How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls by Zoey Dean

How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls Reviews

• 
  stephanie

  okay, it could be that my brain is on overload from the heavy things i've been reading lately. or it could be that i'm feeling particularly sappy. whatever the reason is, i think this is one of my new favorite chicklit books EVER.
  
  poor little megan smith, yale graduate, is up to her ears in debt. she's living in new york, she's got a boyfriend and a roommate and then her apartment goes up in smoke. literally.
  
  so she ends up in palm beach with the odd job of getting two twin socialites, who make lindsay lohan look like a party-pooper, into duke. on their own. no buying their way in. (not entirely, anyway.)
  
  it's classically cheesy and surprisingly has depth where you don't expect. i would say it's this season's
  Berdorf Blondes, but that isn't quite the same thing. there isn't as much label/name dropping as seems to be necessary to qualify for nyc chicklit, and i have to say, it was kind of refreshing. it was just light and easy and most of all, FUN, and i finished it in a couple of hours. i'm happily impressed with dean's jump from ya-lit to chick-lit (though this really teeters on the borders of both). flirtinis and champagne all around.
• 
  Jessica

  The more I read chick lit, the more I realize how much I don't care for it. Sometimes it seems as though all the plots are the same, and all the narrators the same person. Of course, all that isn't the fault of this book. To be fair, it's a reasonably nice example of the genre. The characters are (for the most part) better fleshed out than your typical chick lit. The story line is fluffy, but it is at least somewhat believable. I liked the main character, and I appreciated that she seemed to grow during the course of the novel. The plot does read a bit like it came from a list of chick lit cliches (the "serious" journalist forced to work for a fluffy magazine for cash and experience... sound familiar?) It wasn't great literature, and there were some parts where I said "Oh come on" out loud, but it did have a sweet (if somewhat unbelievable) ending. Recommended to anyone looking for an easy read.
• 
  Gina

  Have to agree with my initial thoughts here. For me, the writing still works, but my disgust with the excesses of the rich have grown exponentially since my last reading and there is one other point that bothered me this time:
  
  Megan's guilt over writing a story on the twins is almost entirely predicated on the fact that they've "changed." But have they? The book doesn't really demonstrate this. Yes, they're nice to Megan -- after they believe she's one of their high society crowd. It's really only after they find out the truth that they have opportunity to prove they've changed, which kind of undermines Megan's reasons for feeling guilty.
  
  First review
  I had actually only gotten this book because of the TV show based on it, Privileged. And although the show had its problems, ultimately, I liked its short-lived run much better than the book. Mainly because it's what I like to call a humiliation conga book, which then turns into the poor person realizes horrible rich people who publicly embarrassed her are actually smart and sweet slash protagonist acts like a horrible person book.
  
  This admittedly doesn't sound like I would've given it three stars, but it's the writing. It's so very descriptive, detailed. It's hard not to enjoy even when you don't know what brand designers are being talked about, because, like the protagonist at the beginning of the book, you don't know or care about those sorts of things.
  
  The problems come mostly from execution, in my opinion. The TV show gave our protagonist a more soap opera like family life and ties to Palm Beach, but at least those family issues set up the idea that she, the twins, and their grandmother could create their own family. The book barely gives us any developmental interactions between Megan and the twins, skipping weeks at a time, so their sweetness and attachment seems to come from nowhere. Similarly, the romantic plot left me feeling cold. I did not believe that Will and Megan fell for each other after their few interactions, I did not understand Will's quite random changes in deciding whether or not he was angry with her, and furthermore, the amount of anger he showed at seeing a girl he'd known for only about a month sitting in a café with a man she could've very well just bumped into left me annoyed. I also felt, much like in the show, that the romantic plot only distracted from the focus on the relationship between the twins and Megan.
  
