Chanpreet’s Review of Ten Girls to Watch by Charity Shumway

The Beeline

Twenty-three-year-old Dawn West was going to be a lawyer, but her dream of being a writer was stronger, and now, she's unemployed and living in New York City. She recently found out that the man she once thought she was going to marry, Robert, has moved on with the perfect girl, Lily, who inexplicably keeps inviting Dawn to parties. At one such party, Lily introduces Dawn to the editor of the magazine Charm, and Dawn ends up with a job that gives her the responsibility of tracking down the previous winners of Charm's "Ten Girls to Watch" for a retrospective, fifty years after the contest was first started.

The Honey

Dawn is a great person who is funny, sweet, and nice. Her situation describes a majority of recent college graduates, so she's really easy to relate to. The pictures of the past winners at the start of each chapter are intriguing and impressive, making the winners and the contest seem all the more real, which added depth to the story. And the opening chapter is killer. After starting to read this book, it was hard to put it down. There are a number of twists in the story that are unexpected, but great, and there’s just the right mix of comedy and drama. The story is inspirational too, and not just for Dawn. As Dawn interacts with these amazing women, she slowly begins to learn from their experiences, especially that not everything happens as expected, and that she is ultimately responsible for her own happiness.

The Bumble

The only thing that would make this book better is a happily ever after.

The Buzz

When the reader finishes the book, she will likely have a longing to do something, to be like Dawn or the women who won the title of “Ten Girls to Watch.” With such an amazing debut, Charity Shumway is an author to keep an eye out for in the future!

About the Author

Ten Girls to Watch is Charity Shumway's first novel. It was inspired by her work for Glamour's "Top Ten College Women" contest. She spent nine months working on this project for the 50th anniversary of the article. Charity's writing has been published by a wide variety of magazines like Fitness, Ladies Home Journal, and Garden Design. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband. For more information, please visit www.charityshumway.com.

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