Use Me or Lose Me

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY AUG 18, 2003

This sassy sophomore effort brings back Farah Washington, an aggressive, charismatic character last seen climbing the corporate ladder in Reid's spicy debut, Sex and the Single Sister. Not much has changed for Farah, 27, single, and a recent Emmy award winner who's now an anchorwoman for Channel 7 Primetime News. With her amorous aspirations on the back burner, she is focused on stealing the coveted hosting position on Rise and Shine, the station's morning show. Standing in her way is the only other black woman at the company, vice-president Joan Meyers, who thinks Farah's ambition could make her a liability. Enter rich, chiseled, Harvard-educated attorney Lenox Whitworth, who sweeps Farah off her feet and puts in a good word with Meyers, who just happens to be his aunt. His ulterior motive is to have Farah interview a falsely imprisoned man, thus exposing a duplicitous scheme hatched by a conniving politician. When Farah's segment airs to much fanfare, her star rises just as Lenox's diligent work at Life House, a nonprofit agency for children, is threatened by a friend's embezzlement. The couple's relationship falters, Farah gains weight and she bites her tongue for her career's sake while Lenox two-times her with French stripper Maritza. The narrative boils over when Farah, Rise and Shine's brand-new hostess, makes a shocking announcement at her launch party, which leads to more skirmishing and a mushy conclusion. Reid's writing may be slapdash and her moralistic message drowned beneath a tidal wave of sex and convoluted melodrama, but she delivers a quick, adrenaline-packed fix.