  Obviously, this kind of plot just isn't for me, but I didn't feel it was entirely fair to rate an otherwise well written book based on my distaste with the extravagance of the rich and the corruption of the poor storyline.
• 
  Heather

  I read this book because it was on my TBR list (I forgot how I found out about it), and I was craving some chick lit.
  
  I thought the storyline was great, but the time frame wasn't long enough. Megan realistically wouldn't have been able to go through that many changes in just nine weeks. Parts of it didn't feel very realistic.
  
  The author made a lot of references to pop culture, things that celebrities had done in the last year or two. Although I enjoyed them, I don't think they'll hold the same meaning over time.
• 
  Caitie

  SO DIFFERENT FROM THE TV SHOW. Which is a good thing, because this was pretty terrible. And even though it was meant to be all moralistic about reverse snobbery, the book ended up being all reverse reverse snobbery. If that makes any sense. And Marcus was the biggest gay fairygodmother stereotype ever.
  
  There was a twisty bit at the very end that I liked, and I enjoyed all the fake SAT questions. But I do not think that is enough for me to give it more than one star. Also, I wanted to read Megan's article! I think it was a total copout that we didn't get to read that!
• 
  Francesca

  Before reading this book, I had just read two books that were both very serious and dealt with heavy subject matters which had left me feeling a bit drained. After finishing those books I needed something light and fluffy and perk me back up a bit and as I was a fan of the show that was based on this book, I figured it would be a safe bet. I was definitely right. This was the book equivalent of candy floss. It was light, fluffy, colourful, sweet, and fun, with little substance.
  
  I will admit that I definitely preferred the show. The show, I believe (if memory serves, it's been a while since I watched it), had a slightly longer timeline which made a lot more sense. The short timeline was part of this books downfall as it was just too unrealistic. The twins and Megan went through these huge, miraculous changes in the space of two months? I can suspend my disbelief but it still felt like an absurdly short time to allow yourself to have in the story. The characters were actually a lot more fleshed out in the show than in the book and that's something I'm not sure I've ever actually seen before, usually it's the other way around. Megan was less likeable in the book, which may have been because we saw her thoughts and therefore saw just how judgemental she was of everyone around her. She gets upset and annoyed at how much the twins judge her but she judges them before she's even met them and then continues to judge them as much as they judge her. The twins weren't actually too bad. Apart from one mean prank on her first night with them, they never really felt quite mean enough to warrant everything she said about them and the article that she was initially going to write about them. The twins were also a lot more likeable in the series, though. In the book, the twins' changes and character development was also way too rushed due largely to the short time period that was given to the characters. I just don't understand why the author didn't make the amount of time longer. She wrote the book, the time period was under her control, why not make it a few more months to allow yourself to progress them more naturally?
  
  I had a couple of other gripes, I didn't like the way Marcus was used as a gay ex machina and I also didn't like the fact that there were a quite a few slut shaming digs towards Sage. I didn't like Megan's original boyfriend, as we were clearly supposed to, but I also didn't particularly take to Will either so hey ho. The book was very predictable and the fact I've seen the show wasn't a factor in this at all. The show was very different so the stories, besides the basic premise of poor girl goes to tutor rich twins, are nothing alike. Yet I still knew where it was going from the start.
  
  However, despite all the things I didn't like about it. The book did exactly what I wanted it to do. Mindlessly entertain me. I was definitely entertained and I actually did have a lot of fun reading it. I guess I've always been a bit of a sucker for rich teen dramas, as my guilty pleasures always seem to prove to me (yes, I'm looking directly at you, Gossip Girl).
• 
  jastine

  Trebuie sa ajungi până aproape de final pentru a-ti da seama ca este o carte bună. Mi-a plăcut mult!
• 
  Heather McC

  "Dean's book is the inspiration for the CW show 'Privileged' has the unfortunate case of unsympathetic characterization (especially when concerning Yale tutor Megan Smith). While the CW show was given a season to flesh out characters (and portrayed Megan as more earnest and well natured from the beginning), the novel suffers from shallow people doing shallow acts."
  
