Review: Rich Kids of Instagram A Novel by The Creator of Rich Kids of Instagram, Maya Sloan

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Based on the wildly popular blog “Rich Kids of Instagram,” a dishy and hilarious novel about the intersecting lives of the world’s most extravagant, unapologetically uber-rich teenagers.
The “Rich Kids of Instagram” are not your typical well-to-do brats. These “kids” drive Ferraris, fly to their weekend getaways in private jets, and post self-indulgent photos of themselves online as frequently—and as wantonly—as they blow wads of cash. Not to mention that they’re more involved in sex, drugs, and power plays than most people twice their age.
Drawing from the ten most frequent contributors to the popular blog of the same name—which receives an average of 850,000 unique visitors a month and has been featured on 20/20, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Forbes, The Atlantic, Buzzfeed, Gawker, and others—Rich Kids of Instagram revolves around a core group of spoiled young people, from a Southern Belle poultry-empire heiress to a media mogul’s driven daughter and an old-money rifle heir with a Mayflower legacy; to a nouveau riche outsider who is thrust into the members-only universe of the .1%, with scandalous results.
In a world that is smaller, more connected, and more competitive than ever, where nothing is off limits, some kids are just trying to make a buck—or ten thousand. Prepare to be wowed by this saucy, compulsively readable book about the hilarious display of extravagant wealth and the teenagers who have fallen into it.

MY TAKE:

Some rich kids just can't seem to be grateful for what they've been given.

In Rich Kids of Instagram, readers follow the lives of several New York rich kids as they chase their dreams and maybe screw other people's dreams up in the process.

Except for two chapters (one in the beginning and another before the epilogue), the chapters are told from the point-of-view of different characters in the book. The two aforementioned chapters felt a little bit like Gossip Girl for the older crowd. The novel itself, especially the last chapter, on the other hand, had a Gossip Girl-meets-The-Great-Gatsby-but-with-a-happier-ending vibe.

The characters were wild, to say the least. The only character I would even consider saying as friend material is Phillip, but he's the type that might be annoying after awhile because his New Age comments are not always helpful or comforting.

The two characters I sort of liked were Annalise and Cordelia. At first, I didn't like Annalise because she was too Stepford-ish to me. I did, however, grew to like her when she was in revenge mode. Cordelia, on the other hand, just really made me laugh. She was cunning and a real Southern Belle, albeit a Type A one.

The guys, on the other hand, were mostly jerks. I did like how the book ended with Todd Evergreen. The ending itself was pretty good, too, if only because it shows how it usually is in life, that rich kids can turn bad publicity into opportunities.

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the e-ARC. Publication date of Rich Kids of Instagram: A Novel is on July 8, 2014.

THE GOOD:

1. It's a peek at the wild lives of rich kids.
2. The characters are not in the least bit perfect.
3. It's fun to imagine yourself with these kids' stuff.

THE BAD:

1. It's not easy to root for most of them. 

READ IT IF:

1. You like reading the Rich Kids of Instagram website.
2. You like Gossip Girl.
3. You dream of having it all. 

RATING:


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