Kas, a twenty-three-year-old editorial assistant at a small
publishing company, is one her way to South Africa with her best
friends, Max (a rich enough gay 24-year-old) and his cousin Libby,
her across-the-hall neighbour (23 and would rather sleep all day
than work) on a much needed break from home. She recently found out
her boyfriend, now her ex, was cheating on her with his fiancee.
While in South Africa, on her last night there, she has a one-night
stand with William, the hunky Ranger. When she returns, she opens
e-mails from William, wondering where the knowledgeable Ranger can
be, for surely the bad spelling can't be his. But they are. She
left him with an open invite to New York, and after he's fired for
'fraternizing with guests', meaning her, he takes her up on her
invitation and goes to New York.
Now Kas is in a fix; she doesn't want William staying with her. It
was only supposed to be a one-night stand. Things go quickly from
bad to worse. As William is behind in the times, he dresses like MC
Hammer in colourful balloon pants and sweat-sets, he's just about
as dunce and clueless as his e-mails portrayed, and he's determined
to write a book about the political mess Monaco is in. With her in
the publishing company, he believes she'll be able to get him a
book deal. Meanwhile, Max is getting petty revenge on her ex,
Richard, by placing take-out orders delivered to Richard, checking
out gay pornographic material from the library with Richard's card,
handing out flyers that are in no way flattering, poses as a
policeman, going from door-to-door in Richard's apartment building,
advising the neighbours that Richard is a convicted flasher. Her
parents, mostly her mother, has yet to cut the apron strings, is
now looking at William as possible marriage and children material
for her virginal, non-smoking daughter (which neither Kas really
is.) Her father, who believes that everything in America is
overpriced and prefers either the 'five-finger discount' or not
paying full price for anything, somehow managed to fall from the
roof while installing an illegal satelite dish. Her brother spends
all his time in his room, supposedly playing games on his computer
all day. She learns things about her family that aren't what she
expected. William leaves for an unexpected reason, and she meets a
man who just might be right for her.
By the time I was halfway through the book, I was starting to force
myself to read it. It may sound hurtful, but it is the truth, and
most of those who read my reviews know that I say/write what I
really feel. I found Kas was a little on the naive side, and
honestly - did she really believe she can pull the wool over her
mother's eyes? Then again, her mother seemed to do that really
well. I also found her best friends to be rather immature. Max
doesn't need to work - his father makes enough money to support
him; mind you, the rather petty revenge he seeks on Richard in
Kas's behalf was really funny. Libby, on the other hand, would
rather not and simply lounge around all day doing just about
nothing. For people in their early twenties, especially in a city
like New York, I thought they'd be a little more mature and
sophisticated than how they were portrayed. I found Kas a little
too shallow for my taste. Sure, William was as dumb as a post, but
she never gave him that much of a chance either. I mean, expect a
tourist to ast like a tourist. Although I do believe the whole
waterbed fiasco was a little much. Halfway through the book, I was
kind of getting tired of the whole scene.
However, I did snicker quite a bit, mainly at Max's revenge on
Richard and how seventeen-year-old tube sock heir apparent Manuel
chased after Libby, even in New York. And while she learns
something rather hypocritical about her parents, and something
about her brother no one would have ever guessed was touching, I'd
have to say the humour was the highest point in the book. The main
characters could have used a little more work. All in all, an okay
read.