie based on her debut novel. I didn't know if she would actually have talent or if she was just another snarky person whose success came from vilifying people she knows. Well, I figured it out. She does have some talent, and if she works on it, she might one day write truly great stories.

She did a great job with the characters. I felt bad for Brooke at times during the story, but also felt that she was just as much to blame for her relationship problems as Julian. She was as uncompromising and had just as many unrealistic expectations as her husband. Of course, I could just as easily say that about many real world people who expect their friends and family to show more be perfect or to always do the right thing, and who view themselves as being infallible. Basically, they were very human. The fact that Weisberger made the characters so human was actually charming. Most writers don't do that.

The actual story development was the part that I felt was lacking. Weisberger was telling a story about how a relationship basically falls apart and how you realize how much you love someone who can't always be there, but she would skip ahead and never complete some scenes. It was almost like reading a summary of what happened, instead of a story. That part was the most disappointing thing. If she could have made the story more complete in that one aspect, then I think it would have been a lot better.

The book was far from perfect, but chick lit is never exactly highbrow entertainment. There were parts of the story that were lacking more than others, but it was a fairly fun (sometimes sad) read. It could have been better, but it could have been worse. Overall, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to someone who wanted a book that didn't require a lot of thinking. show less

Wonderful dialog and nicely developed characters pull you into this light fun read and create subtle suspense to keep you turning the pages. Lauren Weisberger does an excellent job of showing the ups and downs that play out in a marriage when one partners catapults to stardom. She breathes life into her characters first by revealing their feelings and letting readers into their thoughts, then by creating realistic circumstances and surrounding her protagonist with quirky, but believable friends and family to interact with. Although the book is about a couple, the center of it all is Brooke and how she comes to terms with the new dynamics of her life and marriage after her husband becomes a rock star. Initially she clings to old and show more comfortable and lives somewhat in denial. But not for long. As the momentum builds her life in the fast lane starts feeling authentic, complete with paparazzi, jet set parties, outrageous designer clothes, uncompromising pictures appearing in tabloids and of course temptation at every turn. If you like reading gossip magazines and always wanted the inside take on the celebrity life, you’ll love this book. It’s also a good read for those that enjoy a light emotionally engaging read.

Review previously posted at: www.princetonbookreview.com
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Lauren Weisberger is one of the queens of chick lit- her first novel, The Devil Wears Prada, was a huge success and lead to a movie of the same name. Ever since then, she’s been trying to recapture the same Prada magic. Everyone Worth Knowing was good, Chasing Harry Winston I enjoyed (even if a lot of others didn’t) and now there’s Last Night at Chateau Marmont, which I bought without knowing a single detail of the plot.

I thought this book would be about celebrities, wild parties and shopping in LA. It does include all those things, but more as a sideline than the main plot. The plot focuses on Brooke, a dietician (yay for picking a heroine with a career) in New York, working furiously to support her struggling musician husband show more Julian as he tries to make an album that Sony want to publish. Brooke is constantly tired but has the utmost faith in Julian to make their dream come true. Because this is fiction, Julian’s wildest dreams do come true and he is catapulted to stardom overnight. Enter flying across the country, celebrity parties and paparazzi. Brooke’s work (which is very important to her) suffers as her role as Mrs Julian Adler increases (you can’t chuck a sickie when you’re attending the Grammys) and then the papparazzi deliver the final blow- Julian with a girl at Chateau Marmont. Does Brooke stand by him or give up the celebrity life?

I found Brooke’s character quite insipid and whiny. We’re told repeatedly how important her career is to her but she doesn’t come across that way. She accepts the belief of others readily and seems to be able to make few decisions unaided. A stronger female lead may have changed the ending of this novel. Julian, described as ‘John Mayer’-like (maybe a little too telling) comes across as increasingly insincere and again, incapable of making a decision, just going with the flow. This is what makes the ending unbelievable to me (sweet, but seemingly out of place for these characters).

There’s a lot of name and product dropping here but it doesn’t reach the heights of Prada for me. show less

Brooke & Julian have been living a relatively normal life for the past six years... that is, until Julian becomes an overnight celebrity when his music career takes off. Thrust into the fancy life of Hollywood's elite, Brooke finds herself at odds with herself & her husband when she reads in the tabloids what happened last night at Chateau Marmont. Will Julian's overnight celebrity status be enough or will this bump in the road lead to an uneventful split?

Last Night at Chateau Marmont was a really good read for me. I loved all of the characters, even the little snobby one's that roam the Hollywood scene, but still, I thought the characters were amazing. I am a big fan of Julian & Brooke. I am going to be honest with you, when I picked show more up this book, I read the back cover & when I read the names Julian & Brooke, I immediately thought of One Tree Hill. So, yeah, now you know why I picked up the book. But I'm glad I did. Brooke is your average female, worrying about if she looks good enough, tells herself its okay to eat that really yummy looking cookie, since you walked all the way to the dang bakers just to buy it! And maintain a job, wait.... scratch that! Maintain two jobs! For her man! If that ain't love I don't know what is. This book was a bit of a roller coaster, but not those scary ones that practically rip your heart out by slowly climbing its way to its highest peek and keep you dangling at the top for the worst 30 seconds of your life. But this one did keep me wanting to know what Brooke would do next, how she would take all this fame in & how she would go about it.

Likes & dislikes... hmm. I liked the relationship between Julian & Brooke, how they are with each other. Also, I liked the ending, it was more than what I was expecting. Which I won't go into detail here, for the sake of readers who haven't read the book yet. I can't really say I disliked anything, other than the slime ball manager of Julian's, but other than that I didn't really dislike anything.

This book was a really good read, and I'm glad I picked it up! If you haven't read it yet, you should. I haven't read anything else by Weisberger, but I did watch The Devil Wears Prada and I thought that was really good. show less