Dahlia Irvine is a former professional soccer player who married the NFL's most eligible and handsome, Mick Irvine, and in doing so, she traded her own life for one where she was simply his armpiece and personal cheerleader. Perhaps doing the show will finally give her something of her own. Then there's Sabrina Verroye, wealthy heiress/ former teen actress who married a dashing titled Earl, known as Racy Robbie, only for him to be recently #MeToo'd by a number of women. She did the right thing by standing by the victims and divorcing him, but it cost her Aubrey, her daughter, who sided with dad.
Sabrina's cousin, Budgie Verroye is a Broadway genius and the absolute last word in the theater world, and will definitely keep the show lively, while Mariana is a loud, brash annoyance who has a successful sex toy business. She will as well, but in an altogether different way. Nicole Trace is a former mega pop star whose star isn't shining quite as brightly lately, but she was still the poster on the walls of most teen girls a decade ago. Last, but not least is Lexi, a law student turned influencer who is just happy to be surrounded by these famous sorts, some of which she fangirls over, and all of which she tries to grab selfies with - for her followers. Dump all of these clashing personalities together, acting as if they are friends, and you are sure to have a powder keg. At least, that's the ardent hope and plan of Zoe, the success-driven lead talent producer of Talk of the Town, and a women who will stop at nothing, and I mean nothing, to make great TV and finally be noticed by her boss, Aleksandr Borrow.
Each woman has been specifically curated for reasons known only to Zoe, and by pulling the strings in the background, she hopes to elicit memorable scenes in her train wreck of a show. At the same time, she has a way of manipulating some of the women into believing she is just what they need at that time, whether it is a friend, confidante, or cheerleader.
Dahlia feels the most "fish out of water" because she has grown accustomed to being Mick's accessory, but she is happy to be living back in New York instead of somewhere in the Midwest. She's really hoping to bring the spark back to their relationship, but Mick never seems to be around. Instead he is always head-down in collaboration with his attractive publicist, Regan. But it's fine. Dahlia trusts him and always has, despite the countless female fans fawning over him all the time.
Sabrina really doesn't want to be a part of the show, but Budgie (and Zoe) convince her it's the perfect opportunity to rewrite the narrative that has recently shrouded the "Countess of Controversy." Who knows? Maybe Aubrey will even come around and start returning her calls. All Sabrina did was do the right thing in standing with her ex's victims, especially since she recognized bits and pieces of their descriptions of intimacy with Robbie as ringing true. Yet somehow, she was painted as the villain, and the press still loves to bring up the smutty movie from her teens years that rocketed her to stardom, "Lily of the Alley." Poor little rich girl can't catch a break.
Budgie is there for color and comedy, and she brings both every time, but she is also a strong shoulder for Sabrina to lean on. And let's face it, Sabrina would never have considered the show if Budgie weren't already signed on. Plus, she's game to do crazy things like host a plastic surgery party at her elaborate home - bonus!
At first, Lexi is just after fame and more followers, but as Sabrina and the others get to know her, she's actually pretty cool. Her major detractor is her boyfriend, an older, wealthy misogynistic jerk who shows his true colors on camera when he accuses Sabrina of lying about her husband's supposed assaults. Lexi, money is great, but you still need to be able to live with your choices, honey!
And then there's Mariana, who never fails to bring up her sex toy business every chance she gets. Sure, she gets plenty of eye rolls from the others, but when she starts low-key attacking Dahlia's relationship with Mick on camera and saying the couple could benefit from her wares, Dahlia's gotta just draw the line. Mariana is probably still sore about Dahlia questioning the fact that she claims she has never had any work done, despite her puffy lips and plastic face. The nerve!
And then there's Nicole, who seems to be quiet and just taking it all in, but never misses a chance to insult Dahlia and her relationship. What exactly is this woman's problem, anyway? Poor Dahlia worshipped her as a teen, but now she can barely look at her former idol, especially when she starts smiling like the cat who ate the canary. She might have the biggest secret of them all.
Behind the scenes is Zoe, subtly manipulating each and every one of them in an attempt to stand out in her industry and finally get the recognition she believes she so richly deserves. She's going to pull out all the stops for the season finale, having wreaked havoc in several of the women's lives, specifically easy targets Dahlia and Sabrina. But is just having a successful, talked-about show enough for her, or does she want to put her stamp on television history forever by crafting the most outlandish blow-up TV has ever seen?
The book is called Most Hated and as the personalities of these ladies unfold, I found myself wondering who the book was named for, if not every one of them. However, as their stories intertwine, the villains are definitely separated from the would-be heroes and you quickly figure out who you want to cheer for. Even if you aren't a fan of reality TV, you'll get a kick out of this book, but reading this definitely makes me rethink all of those crazy episodes of The Hills. And if what you are reading sounds like actual reality TV, that's because author Kara Alloway was on The Real Housewives of Toronto, as well as behind the camera in other reality TV shows, so she speaks from experience. I really enjoyed Most Hated and it's the perfect, bitchy vacation read. Check it out.
