Ok, so sassy New York ladies all dressed up and going to work is my jam (thanks, Ryan!). Quick read, fun but a little repetitive and hit you over the head with its "themes". Still, it would be perfect to take on a beach trip with the ladies and read while sipping daquiris that some handsome younger man brought you.

so cute and easy to read! the 3 intertwining storylines kept me super interested

I tried to read this several times years ago but just couldn't force myself to care about any of the characters or what was happening to them.

Now it just sits there on my shelves, it's pages all yellow and sensitive, taking space that I desparately need for other books until I find someone who is willing to take it from me.

Anyone, seriously.

It's hard to understand why soulless, ignorant, vapid, shallow golddiggers are of interest.

I first read this the summer of 2018 when I binge watched the series for the first time. I was pleasantly surprised at how well written this novel was. Since I first read this somewhat long, complicated and slightly different from the series novel 5 years ago, I’m planning on re-reading it again with fresh eyes. Don’t listen to the negative reviews, it’s a good read!

Es un retrato honesto, aunque algo superficial, de las contradicciones de las mujeres modernas: el deseo de éxito, amor y libertad, pero también el peso de las expectativas y las inseguridades. No profundiza demasiado, pero captura bien esa dualidad entre lo que se muestra al mundo y lo que se siente en privado.

As a "Sex and the City" viewer, I thought I was going to enjoy this book; however, that was not the case. I think that the book could have been much better and that a few times hit on deeper thoughts that should have been further developed- but instead were just dropped... leaving the story somewhat superficial. Now you might think- "Sex and the City" (SATC) isn't exactly deep so what did I expect? I suppose that after watching SATC for several years- you naturally develop relationships with the characters so even though they are superficial- you still care about them. I never was able to truly connect with the characters in the book and it all just seemed very cliche and almost fake. So, if you want a book that you can just disconnect and not use your mind for- I suppose this one might be what you are looking for.

If there is an award for the most ridiculous and unrealistic book ever, I would award it to Lipstick Jungle, written by Candace Bushnell. The one and the same author who wrote the widely-known "Sex and the City".

I have always been suspicious of her writing talent though. No offense, I do love Sex and the City series, like many other single and fabulous women in the world *coughs* but that's only the TV series, not the real book. When I finally had the chance to pick up the book and read it, my disappointment was so big I was practically devastated.

"This is not the Sex and the City that I know. This is just bunch of crappy short stories which have no meaning and hard to relate to", so I said to myself after I finished reading it. And let me tell you a secret *whispers* It's not only me who thinks that way. A lot of my friends were in the same emotional wreck as I was after reading the book. All of them who idolise the four tough women in the series.

But after awhile, the disappointment healed and I decided to give Ms. Bushnell another chance by picking up another novel of hers. A similar one, I must say where it portrays four women (all above 40s - way more mature than the characters in Sex and the City) who were equally successful and with men in their lives.

I guessed that Ms. Bushnell was so obssessed in the characters of Sex and the City and somehow regretted at making their lives rather unsuccessful as described by their inability to find the right men and their struggle to make their ends meet after the last shopping spree at Manolo Blahnik or Chanel boutique. She tried to fix the characters in Lipstick Jungle where the women - who are mostly CEOs or at least directors of companies - never have problem in buying a diamond set let alone a pair of Jimmy Choos.

Victory Ford, a famous designer, Nico O'Neilly, a famous magazine editor (eventually CEO), Wendy Healy (director of a film production company) and an unimportant blonde babe actress whose name I have already forgotten.

As much as Ms. Bushnell was trying to stress the importance of girl power these days, she couldn't just drop the subject that women couldn't live without men, no matter how powerful they are - which actually contradicts the whole theme. Now I begin to wonder why dildo was created in the first place, eh?

Wendy, whose family is rather dysfunctional with a spoiled staying home-dad/husband with equally two spoiled kids, feels her world is crumbling apart when her no-good of a husband Shane decides to divorce her just to punish her as she was always busy with her work and hardly home and never take care of the kids.

I can't help to wonder that the same theme, only reversed, has existed for centuries but regarded as the most natural thing on earth as portrayed by the dumbest TV series I have ever seen called "Desperate Housewives". Whatever happened to equality? How come a staying home dad now suddenly makes a big deal out of the fact that his wife works so hard that hasn't have time to take care of the kids? Aren't their roles reversed in the very first place? Similar to a normal family in the mid 1950s only that now the husband is the wife and the wife is the husband?

