Today I'm reviewing Grace Cooopersmith's debut novel Nancy's Theory of Style that I got a review copy of. If you have read Marta Acosta's Casa Dracula series you have met Nancy Carrington-Chambers since she is friends with Milagro de los Santos. I have anxiously been waiting for this release every since I interviewed Marta Acosta on my live podcast show, TAMFA | Phoebe Jordan, in September 2009 and she gave me a bit of the details to this novel as well as the 4th Casa Dracula book. We only got a glimpse of the lively, pretty young socialite Nancy Carrington-Chambers in the Casa Dracula series but in the start of this novel we start to get a bigger picture of what she is like. Nancy has always believed that an excellent sense of style and strict attention to detail are what it takes to achieve a perfectly chic life. Nancy is a woman of certain tastes and has lived a very privilaged life though has never really received any emotional comfort from her parents throughout her entire life. After she leaves her husband who has turned their McMansion into an unlivable place she’s determined to make her event planning company, Froth, a real winner, but her new prize assignment—reinventing the turgid Barbary Coast Historical Museum fundraiser—must be spectacular in every way. Luckily, Nancy now has the perfect assistant (which her husband sent her way) named Derek Cathcart who is British, impeccably dressed, gorgeous, and clearly gay—so why does Nancy find him so attractive?

Well to figure that out you would have to read the book which takes many twists and turns that I never really expected which is fun for us readers. Now before Nancy can unravel her feelings for Derek, her irresponsible cousin Birdie abandons her four-year-old daughter at Nancy’s and takes off to parts unknown. Now this is where things get really insteresting for Nancy, Derek, and little Eugenia because they make an unlikely “family,” but strangely it all seems incredibly right. Nancy’s parents are pressuring her to return to Todd, however, and she still has to pull off the party of the year. For someone who has always prided herself on knowing exactly where she is going, Nancy is sailing into dangerously uncharted waters that could take her anywhere. At times I wanted to give up on this novel because the things Nancy did would just get me a bit pissed off at her but then out of nowhere she would make me laugh. I have mixed feelings about this book after I finished reading it since it's not what I normally read but I always like trying new things so I gave it a try. I don't regret picking it up and reading it because it sure made me think because Nancy is so different from any of the other heroine characters I've ever read. I was very surprised but extremely happy with how the story ended and it also had me wondering if this would actually have a sequel novel that might be coming out in the future because it ended in such a way that it cold. Grace Coopersmith delivers a wonderfully funny as well as intriguing debut novel that had me giggling at times and also had me frustrated with the heroine Nancy Carrington-Chambers who is a unique character that I couldn't help but fall in love with. I am definitely going to be keeping an eye out for any of Grace Coopersmith's upcoming novels because she already has me intrigued with her debut novel and makes me wonder what else she may have in the works. I give this book 4 Open Books:

NANCY'S THEORY OF STYLE by Grace Coopersmith $15.00 (362 Pages)

Lively, pretty young socialite Nancy Carrington-Chambers has always believed that an excellent sense of style and strict attention to detail are what it takes to achieve a perfectly chic life. Now, however, her own haute couture marriage is starting to resemble a clearance rack, as husband Todd manifests more and more symptoms of a dread disease—incurable tackiness. Seriously concerned, Nancy flees their vulgar McMansion for an apartment in San Francisco’s posh Pacific Heights. She’s determined to make her event planning company, Froth, a real winner, but her new prize assignment—reinventing the turgid Barbary Coast Historical Museum fundraiser—must be spectacular in every way. Luckily, Nancy now has the perfect assistant. Derek Cathcart is British, impeccably dressed, gorgeous, and clearly gay—so why does Nancy find him so attractive?

Before Nancy can unravel her feelings for Derek, her irresponsible cousin Birdie abandons her four-year-old daughter at Nancy’s and takes off to parts unknown. Nancy, Derek, and little Eugenia make an unlikely “family,” but strangely it all seems incredibly right. Nancy’s parents are pressuring her to return to Todd, however, and she still has to pull off the party of the year. For someone who has always prided herself on knowing exactly where she is going, Nancy is sailing into dangerously uncharted waters.