  The ending is rushed in order to redeem key characters (namely Megan and the over-privileged Baker twins). Overall, the book was scandalous and fun, but it was difficult to find a character to 'root' for. The protagonist, Megan Smith, was overly flawed to the point that there wasn't a great deal to relate to, and there was no twinge of pain when she was prepared to get her comeuppance for her duplicitous acts. The twins do not far much better, with Sage Baker being the worst of the archetypal 'mean girl' with very little redeeming qualities (save for the supposed love of her twin sister Rose).
  
  This book is a one-and-done deal, and if I feel nostalgic, I'd rather watch the CW 'Privilege' than re-read Dean's novel of the rich and famous.
• 
  Phoebe

  This book is a guilty pleasure, like reading celebrity tell-alls at the nail salon or watching people's escapades on reality tv shows. But when life gets heavy, its good to sometimes get away with a fluffy, silly book (ahh, calgon, take me awwaaayy!). First the bad news: this book treads in the well-worn footsteps of many many previous chick-lit books. The book's premise -- plucky heroine (P.H.) who's down on her luck is employed by the mega-rich evil dead, P.H. experiences travails and humiliations at the hands of the MegaRICH while providing us lucky readers with a supposed insider's glimpse into the life of the rich and fabulous, P.H. overcomes challenges because of her pluck, finds love, overcomes prejudices, learns about herself and lives happily ever after THE END -- has been done before. Now the good news: unlike other books in this genre, this book and its heroine aren't (too) annoying. The writing flows easily and its a very quick read. The heroine and the other characters are well wrought (although there are some stereotypes, you'll see what i mean) as flawed human beings with selfish intentions. If you are looking for a treatise on the meaning of life, this is not the book for you. But its a good book for some light reading, maybe on the beach in the summer or on the couch before a roaring fire on a cold cold day.
• 
  Blaise Dierks

  Okay, so I've liked some chick-lit in the past, what can I say? But maybe I am growing out of this phase because i just thought this book was nothing special--same old story: girl is a journalist, has a boyfriend, lives in NYC, something bad happens-she's thrown into a crazy predicament (oh no!), she's attracted to another guy besides her boyfriend (what to do?!), but in the end everything turns out okay, she gets the right guy, all her debts are paid off or she's got the dream job/life, etc.--all with detailed descriptions of clothes worn, parties attended, drinks drunk. and don't forget the quirky best friend!
  In case you can't tell, I am so over chick lit!
• 
  Dawn Frazier

  Fun book! I loved the main character. Lots of laughs.
• 
  Marisa

  Different from the show in Many aspects but same heartwarming characters and heart of the story. Cute and readable.
• 
  Melissa (So Far Behind!)

  Megan Smith graduated from Yale with a prestigious journalism degree, but the only job she can find in New York City is with the gossip magazine Scoop. But Megan can't seem to get the hang of tabloid-style journalism, so her boss fires her.
  
  Fortunately for Megan, her boss is friends with the owner of a cosmetics company who has been raising her twin granddaughters. Megan is offered the position of tutoring the seventeen-year-old fireballs, Sage and Rose Baker, in Palm Beach, Florida. In exchange for the girls receiving decent grades in school, a decent score on the SATs, and getting into Duke, Megan will receive a salary and at the end, her $75,000 college debt will be paid off. How hard could it be?
  
  Well, Megan soon figures out that her task is near impossible. The girls are set to inherit millions of dollars and have no interest in college or studying. They find Megan unstylish, unsophisticated, and unworthy of their attention. Megan discovers that in order to accomplish her goal, she has to take some lessons of her own from Sage and Rose first.
  
  How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls is an enjoyable book. Those who like Dean's A-List series, but want to move along to a book that has more adult themes, will devour this new offering. It's total fun to be immersed in the world of the rich and famous, and doing it through the eyes of normal Megan will make readers even more a part of the story.
  
