cover image The Stylist Takes Manhattan

The Stylist Takes Manhattan

Rosie Nixon. Morrow, $15.99 trade paper (384p) ISBN 978-0-06-286390-4

Nixon’s amusing if clumsy sequel to 2018’s fashionista send-up The Stylist takes protagonist Amber Green across the ocean into the New York fashion scene with a mix of old and new characters. Amber follows her boyfriend Rob Walker, who has gotten a short-term job with lingerie maker Angel Wear in New York. A series of increasingly implausible opportunities propels Amber into Instagram stardom and a professional relationship with a disgraced designer ready to make his return to the scene. Nixon name-drops iconic N.Y.C. events and locations, such as the Meatpacking District and the Met Gala, but never really gets the city’s vibe right. The fashion drama moments have an episodic, appealing sitcom aesthetic, but the relationship dynamics between Rob and Amber feel forced and too grounded in petty insecurity, while the bad behavior of Amber’s best friend, Vicky, is caricaturish. Amber’s lack of agency leaves her bland against the dramatic personalities surrounding her. Readers may enjoy the zany humor of individual scenes (other than the clunky jokes about flamboyant people being gay) but will be hard-pressed to believe in Amber’s personal or professional growth. Agent: Robin Straus, Robin Straus Agency. (Sept.)