The admission process to enter the best schools in Manhattan is hard for both the children and the parents as Kate Pearson soon finds out. After being dumped by her handsome French boyfriend, Robert, in a Paris airport right before she moved in with him, Kate has a breakdown and spends a year wallowing on her couch watching reruns of Sex and the City in the company of a cat. Thanks to her sister Angela, she gets a job interview for an assistant position in the admissions department of the prestigious Hudson School and, after a disastrous but hilarious interview in which she pours out all her problems to her future boss, she miraculously gets the job. And she is good at it. In the meantime, her best friend Chloe still feels guilty for introducing Kate to Robert and tries to make up for it by showering her with gifts and trying to find her a new boyfriend through online dating. Her other best friend, Vicky, is tired of Kate's depression and wants her to move on, although for selfish reasons, while her overprotective and controlling sister Angela tries to make sure that Kate doesn't make any more bad decisions. While her friends and sister try to run her life, Kate has to deal with ambitious and crazy parents who want their children to get into one of the top schools in Manhattan.
Although, it seems that Kate is just a weak and immature woman who can't deal with a break-up, she is a smart, funny and strong woman and simply a fantastic character. From parents who are too busy hating each other to notice how smart their son is to parents who refuse to accept that their child isn't that clever, this is an entertaining and refreshing novel perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella, with brilliant characters, hilarious scenes (the interviews between Kate and some of the parents made me laugh so much), and a captivating plot that will keep you glued to the page. (NP)
Small Admissions, the debut novel by Amy Poeppel, is centred around the cut-throat world of New York City private school admissions. The summary says: "Despite her innate ambition and Summa Cum Laude smarts, Kate Pearson has turned into a major slacker. After being unceremoniously dumped by her handsome, French "almost fiance" she abandons her grad school plans and instead spends her days lolling on the couch, watching reruns of Sex and the City, and leaving her apartment only when a dog-walking gig demands it. Her friends don't know what to do other than pass tissues and hope for a comeback, while her practical sister, Angela, pushes every remedy she can think of, from trapeze class to therapy to job interviews.
Miraculously, and for reasons no one (least of all Kate) understands, she manages to land a job in the admissions department at the prestigious Hudson Day School. In her new position, Kate learns there's no time for self-pity or nonsense during the height of the admissions season, or what her colleagues refer to as "the dark time." As the process revs up, Kate meets smart kids who are unlikable, likeable kids who aren't very smart, and Park Avenue parents who refuse to take no for an answer.
Meanwhile, Kate's sister and her closest friends find themselves keeping secrets, hiding boyfriends, dropping bombshells, and fighting each other on how to keep Kate on her feet. On top of it all, her cranky, oddly charming, and irritatingly handsome downstairs neighbour is more than he seems. Through every dishy, page-turning twist, it seems that one person's happiness leads to another's misfortune, and suddenly everyone, including Kate, is looking for a way to turn rejection on its head, using any means necessary - including the truly unexpected." Small Admissions is out in December 2016.