  At the beginning, Rose and Sage are merciless with Megan. They change their ways a little too quickly to be believable, but it doesn't really detract from the story. For a summer beach-type read, How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls fits the bill and then some. Parties with the rich, shopping, and romance on the beach make for a deliciously fluffy read.
• 
  Toby

  Fluffy AF, but there are times that the brain just needs fluff and candy instead of scintillating intellectualism.
  
  This was probably one of the better chick lit books that I've read over the past few years. The protagonist was flawed but not so deeply that it felt like satire. There were painful moments but none of the excessively cringe-worthy moments that have made me want to throw other chick lit books across the room out of embarrassment. The plot was fluffy but it was honestly fairly refreshing in its own way. There was a love triangle, which I didn't really love, but the characters (throughout the book) were fleshed out enough that the love triangle wasn't as blase as it could've been. And there were plenty of moments throughout the book that I found myself cheering on all involved parties, instead of just hoping for the best for the protagonist/her current love interest (which is how I have felt while reading other books).
  
  Basically - if you like chick lit, then read this book. If you don't like chick lit then you most likely won't enjoy this one bit. I'd also recommend this book for someone who wants to read chick lit but hasn't ever delved into the genre; this would be a good starting point I think.
  
  I'm definitely going to be looking for other books by Zoey Dean to fulfill the craving I have for chick lit from time to time. Thumbs up, Ms. Dean, for an entertaining and fun novel.
• 
  Marie

  After reading a number of much more serious books, this light frothy novel called to me from the shelves of the library. I'm not crazy about the term "chick lit," because it's too broadly applied to a lot of books by women...but if the book has a rags to riches story, including fashion, a plainish woman who suddenly becomes gorgeous and meets the man of her dreams, and gets the job of her dreams at the end...you've got chick lit. The career is usually journalism or marketing.
  
  A supposedly brilliant Yale grad with $75K in loans is shocked to learn that she's not able to get a fantastic job in the NY publishing world right off the bat. When her life goes sour she gets a job offer to tutor two spoiled brat rich girls in Palm Beach, FL, for 2 months. If she's able to coach them into passing the SAT, she will have her college debts paid off.
  
  By the end of the novel I was frankly tired of the designer name dropping, and the idea that she was "gorgeous," but all she needed were a great haircut, expensive makeup, and designer clothing to make it so.
  
  I felt like I had just gorged on a big bag of potato chips...having eaten junk but not feeling filled up. I guess I need to read a two-star book every once in awhile to appreciate the really good ones!!
• 
  Agi

  If you ask me how to teach a filthy rich girls, i'll come up with an idea: isolate them in a jail cell and let them have a bitter taste of life. But Zoey Dean had another idea in mind;
  
  Or rather... another cliche. Yes cliche about a girl who's life turning upside down when she had offered to teach the most bimbotic twins in the world how to pass their SAT test in order to get their trustfunds back. She turned into the likes of the twins, met another amazing boy and fell in love, forgetting her love-life was waiting back in new york...then BAM!!! things come crashing down then she started to pick up her old self, go on a journey of making things right and the end.
  
  I was like what???
  Ok lah this is chic-lit and i should really stop reading books where everybody dies in the end and there were bloods and corpses everywhere but It's waaaaayyyy too predictable and the story fell flat in my head. It had a chunk of big cliches and loopholes and I don't know, I feel like it's a good summer-reads but nothing remarkable here.
  
