January 24, 2015

Review: Dirty Rush by Taylor Bell

Dirty Rush
Author: Taylor Bell
Genre: General Fiction
Release Date: January 13, 2015
Publisher: Gallery Books

Description:

In this shockingly true-to-life novel written by an all-star team of Internet phenoms from the Total Frat Move generation, you’ll get the first true glimpse of “real” sorority life in all its f**ked up glory.

Dirty Rush by Taylor Bell is what happens when you take the creative minds behind Babe Walker (author of the New York Times bestselling White Girl Problems series) and add Rebecca Martinson to the mix. Rebecca Martinson—yes, that bitch—the former Delta Gamma sister responsible for the scathing, expletive-filled email that verbally assaulted her entire chapter for being “so f**king boring” at social functions, and threatened to “c*nt punt” every last one of them if their behavior didn’t shape up. Dirty Rush is a no-holds-barred look at what really happens when you “go Greek.”

Taylor Bell comes from a long line of Beta Zeta sorority sisters, who all expect her to pledge upon starting at the university. But Taylor has other plans: she’s determined to give her family the proverbial middle finger and destroy the rich tradition they hold so dear by eschewing sorority life altogether. However, Taylor’s resolve soon melts when she falls in with a group of hilarious, ultra-saucy girls, who introduce her to all things Greek and soften her to the idea of joining. Resigned to the fate the Greek gods have dealt her, Taylor pledges Beta Zeta and embarks on a collegiate career filled with the kind of carousing sure to make any sorority sister proud.

Soon, Taylor’s experience as a BZ starts to feel like a jacked-up, drug-infused, and X-rated fairy tale—especially when reality comes crashing down and a rather lewd sex tape is leaked. The girl in the video looks a lot like Taylor. Has Taylor gone off the deep end? Or is someone trying to frame her? Unless she can prove her innocence and re-ingratiate herself with the sisters who’ve accused her of leaking the video in a Kim Kardashian–style bid for attention, Taylor is at risk of losing everything she’s fought (partied) so hard for.
  


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21412138-dirty-rush?ac=1
Dirty Rush is a hilarious novel and the closest you'll ever get to being inside a sorority - at least seeing what goes on in one. I read the description of the book and knew I had to give it a try. I normally don't read books like this - I guess I haven't come across many books like this one - and I wasn't in a sorority in college. I'll admit that I've always been a bit curious about what really goes on behind the doors of a sorority house, and what it's like to be in the middle of all the action and drama that comes with it. When the description said that this story was the closest to the truth when it came to being Greek, I decided to take a chance and try something different. I'm incredibly glad I did - in more ways than one. The book details every moment - good and bad (and then worse) that goes on when a person is in a sorority. If the things in the book are pretty true to life, then I guess I missed out on some incredibly insane life experiences - again, both good and bad - but I also didn't get mixed up in all the drama either.

Our leading lady in the book is Taylor Bell - a freshman at CDU and a third generation Beta Zeta legacy. Taylor already knows that she doesn't want to rush or pledge for any sorority - including the Beta Zetas. When she gets to know a few of the girls a bit more, she thinks that she may have stereotyped them and they could be good people. She decides to pledge and she's having the time of her life. There's tons of crazy parties, full of booze and acts of the X-rated variety, along with the friendships she builds with the girls - who she sees as being super cool, bitchy, and full of attitude. They seem to rule the college like nobody's business. Taylor's glad that she joined Beta Zeta - until a sex tape is leaked. A sex tape featuring a girl that looks just like Taylor. Is she going crazy? Did she make this video without remembering? Or is someone trying to frame her and make her look bad, so she'll end up losing everything she's been working so hard at building at Beta Zeta?

I'll admit right now that this book isn't going to be for everyone. There's tons of swearing, underage drinking, drugs, sex and sexual acts, and basically anything else you can think of that's connected to Greek life at colleges. Some readers will find this unappealing due to the material, while others will find themselves fully wrapped up in Taylor's life and not bothered a bit by the scandalous nature of some parts of the story. I personally thought the majority of the book was hilarious (the parts that weren't funny were not meant to be, so it's definitely nothing against the book or author. They're just serious scenes.). From the beginning of the book, with the email from a sorority sister who also writes the forward for the book - I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe. The attitude, humor, and general writing style were remarkably well done in a way that fueled both laughter and mortification as we go through Taylor's story alongside her. I have never laughed this much while reading a book. Then again, I think that the swearing, dirty sexual scenes, and general attitude of all the characters was ridiculously funny and all the more hilarious because of the truth behind it all. I easily identified with Taylor right from the start. The book is told from her point of view, so the reader gets to know her on a very personal level throughout the story. We get to know her thoughts, fears, emotions, inner dialogue - everything that goes on inside her head. I love when authors use that kind of writing style because it gives the novel a deeper sense of feeling for the reader - it's like you actually know the main character and are with them while everything in the book happens. I'm not going to talk much about the plot, basically because the description does it just fine by itself. It's exactly what's advertised - an inside look at a sorority and all the experiences of being a member of one (both good and bad). I'll definitely be re-reading this one because I'm sure there are parts I missed due to laughing so hard, and because I just want to enjoy the story all over again. I very highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy college-based fiction and for those who want a light and quick read full of laughs. Again, I just want to warn you that this isn't for everyone, due to the reasons I mentioned above. If those things don't bother you (and you think they're funny) - you really need to read this book. You won't regret it at all - you'll actually end up thanking both myself and the author. I'm definitely going to keep my eyes open for more books by the (real) author. Seriously - go read this book now!!



One of the Funniest (and Most Realistic) Books I've Ever Read - A Definite New Favorite!

In reality, Taylor Bell is the brainchild of Tanner and David Oliver Cohen, co-creators of the much-loved Twitter account that started it all, White Girl Problems (@whitegrlproblem), as well as the blog, www.BabeWalker.com.



* A HUGE thanks to the awesome people at Gallery Books for sending me a copy of the book for review!*


 

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