.....and what's up with Nico anyway? She has a perfectly good family with uptight husband who does care about her and a good daughter only that she finds it's rather frustrating that the husband is so reliable and boring. Where does she run to when she's bored? An underwear male model, of course - what else that is more effective in getting rid of boredom than having a steamy hot sex with an underwear male model? How come this is all so predictable?

The only character that is somewhat normal in this book is probably Victory Ford, the single designer who is trying to make a fortune with her clothing and her brand name. She's probably the only character in the book that is worth reading about although every single of her personality aspects scream the word "cliche". So what's left? What's so original about the book that is worth reading? Nothing.

I read it and I got disappointed. Another zero for Ms. Bushnell, unfortunately.

I found this book at a neighborhood library hole and thought it would be fun to read as I had never read it. I wanted to see just how well (or not!) the book held up years after being written. Weeellll, not so well! Unfortunately it reads rather dated but I gave it 3 stars because I know that in the Sex and the City era it was wildly enjoyed. The reason to read it now is simply to put yourself back in the day and remember how and why this was a somewhat heralded book.

It is pure unadulterated fluff. Very obviously by Candace Bushnell. Much like Sex in the City had girl power and sex right up together described (or shown) in equal detail so with Lipstick Jungle. The ladies work in high power (or climbing high) jobs, one in magazine publishing, one in movie production, and up and coming fashion designer. They help each other as they can because they are friends and they are friends because they can’t threaten each other. Wendy the producer married a man who couldn’t live up to her potential and jumped off the career path to take care of their kids, and in typical houseparent status feels left out and “not appreciated” Eventually leaving the spouse for the money without the faked love. He honestly screwed himself as he had lost his youth and his wife was very giving in the bedroom to make up for her MIA status as parent. He also can’t find his soulmate unless she is a money bank as his tastes are very expensive.
The publishing tyrant, Nico is cheating on her sensible shoes husband to give her the spring in her step so she can step into her chauvinist bosses shoes. She has the most power but her sexless marriage has left her wondering about what she really wants. After a year of sex she realizes that stability is better than an orgasm, as those are just moments of pleasure and not necessary for happiness. She finds she loves the stable and not needy husband she has.
Victory the fashionista is the less well established character. This is her fall and rise story. It begins with fashion week where her spring line goes outside the normal game and puts her on the outs with the department stores. She goes soul searching and with back against the wall comes up with pants. Pants are the answer and she is back with such gusto she almost takes a brass ring of selling out her name for loads of money. When she breaks up with her billionaire boyfriend and busts up the deal in one month the climax occurs and she starts to understand her problems. Suddenly the movie is jumped ahead a few months and she is flying high with a new partner for the business and back in Business with her boyfriend.
They all end happily every after no bad things occur Wendy makes a smash movie. Victory makes a mint on a hat and Nico pays off the boy-toy. Silly summer fluff, with a generous helping of sex.

Wow, that was..bad. The characters are so alike (highly succesful and either ceo or director or owner or whatever) I kept having problems keeping them apart in the beginning. Then the whole 'we are great, men are like children and we don't need them, oh wait we kinda do' narrative got really tired at the end.

I really hope that in later publications the sms messages were changed to the actual sms text language that has been used over the years, with lots of abbreviations. It's as if the writer heard about it but didn't understand its usage at all.

Furthermore, has she ever been to France, or done some real research as to what France is like? Because the parts set in France are quite ridiculous. Also, good morning is not 'bon matin'. Yes, the two words mean good and morning if you look them up in a dictionary, but that's not how you say good morning in French.

I want to preface this by saying I love Candace Bushnell. I've read One Fifth Avenue and Trading Up and loved them both. However, this book really fell flat.

A wannabe feminist inspiration this novel really just missed the point. It had CONSTANT comparisons of men and women in the workforce and for a novel that tries to battle the stereotypes, it is completely hinged on cliches.

The writing was predictable and fluffy. No character development. Everything was tied up in a completely unbelievable, boring, and predictable way. Horrible book. Don't read.