Well, mixed feelings on this one. I liked the premise and the sympathetic heroine well enough, but could have been a lot funnier with more potential.

I also didn't realize it had a sequel when I checked it out of the library. The sequel sounds like fills in more of the story, including her seeking answers about her father's dand the eath (not a spoiler, book opens with her getting her inheritance).

Whiff of a love triangle (which I seldom enjoy) that was fortunately quickly resolved. A little too easily resolved as one love interest became the saintly underdog and the other the snobby class-ist douchebag.

It would have gotten another star if hadn't used some disliked tropes like slut shaming the BFF, a lesbian character dressing in combat boots with bad makeup, etc. I have DNF'ed other books for less.

My rating was likely influenced because I generally like the rags-to-riches and Cinderalla type of stories.

The writing and editing were fine, but despite being mainstream published the story itself reminded me of many self published works. I think because flow wasn't great -- seemed improbable (or un-researched) in places and very stream of consciousness reality in others.

I do want to know what's next. But not enough to pay current basically hardcover price if doesn't come to my library or drop to normal paperback price range. ( )

Lorraine Zago Rosenthal’s New Money is a light, entertaining story of a 24-year-old debutante set loose in Manhattan after a lifetime among Southern society. To say she is lost amidst a sea of dark-clothed, serious New Yorkers is an understatement — but once she flees the comfort of her mother’s home in South Carolina, she is determined to create a new path for herself as a writer . . . or maybe something else entirely.

Though I enjoyed Savannah’s story, success seemed to find our heroine a little too easily. After learning the identity of her biological father, a billionaire, Savannah hops a plane and steps straight into a sleek apartment overlooking Central Park with barely a thought of the mother she is supposedly devoted to — or the life she is leaving behind. Her whacky best friend temporarily turns Savannah’s new life into a sorority romp, and the tenuous relationship she is trying to build with her half-siblings is constantly under fire.

The set-up of New Money felt to be entirely tell with no show — a fact that surprised me. I didn’t feel I actually got to know Savannah until the end of the novel, when she was in love with a bartender and fighting to keep her new family’s name out of the press. We were told she is this strong, passionate, intelligent woman . . . but her scatter-brained actions didn’t always reflect that.

But even having said that, I can’t say I didn’t enjoy this story . . . I did! It was fun escapism that demanded little of me, which was perfect. It’s actually been a while since I read a story set in Manhattan, and Rosenthal’s descriptions of the city through an outsider’s eyes were fun. Her budding romance with Alex, a reformed fighter, was sweet and sweetly believable; her attempts to get to know her brother and sister were realistic and a little heartbreaking.

All in all, New Money was the first novel I’ve read in the burgeoning “new adult” category — and with a little romance, plenty of family dynamics and lots of rich-people-peeping to keep me company, it was a fun story with interesting characters that I enjoyed getting to know. ( )

Honestly, I don’t really have a whole lot to say about this book. It was an easy read-good for a vacation or beach trip. The plot was decent, though slightly unrealistic-small town girl inherits a windfall from the father she never knew, who just happened to be a billionaire. Wouldn’t that be nice? You’d think. Even with all the “struggles” she had, both when she was poor, and after she became an heiress, I had no sympathy for the main character, Savannah, at any point in the story. She let the money go to her head way too easily, and quickly got under my skin. I constantly had to remind myself that it was because she was only 24, and the difference in mentality between a 24 yr old and myself (even being only 6 years older) can apparently be substantial. I kept wanting her to care more about her mother and her best friend, or even remember their existence. Amazingly, I found I cared more about Tina (the bff), even with her being ridiculously inconsiderate at times and trashing the apartment. Her acting out was an obvious defense mechanism and I was much more sympathetic to her situation than Savannah’s. All that said, it was not a bad book, but it wasn’t a great book either. Again, easy read, great for a vacay, just don’t expect too much deep thinking.

Rating: 3

HEAT Rating: Mild

Reviewed By: Daysie W.

Review Courtesy of: My Book Addictions and More ( )

Lorraine Zago Rosenthal's sophomore offering, New Money, is a departure from her first book, Other Words for Love, but both novels have the same sense of heart and feature a main character fighting to stay true to herself.

New Money begins in the small South Carolina town where the main character, Savannah, was raised, where she was raised by her single mother. Savannah, now 24, often wonders if she made the right choices in her life. After all, her current situation - a dead-end job, an unused college degree, single, and disillusioned - isn't what she'd dreamed of for herself. All that changes with a simple phone call: Savannah is the illegitimate daughter of Edward Stone, the recently deceased millionaire, and she's been included in his will. Stone has left her his entire fortune, but, in exchange for her inheritance, she must move to New York and take a job within his company. Many things await Savannah in NYC, including two bitter half-siblings, a luxurious lifestyle, not one but two suitors, and drama and gossip, two things she'd hoped she'd left behind in SC. Savannah isn't sure her rags to riches story will have a happy ending, but it's abundantly clear her new situation will challenge everything she believes in.

While the premise of New Money is pretty straight forward, I still enjoyed following Savannah's story. Though she has a good heart, she isn't a perfect person, which makes her both frustrating and easy to relate to. Still, she redeems herself with her honesty. She admits when she's wrong and doesn't deny her faults.

My favorite character, however, was not Savannah but her new-found sister-in-law, Kitty. She's a strong, independent, successful woman, who comes from money but never seems to take it for granted or believe that it makes her any better than others. I would definitely read a book where Kitty was the main character - I feel like there is so much more to learn about her!

New Money has the feel of television series fueled by drama, secrets, and good-looking men. It's light, clean fun that I fully recommend. ( )