Smile and Look Pretty

July 1, 2021

Pellegrino's debut stars four overworked, underpaid young women in the media and entertainment industries who start an anonymous blog about their experiences, calling themselves the Aggressive One, the Bossy One, the Bitchy One, and the Emotional One. The blog goes viral, and they must wrestle with the consequences. With a 75,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 4, 2021
Pellegrino shines in this intelligent and engaging debut about four friends who work as assistants in various high-profile industries, written in the tell-all tone of The Devil Wears Prada with a conceit reminiscent of Gossip Girl. Olivia Medina aspires to be an actor; Cate Britt a book editor; Lauren Barreo a screenwriter, and Max Burke a broadcast journalist. Their most exciting tasks, however, involve picking up vegan cupcakes and coffee orders, with a generous dollop of condescension. The four meet weekly for margaritas and to vent about the outrageous shenanigans of their famous bosses. Soon, they decide to launch an anonymous blog called Twentysomething, which chronicles their bosses and others’ bad behavior—and ends up attracting a large audience of women dealing with similar situations, and who begin to call out abusive behavior. Veterans of so-called glamour industries will recognize Pellegrino’s depiction of the often-toxic workplaces, and the author does a good job portraying her large cast, among them Lauren’s colleague-turned-boyfriend Owen, who admirably fights for her honor (even with a wimpy writer’s punch). It’s a simple, well-worn story, but it stands out thanks to the ways the characters balance their personal ambitions with a desire for justice. Agent: Liz Parker, Verve Talent and Literary.

November 1, 2021
Cate and her best friends are all assistants to professionals in their chosen fields: Cate to a publisher, Lauren to a TV showrunner, Max to a news anchor, and Olivia to a washed-up actor. Every week the four get together for ""The Shit List,"" where they write the most humiliating thing their boss had them do. One day, Cate proposes they put the Shit List online--very anonymously--as a way to share their venting with other assistants paying their dues. They call it Twentysomething, and soon it has a dedicated following and more anonymous contributions than they can handle. It's not just that women are being treated worse than their male counterparts, but that sexual harassment and assault are rampant. The four have to decide if they want to stay anonymous or start a revolution. Pellegrino's debut novel is part workplace comedy and part girl-power treatise, centered on the ebbs and flows of female friendship. It's a sharp, empowering novel for the #MeToo era that will resonate with anyone who has felt less-than at work.

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Starred review from September 1, 2021

DEBUT The "whisper network" goes digital in this story of what some women put up with to become successful. Friends Cate, Lauren, Olivia, and Max are all executive assistants in New York, waiting to be promoted to their dream jobs. All four languish and must endure outrageous expectations from their bad bosses, with no hint of advancement. To vent, they gather weekly at a bar to destroy the Shit List--each woman's written complaints about her boss's absurd behavior--by burning the paper in a candle flame. When Cate realizes that they must go one step further to "plot against the patriarchy," she creates a Twentysomething, a website where women can anonymously post about their own bosses' terrible conduct. Writing as the Bossy One, the Bitchy One, the Aggressive One, and the Emotional One, the founding friends expose the toxic environments their employers have created (like Olivia seeing her boss's genitals 124 times). Sexual harassment becomes a common thread, and the site goes viral as an outlet to reveal generations of bad behavior. How far are the friends willing to go to start a revolution? VERDICT Readers will cheer Pellegrino's shattering of the glass ceiling in this fast-paced, millennial-centric, you-go-girl novel about workplace empowerment.--K.L. Romo, Duncanville, TX

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.