Retail Therapy

September 15, 2004
If readers thought Becky Bloomwood of " Shopaholic" fame was bad, wait until they meet Alana Marshall-Hughs. The daughter of a prominent African American judge, she has shopping on the brain all the time. Since she dropped out of Harvard and quit her job at a prestigious law firm, Alana has been spending like mad. It's all about to come to a halt when Alana's father discovers that she has jetted off to Europe with a hot new fashion designer. With her best friend and roommate, Hailey, in tow, Alana hits the swanky streets of New York for one last spree. Hailey isn't feeling nearly as flush; she is a soap-opera actress playing the daughter of the soap's number-one diva in " All Our Tomorrows." She's trying to keep out of the dreadful diva's way and get her contract renewed when she catches the eye of the soap's hottest stud. The author of " Party Girls " (2002) and " Girls' Night Out" (2003) again delivers a lighthearted, entertaining comedy. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)