I've been reading Lauren Weisberger's books since The Devil Wears Prada, even though they frequently make me quite cross, because she seems to be so against women pursuing their own ambitions - The Devil Wears Prada itself is the best example of this, but it's also a pretty clear sub-theme in The Singles Game and Last Night in Chateau Marmont. In her previous novel, The Wives, she softened this message slightly to portray the importance of balancing family and career, and interestingly introduced a relatively older female character (by which I mean a character in her late thirties, nobody is ever actually old in this world) who regrets having completely sacrificed her own life for her children. This theme continues in her latest offering, Where The Grass Is Green, which focuses on two sisters whose lives have taken unexpectedly different paths: Peyton, the high school dropout, is now an incredibly successful TV anchor, while Skye, the academic high-flier, is now totally focused on her daughter Aurora.

As I've said, Weisberger is often out to punish her protagonists when they start getting ideas, so I found this novel surprisingly sweet compared to most of her other work. It's all set in the completely ridiculous world of the super-wealthy, so bears little resemblance to actual life, but the relationship between the two sisters is portrayed as supportive and loving. Neither is glorified at the expense of the other, although Weisberger does default a little back to her 'family over career' agenda by the end of the novel. I also found the portrayal of Peyton's teenage daughter, Max, refreshingly positive compared to the usual ways that teenagers come across in light women's fiction. The book is marketed as being about a college admissions scandal, but that's more of a plot device than anything else (if you want a beach read about college admissions, go for Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman's Girls With Bright Futures). Instead, the focus is the relationships between these three women, which makes this book much more fun and less depressing. 3.5 stars.

This was a good, enjoyable and well written book. I did expect it too be a little darker but a good read overall xx

Look, I love Weisberger and have four-starred her other four books from Prada to Chateau Marmont - but this one feels flat. Where's the sass? The humour? The heart? The focus on three women dilutes the storylines, and the scandal of buying Ivy League places doesn't feel scandalous enough. And why do women in good marriages seemingly never speak to their husbands? Ok, we've all had a weird year so I'll give LW a free pass on this one, and hope she's back to her snarky, hilarious self in the next book.