Book Review: Ballrooms and Ugly Poodles by Katie Schnack

Ballrooms and Ugly Poodles

By Katie Schnack

Release Date: March 5, 013

Source: Publisher

Summary: Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes of the world’s ritziest hotels?

From dumping coffee on a white silk Gucci gown, witnessing creepy political scandals to fending off crazed (sometimes naked) socialites, one thing is for sure—it is anything but a typical college job. Ballrooms and Ugly Poodles: Semi-Tall Tales of a Palm Beach Waitress is inspired by the author’s adventures working at a five diamond historic hotel on the shores of Palm Beach, Florida – a far cry from her humble Midwestern upbringing. The stories paint a hilarious picture of what it is like serving some of America’s richest and most powerful, all while wearing Kmart loafers and a used polyester tuxedo. A true “behind the scenes look” at the glitz and glamour of Palm Beach, these stories will make you pee with laughter, all while providing a unique and rarely seen perspective of the excessively wealthy. But mostly just make you pee with laughter.

Review: This past summer, I started reading some memoirs and found that I actually quite enjoyed that genre. I learned, though, that the trick to finding a memoir you'll enjoy is by picking ones about people/subjects you find interesting. That being said, this one fell a little short to me because the topic was a little boring for my taste. 

As a college student living in Palm Beach, Katie decides to start working as a waitress in a historical hotel. With stories ranging from hysterical Snookie-like brides to creepy old women who flirt with her boyfriend, Katie takes us behind the scenes of the not-so-glamorous life of a waitress in the illustrious world of Palm Beach. 

From the cover and title of this book, I thought I'd be in for a treat. And considering the author calls it "so freaking funny," I thought it'd actually be funny. Instead, I found the author's sense of humor more annoying than humorous and her stories just went on and on. Some of them seemed a little pointless while others seemed like she was trying a bit too hard to portray them as hilarious moments. 

I didn't find myself caring at all about Katie's journey as a waitress to the rich and famous, nor did I have any desire to keep on reading to figure out what crazy tale she had to tell next. I did end up finishing the book, though, and wasn't relly left with anything. If you want a book that will make you laugh and not want to stop until the end, this one definitely isn't it. While it had some of it's funny moments, it was lacking something really unique and substantial to make it stick out. I guess I just had too high of expectations. Either way, given the choice I'd say pass on this one.