This was an interesting choice for me to read. I am not a poker guy. I am not a non-fiction guy. 

Ms. Bloom is an intelligent woman – she is great at reading an audience and then delivering what they want. In the case of this book, she gives the audience a portrait of an All-American girl made good. It’s a compelling tale of a strong woman dating influential people. I just wish I could believe it all. 

Don’t get me wrong; I’m quite certain the majority of the story is true, but the real question is which parts? She wants the audience to believe she was a good girl in a bad world. We know, though, that the story is not entirely accurate. She left out her drug use, for example. Had this been a tale to explain the world she moved in, she should have included even the unsavory details of her own behavior. As a result of this omission, one asks what else was omitted.

And while it is a small detail, even the the things she does share with the audience is called into question when when she changes the name of the bagel store from the book to the movie and combines characters for the sake of simplicity in the movie. I realize I am not reviewing the movie, of course, but to me this feels important to note.

Overall, the book can be summed up pretty simply, and to me that is a detraction. As I write this review, I realize how little I have to say about it. To be honest, in retrospect it feels like a popcorn movie – something to bide the time, but nothing to go out of your way to read.

Here is my all too brief impressions:

• A few of the characters wash together a bit as they are not fully developed, nor were they intended to be as they played minor roles in the story;
• I did enjoy the book, though at times I did get lost in the obvious attempts at glamour aimed at wowing the audience;
• The book felt like a money grab with very little meat

I wanted to be able to say more when in this review when I started the book, and didn’t realize how disappointed I was with it until I sat down to write this review.