Author: Lauren Weisberger
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: June 2013
Genre: Chick Lit / Women’s Fiction
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: Almost a decade has passed since Andy Sachs quit the job “a million girls would die for” working for Miranda Priestly at Runway magazine—a dream that turned out to be a nightmare. Andy and Emily, her former nemesis and co-assistant, have since joined forces to start a high end bridal magazine, The Plunge, which has quickly become required reading for the young and stylish. Now they get to call all the shots: Andy writes and travels to her heart’s content; Emily plans parties and secures advertising like a seasoned pro.
Even better, Andy has met the love of her life. Max Harrison, scion of a storied media family, is confident, successful, and drop-dead gorgeous. Their wedding will be splashed across all the society pages as their friends and family gather to toast the glowing couple. Andy Sachs is on top of the world. But karma’s a bitch.
The morning of her wedding, Andy can’t shake the past. And when she discovers a secret letter with crushing implications, her wedding day jitters turn to cold dread. Andy realizes that nothing—not her husband, nor her beloved career—is as it seems. She never suspected that her efforts to build a bright new life would lead her back to the darkness she barely escaped ten years ago—and directly into the path of the devil herself...
My Thoughts: First of all, it is imperative that you read The Devil Wears Prada before this one or you will not understand the backstory of Andrea and Emily’s time working for Miranda Priestly and why the mere mention of her name sends Andrea into a spiral of the highest anxiety. I experienced it as well. Interestingly this story’s focus isn’t about Miranda, though she makes a few appearances, she is really in the background, likely filing her claws and feasting on the souls of the unfortunate girls who have made the catastrophic mistake of wanting to work for her. Instead, this story picks up about ten years after the first book. Andy and Emily have reconnected and become (gasp!) best friends and have created a wedding magazine. Andy is set to walk down the aisle with the love of her life, Max Harrison. Everything should be sunshine and daisies in Andy’s world, but it isn’t.
On the morning of her wedding, Andy receives information that fills her with doubts about marrying Max. The magazine that she and Emily have created and worked so hard for several years to make it a success has caught the eye of Elias Clarke and none other than the devil herself, Miranda Priestly, who has been promoted to a managing editor position and they want to buy Andy and Emily’s magazine with the stipulation that the editorial staff continue to work for Miranda for one year.
This news has Andy in a near panic, but Emily is ecstatic. Emily refuses to see how this sale will put them back under Miranda’s thumb and after what happened to both of them while working for Miranda a decade ago, Andy is shocked that Emily would consider it at all, much less be over the moon about it.
I have to say that I was in complete agreement with Andy. Selling their magazine seemed so tragic to me after all the hard work they put into it, even though the financial windfall they would receive would be fantastic. The bizarre point that Elias Clark and Miranda insist that the editorial staff work for her for a year made no sense and they wouldn’t budge on that issue. Obviously, Miranda has some nefarious plan up her sleeve to retaliate in some way but it is never made completely known and you will have to read this book to find out what happens!
I tried reading this book in audiobook format back in 2019 and could not get into the story. Maybe it was the narrator or maybe I just couldn’t wrap my head around the idea that Andy and Emily become best friends and partners. This time I went with the e-book format and I absolutely loved it. It didn’t take long to get reacquainted with all of the characters from the first book who also make an appearance in this book as well as new characters. The author does an excellent job of illustrating Andy’s world of high fashion, publishing, celebrity weddings as well as pregnancy and first time motherhood.
My Final Verdict: Overall, it was wonderful catching up with Andy again and though Emily was never my favorite person, it was interesting to see what these women have been up and how far they have come. I don’t know if Miranda Priestly will be in the third book, but you know the devil has a way of showing up when you least expect it. I highly recommend this book to readers of chick lit and women’s fiction.
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