Deirdre Griffin has a great life; it’s just not her own. She’s the around-the-clock personal assistant to her charismatic, high-maintenance, New Age guru brother, Tag. As the family wallflower, her only worth seems to be as gatekeeper to Tag at his New England seaside compound. Then Deirdre’s sometime boyfriend informs her that he is marrying another woman, who just happens to be having the baby he told Deirdre he never wanted. While drowning her sorrows in Tag’s expensive vodka, Deirdre decides to use his massive online following to get herself voted on as a last-minute Dancing with the Stars replacement. It’ll get her back in shape, mentally and physically. It might even get her a life of her own. Deirdre’s fifteen minutes of fame have just begun.

from Barnes & Noble

I’ve been wanting to read Claire Cook for a while and when I saw that this one had a Dancing with the Stars element I was in.  I used to love that show.  I admit that when they started putting on political ‘stars’ I dropped the show and haven’t missed it.  Politicians aren’t entertainers (on purpose anyway).  And don’t tell me they couldn’t give one author a shot before going to kids of famous people?  I bet Nicholas Sparks would do it, he’s a romantic 🙂  Anyway, I was still interested in the behind the scenes DWTS storyline.  In that respect the book fell a little flat.  It took too long to get to DWTS and once there it was short-lived.

I thought the story was good and was entertained enough, but I was also equally annoyed with Deirdre.   She was trying to break free from her co-dependent, domineering family and I was rooting for her.  When she hit her ex-boyfriend with a golf cart I was cheering.  I wanted her to step away from her family and succeed and have a life of her own.  But Deirdre let me down a bit.  And I really got tired of the sibling banter that sounded like elementary school insults.

I know it sounds like I didn’t like it and that’s not true. I liked it but was hoping for more.  It’s a fun light read, probably a great vacation book.  I was listening to this when I was lost and alone 3 hours from home, in the middle of nowhere and almost out of gas.  Maybe some of this stress transferred to Deirdre.  It’s a fun light read, probably a great vacation book. I checked the audio out of the library.

So what author would you like to see compete on Dancing with the Stars?  I think JK Rowling would be a great choice!