Horrible Women, Wonderful Girls - by Julie Ann Sipos

About the Book

Jaycee Grayson didn't come to play. On the run from rehab and Hollywood scandal, she takes on a billion-dollar doll empire, exposing pastel-perfect lies in this satirical tale of reinvention, toxic sisterhood, and small-town secrets.

Book Synopsis

Addiction, reinvention, and the chaos of toxic workplaces - all wrapped in biting wit and unpredictable turns... Sipos's prose crackles with energy, packing more into a single sentence than some manage on an entire page. - Booklife at Publishers Weekly

Freshly rehabbed and on the run from scandal, Jaycee Grayson did not come to play. A disgraced kids' entertainment exec with no filter and nothing to lose, she's followed the hollow promise of sisterhood to Littleburgh's world-famous doll empire. Nothing is as it seems - not the town, not the empress behind the lucrative legend, and definitely not the two-faced army of Prairie Karens running the show.

When it turns out those plastic smiles mask a billion-dollar web of secrets and lies, Jaycee rallies a succession of quirky outcasts, each more desperate for a life win. But the race to torch a toxic fairy tale could very well dash all their dreams - and kill her career for good at the bottom of a bottle. With cold news from home and a three-way romance imploding in the town square, both bedroom and boardroom signal looming doom. Now Jaycee faces the ironic choice between exposing a showcase of heartland hypocrisy-and embracing the messy misfits fast becoming her last, best shot at home, family, and genuine connection.

With the stiletto-sharp sarcasm of its flawed but fearless heroine, this timely tale of a dollhouse divided delivers a satirical thrill ride of soaring hope, small-town deception, and truths that sting like a slap in Spanx. If you loved the betrayals, bonds, and bittersweet reckoning of Kristin Hannah's Firefly Lane, grab this grown-up girl adventure now - before the price goes up!

Review Quotes

"The writing here is bold and inventive, tackling controversial topics with razor-sharp humor, unexpected lyrical sweeps, and striking chapter titles...Readers will be eager for the sequel to this striking debut." - Booklife at Publishers Weekly (Editor's Pick)

"The village police chief adds a bit of offbeat romance, and the aging Happy Lindstrom proves to be a delightful, surprising powerhouse...Even so, acerbic humor is never more than a paragraph or two away." - Kirkus Reviews

Original, ironic, deftly crafted, and of special interest to readers who appreciate an entertaining novel of romance, feminism, revival, regeneration, and laced throughout with dark and delicious humor, Horrible Women, Wonderful Girls showcases author Julie Ann Sipos' genuine flair as a novelist.- Midwest Book Review

"With prose that zings and a plot full of surprises, Sipos crafts a wildly original debut that's equal parts heart, humor, and hard truth." - NewInBooks

"Fueled by irreverence and wit as sharp as a stiletto skating on thin ice." - BookTrib "BookBites"

"A daring new literary heroine emerges to heal a divided nation-whether it wants her to or not!" - Buffalo River Review

"Spirited satire of sisterhood and survival across The Urban Frontier." - Los Angeles Downtown News

"Buckle in for a poignant, provocative and darkly funny showdown between Hollywood and the heartland." - Journal Review