Ten Girls to Watch

May 28, 2012
Shumway’s easy-going debut follows Dawn West, a recent Harvard grad living in Brooklyn trying to become a writer. She has few friends apart from her ex-boyfriend, and the only writing she manages is for a lawn care advice column. An assignment finally lands in her lap when she serendipitously meets the editor-in-chief of Charm magazine, whose “Ten Girls to Watch” feature is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Dawn’s job is to track down all 500 past winners for a special section in the magazine. Though intimidated by the numerous superstars on the list, Dawn dives in and connects with a spectacularly diverse assortment of women. The “Ten Girls” alumnae, and their overarching message that success comes in many forms, inspire Dawn to take charge of her life. She starts writing fiction again, reconnects with her family, and pursues a romance with Charm’s dating columnist. But when an almost unbelievable series of disasters strikes, her newfound resolve is tested. A smoothly paced plot, peppered with robust vignettes from Charm’s success stories and quirky details from Dawn’s life, ensures a fast, funny, and moving read. Agent: Kristyn Keene, ICM.

July 15, 2012
A young woman gets the break of a lifetime at a popular magazine--now if only everything else (money, apartment, love life, entire professional future) would fall into place. A sort of modern-day Mary Tyler Moore, Dawn West is trying to make it as a writer. Though countless novels have offered the same conceit--lives in New York, works in media, searches for Mr. Right--Shumway's Dawn is a young woman of substance, and her trials are of more consequence than the search for the perfect Little Black Dress. After Harvard, Dawn moves to New York, but along the way loses her college boyfriend Robert and finds herself barely solvent. Robert, they're "still friends," invites Dawn to his family's annual summer fete in the Hamptons, but joining them will be his new girlfriend Lily. At once, Dawn sees Lily is everything she isn't: rich and cultured in an effortless way and most importantly, unfazed by Robert and his privileged imperiousness. At the party, Dawn meets Regina, the editor of Charm magazine, and this meeting lands her a job putting together a spread for Charm's 50th anniversary of their "Ten Girls to Watch" contest (Charm is an indistinguishable stand-in for Glamour, where Shumway worked on their corresponding 50th anniversary piece for the "Top Ten College Women" contest). While in her new office (the storage closet) at the archives, Dawn meets Elliot, secret author of the magazine's bachelor column. Sparks fly and they begin to form the kind of relationship that seems too good to be true. And then he doesn't call and sends a fruit basket for Christmas. Meanwhile, Dawn is tracking down 50 years' worth of remarkable women, some quite famous, whose stories fill the novel and offer inspiration when things get tough--her roommate disappears, her building burns down, Elliot is not what he seems, and Robert has ended their friendship. Never fear, our Dawn finds help in unsuspecting places. A winning debut featuring the kind of witty, appealing good girl that captures readers' hearts.

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June 15, 2012

At 23, Dawn West finds herself in the space between being a college student and being a self-sufficient adult. Newly single and struggling to make a living in New York City as a writer, she snags a job at Charm magazine (think Glamour). For its 50th-anniversary issue, the magazine wants Dawn to track down the women featured annually on Charm's Top Ten Girls to Watch list. As she talks to these fascinating, passionate women to see where life has led them, Dawn finds inspiration in many of their stories. Yet her personal life is crumbling. Maybe with the wisdom and help of these remarkable Top Ten Girls, she can get through it all. VERDICT Debut author Shumway offers a fresh and modern take on chick lit. Instead of showcasing the melodramatic and helpless, she highlights the power and will of women. There is an inspirational undercurrent without being sappy. Dawn makes a great everywoman, and her story will appeal to girls of all ages.--Amanda Scott, Cambridge Springs P.L., PA

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