Summer in the city? Way overrated. Everybody who's anybody in New York City summers in the Hamptons. Mara, Eliza, and Jacqui all want a piece of the action, all for different reasons.

So the girls answer a classified ad to become au pairs. How bad can it be, watching a couple of kids on the beach all day? They've got the swank address, the sweet ride, and an all-access pass to the hottest social scene on the East Coast. It's shaping up to be the summer of their lives.

All three main characters are likeable and, unlike those too-enviable GG characters, you'll be rooting for them from page 1. Especially the small-town girl, Mara, who is certainly a fish out of water in the glitzy, party-all-night world of the Hamptons. The girls' conflicts add some depth to what might otherwise be a no-brainer sort of novel. Mara strives for independance and self-acceptance, Liza copes with her new lifestyle and Jaqui just wants to be loved for her brain and not her cup size. The setting offers a glimpse into the uber-rich, uber-exclusive world of the Hampton-ites and is quite appealing.

You'll be sorry to see their summer end, but - fear not - the author appears to have set them up for a sequel. Christmas in Palm Beach, anyone?


'Gossip Girl,' 'The Nanny Diaries,' and A Pinch of 'Sex and the City'   August 17, 2005
 8 out of 8 found this review helpful

Sixteen-year-olds Mara Waters, Eliza Thompson, and Jacarei (Jacqui) Velasco are three girls from very different walks off life, getting thrown together for a loaded summer in the Hamptons. Each girl found the ad. The one that said Au-Pairs Wanted for a Fun-Filled Summer In the Hamptons, Complete With A Check for $10,000 Should They Be Able to Put Up With the Little Monsters. The three girls, all looking for a fun getaway, and a fat paycheck, apply, and soon arrive amongst the rich and famous.

Eliza, a rich girl turned poor girl is trying to trick her old Park Avenue pals into thinking that she's staying with a friend of the family's for the summer, as a treat away from her very boring boarding school, when in reality, she's now living in Buffalo, attending a public school, and working as an au pair for the Perry's, in an attempt to liven up her wardrobe with the $10,000. She plans on hooking her old boyfriend, the one who has had complete facial reconstruction to look hot, and is richer than rich, but when she falls for a poor gardener, who happens to be gorgeous, all bets are off.

Mara simply wants to earn a little extra dough for college, and a used Camry. But when she gets a peek at Ryan Perry, the oldest son of her new boss, all thoughts of the supposed love-of-her-life go out the window, along with those cowboy boots of hers that she loves so much. Now she's got to figure out how to snag the guy she's crushing on, and come to terms with the new title she's carrying around the Hamptons "It Girl."

Jacqui fell in love with a guy over Spring Break who was back-packing through Brazil. Unfortunately, after two weeks of fun in the sun with her gorgeous Luca, he disappeared, never to be heard from again. The only clue to his whereabouts? The Hamptons. But when this Brazilian Bombshell finds the man of her dreams, she realizes that he's not all he's cracked up to be. Together these four girls will have the summer of their lives, complete with love, heartbreak, partying, and enough shopping to make even Paris Hilton's head spin.

I've been a fan of the Hamptons since I saw an episode of "Sex and the City," where Carrie and her pals headed to the glamorous area and partied like rock stars. I suppose that's why my attention was peaked by Melissa de la Cruz's novel THE AU PAIRS. A mix of "Gossip Girl" and "The Nanny Diaries," with a pinch of "Sex and the City," and THE AU PAIRS has become a force to be reckoned with, that will most certainly rival Victoria Ashton's recent CONFESSIONS OF A TEEN NANNY. Loaded with names of some of the most well-known celebrities in Hollywood, as well as descriptions of glamorous shops, and the even more glamorous people who shop at them, THE AU PAIRS is sure to be a hit with all. Especially those who'd like a little Cartier in their lives. The perfect beach read to brighten anyone's day.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper


AWESOME BOOK!!   May 14, 2004
 6 out of 18 found this review helpful

I just bought this book and read it in one day! It's about three au pairs who go to the Hamptons, which is this really rich place outside New York City, and then they have a really fun, amazing, crazy summer. I recommend this book along with the Gossip Girl books.


Exceptionally Well Written!   July 20, 2004
 6 out of 7 found this review helpful

I am not a "chick" and I haven't been "thirty-something" for twenty-something years, but I found this book to be exceptionally clever and engaging. Melissa DeLaCruz is obviously a brilliant young talent who will be a best-selling author in a very short time.

This book was so much fun I could not put it down until I finished it. Yes, I live close the beach but nowhere near the Hamptons.

The entire book was magnificent. The "rules for Hamptons travel" alone is more than worth the price of admission. I could not stop laughing! Anyone who shares my loathing of cretins who broadcast their cell phone conversations in public venues will revel in this chapter, and anyone who enjoys an exhilirating and delightful read will be captivated by this wonderful book.