First off, let me say that I'm not rating this book poorly simply because Jong-Fast's parents are famous. I've seen MUCH worse books published by people without famous parents.

That said, this book was very poorly written. When I started reading it, I thought it had potential for an interesting story line at the very least. A few chapters into the book, I came to realize there was no actual plot. Couple that with the fact that the dialogue is awkward at best, confusing and stupid at worst, and you have the key ingredients for a snooze-worthy novel. I kept reading with the hopes that eventually an exciting situation or interesting, multidimensional character might manifest itself, but with no luck. Let me sum up this book for you so you can save yourself the time and money of reading it--

Rich, snobby girl realizes that her constant drug and liquor intake might just constitute addiction. Rich mommy sends her to a midwestern rehab center to get straight. Girl leaves rehab center, returns to her life of parties and famous friends, and learns little in the process except that Valium withdrawal ...[hurts]. Oh yea, there was supposed to be some sort of story line involving her accidentally killing her boyfriend, but it's mentioned as an afterthought.

The summary on the back of this book is more interesting than the actual story. Skip this one, and hope that Jong-Fast's next novel lives up to it's praise.

this movie was horrible! part one was so-so; this is just embarassingly bad. i know the whole point of the movie is to give people a few cheap laughs, but honestly, you'd think they could come up with something better than this. it's an hour and a half of two dimensional, stereotypical characters, bad acting, and absolutely stupid jokes. it's a sad, sad day when people are giving THIS a five star rating.

if you're the type of person that thought part one was hilarious, chances are you'll enjoy this too.

I purchased this book thinking it was somewhat of a behind the scenes look at the underside of Disney, but was pleasantly suprised when I realised it wasn't. It's actually a riveting mystery, involving a murder-suicide that takes place on the grounds of "ImagiNation," a Disney-esque themepark in Florida. The Dreamworld authorities are desperate to cover it up in order to maintain the utopian image of their empire, and Sylvia Avery (an ImagiNation law enforcement official) is torn between doing the morally right thing, and helping uphold the image of the place she's come to think of as home.

The beginning of the book moves rather slowly, and I initially had a hard time getting into it. I think that was partially due to Goldman's elaborate writing style, but her attention to detail pays off later in the story. Nonetheless, this book took me a couple days to get through, whereas I usually like to finish a novel in one sitting.

Aside from the sometimes slow-moving plot, I thought this book was excellent. It's filled with unexpected twists and turns, and I have to disagree with the reviewer who called the story "predictable." It has it's obvious parts, but the final outcome left me shocked. Goldman definitely researched this book carefully, and the result is a wonderfully crafted must read for fans of Disney lore, murder mysteries, or just plain exciting reading.

This book amazed me, plain and simple. It pulls you in from the very first chapter, and doesn't let go until the last sentence of the epilogue.

Following the narrator and his girlfriend, Candy, you're taken on a trip through the gripping worlds of heroin addiction, sex, mental illness, and ultimately, desperation. They start off pulling scams and hocking valuables, but more is never enough, and Candy turns to prostitution. This gradually creates a riff in their relationship, as Candy feels it's unfair that she should be the sole provider of a reward they share equally, and they begin cooking their own heroin. (It should be noted that the process of making heroin is described in great detail; Luke Davies obviously knows his stuff.)

So believable (and likable, even) are the characters, that you find yourself rooting for them on their unrelenting quest to find a comfortable spot between sobriety and addiction while keeping their relationship intact. Davies balances perfectly the three-way love between the narrator, Candy, and heroin.

This book is at once darkly humorous, painful, romantic, terrifying- all those cliche words used to describe a masterpiece such as this. An absolute must read.

This book has a strong premise, but the story falters.You'd think an author who had been through heroin addiction would be able to write a more believable, gripping narrative, but that is not the case with Beauty Queen. Sam's journal entries peg her as naive and idealistic, and even in the throes of addiction, she remains unrealistically optimistic. You feel bad for her; not only for her situation, but for the fact that she remains so incredibly oblivious up until the end.This book is akin to Go Ask Alice, minus the introspection. It's a sugarcoated look at the world of heroin, probably most suited for younger, less discerning readers. It lacks the profane truth that i feel is nessacary for a story of this sort to really hit you... If you want a "nicer", more vague account, Beauty Queen is for you. It's worth reading once, but I'd recommend borrowing it from the library or buying it used.