Playing the Game by Sarah Sands || Book Review

I’m going to start this review by saying that I still absolutely have no clue as to what the point was to this book.

This book felt like a slight rip-off of The Devil Wears Prada, which isn’t possible as they were published within a few weeks of each other. Except with The Devil Wears Prada, you actually liked the antagonist Miranda Priestly. Yes, she was a total cow, but she was an awesome total cow.

The antagonist in this book, I have a few words to describe here that would result in me adding trigger warnings after every word. There is crude language used, but I was honest to my core.

DISCLAIMER: This review could contain possible spoilers based on my opinions. All opinions and views are my own.

Book review: Playing the Game by Sarah Sands #bookreview #sarahsands #contemporarybooks #dramabooks #booktwt #bookaddict #booktwitter
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Originally published: 2003

Pages: 256
Format: Paperback

Plot from Amazon:

What do you do when you break the glass ceiling and are in place as the most famous female presenter on our national TV screens? Stay there of course… But when the celebrated Patti Ward, beautiful, talented and still young (well, depends who’s asking) finds her TV role usurped by the up and coming Alexandra Khan, maintaining the energy of a twenty-year-old when you’re somewhat older becomes a little difficult. And despite the daily massages, wild sex and constant flirtation with her staff, Patti suspects she`s on the way out.

Patti, though, has worked hard to earn her place in the hearts of millions, and she’s not giving up easily. In turn, Alexandra is no ordinary ingenue, and while taken in at first by Patti’s friendly overtures, her nose for journalism soon spots some flaws in the cool veneer. A chance meeting in an old people’s residential home reveals the beginnings of a trail of discovery, and while Alexandra doesn’t particularly want Patti’s job, she isn’t going to let Patti get the better of her, especially when Patti sets out to seduce her boyfriend. Soon it`s time for Alexandra to reveal the truth behind the real Patti Ward… Sexy, sassy, sharp and very funny!

Thoughts:

The book was slow, dragging out a boring premise that wasn’t working and the ending was abrupt, without any clear explanations to some situations and what happened to some of the characters. There was no climax to the plot (sorry, not sure what plot) and then it was just done.

This book glorified a completely horrible character, Patti, who is one of the main characters in the book. Not really the main, the spotlight was all on her. She is egotistic, self involved and a very dislikable person in the book. At no part of the book did I like her or feel any empathy towards her, and I secretly wished she would just meet a certain end and make an exit from the story.

Alexandra needed to grow a spine and stand up against Patti. I don’t care who the person is – you don’t let them trample all over you, especially when it reaches your personal life and not act accordingly towards the person. The only honourable thing I liked about Alexandra is that she kept her head screwed on right in difficult situations, and that didn’t even help her in the end. The woman has a lot more dignity that I will ever have.

Overview:

I don’t always enjoy writing bad reviews for books, but this book just drew out the worst in me. Flat characters, flat story and glorifying mistreatment in the workplace, in and outside of the work environment to be specific – I just don’t have anything good to say about it.

From the blurb – Sexy, sassy, sharp and very funny! – this is a misleading sentence, none of this was present in the book.