  I guess this is just not my kind of book.
• 
  Rachel

  I first started watching the TV show and then thought I would try out the book. I love the TV show, which I think made me really like the book. The book and TV show is about a college graduate, Megan, that just can seem to get the perfect job yet, so she ends up tutoring two twins that live in palm beach, and they are in fact very rich. The twins absolutely hate their new tutor but as Megan begins to work with them they start to build a good relationship. The TV show was amazing and I can't believe the CW cancelled it. I am so sad.
• 
  Allie

  O.K. I changed my mind. That was the corniest book I had ever read in my 15 almost 16 years of life. By the end, I was seriously gagging. I was shocked. In the beginning it seems fine...and then it get's ridiculous. And lastly, what I found the most disappointing was the fact that it was nothing like the show, and the show is really great. So sad.
• 
  Ellen

  I'm not sure what I thought of this. I was thinking it was ok until I realized how many things were there that I don't like in books: bad language, sex (mostly just in the beginning), the main character pretending to be someone she isn't and lying. I did like how she owned up to things in the end and even matured a bit.
• 
  Sandy

  I really liked this book. I have never read this author but picked up the book based on the cover (I know). I read it in 2 days, it was cute, made me laugh and I really wanted to see how it ended. I just picked up my second novel of this author, then I will start on the A-list series.
• 
  Heather

  Cute read; finished the book in about 2 days.
• 
  Kimberly

  This just reminded me why I cant stand chick lit. I thought this would be an easy read for the gym......its an easy read and just awful.
• 
  Alyssa

  Stereotypical, but good.
• 
  Clare Harbin

  While this book was often predictable, it did have some twists I wasn’t expecting. It’s an easy read (a book that has no real depth), but I am a sucker for a happy ending!
• 
  Cathy

  A fun fluff book with interesting characters and a well deserved end. Megan's foray into the world of the uber rich elite wasn't the typical overly rich snob story. Sure, Sage and Rose certainly came off as such in the beginning, but as their true characters were discovered, you couldn't help but like them as well. I respect that the twins never became someone they weren't - they didn't become smart overnight, they didn't suddenly embrace studies that they always hated before, they didn't sell themselves out (though technically Sage tried...). Instead they, and Megan, worked hard for their personal growth, which made the final outcome so much more satisfying.
• 
  Cindy Tucker

  This is a book for older teens and 20-somethings. I found it on my daughter’s shelf.
  A recent Yale graduate with $75,000 in loans is having trouble finding a decent job. She works at a trash tabloid writing, well trash. Then she gets an offer she can’t refuse- a job tutoring 2 spoiled brat teen-agers. All she has to do is get them to score an SAT score that will get them in Duke.
  An impossible task!
  Great literature it’s not. Raunchy it is. But it is funny, entertaining and heartwarming. One of those you can’t judge a book by its cover stories. Like Mary Kay Andrews for 16-25 year olds.
• 
  Serena Reidy

  It's actually ridiculous how long this book was on my TBR list for! I'd literally wanted to read it ever since the series Privileged came out! The girls are so so so spoiled, but they did come around (although it's a bit unrealistic how quickly it was)! In all honesty, I didn't like the way Megan lied so much, but I get why she felt she had to. I do think that the TV series is superior, but I'd really love a sequel of this book, to find out what happens to Megan, as well as Rose and Sage - how does Rose get on in college? Does Sage end up joining her? Does Megan keep in touch with the girls?
• 
  Nouha

  Through the whole book I have HATED and HATED and HATED to the bone Megan
  The thought of her cheating on James gave me a bad stomach
  I HATED how she was kind of naive with the twins at first
  But the turnout of events in the end was so heartwarming
  This book was not a romantic one but you can feel how love is about safety and belonginess with her and James
  The fact that Debra was Will's mom was so fascinating !
  Loved the ending tho
• 
  Bogdan Devonne

  Nu mă așteptam, dar chiar mi-a plăcut mult. Are un deznodământ care era de așteptat, însă restul cărții e chiar super. Are o temă aproximativ realistă, ceea ce este benefic. Mi-ar fi plăcut o descoasere mai amănunțită a părții sentimentale a gemenelor, însă și al trecutului lor. Dar, per total, e o carte super, foarte ușor de citit, pentru care merită să-ți rupi o bucată din timp.