Model: A Memoir

Reader reviewed by Cowgirl

Cheryl Diamond is 14, she wants to become
a model. Shes pretty enough, actually, shes a little to pretty for some
model agencies. She gets turned away because shes just a little to
young, not enough experienced, and a little bit to short. However, when
she comes to one certain agency, they love her. No matter that shes a
few inches to short, she'll grow eventually. Everything is going
wonderfully for her with this agency, they are treating her perfectly,
they love her, she likes them. However, soon there agency has to close
and shes back at square one. Cheryl waits until shes older, 16, and
starts trying to find an agency again. She signs with one, and finds
how much unfriendly they are compared to her former agency. Cheryl is
rising to the top, and getting there faster than most. Her life is
going good, until she signs with to do a fashion show, and a terrible
thing happens to her and her job is ruined for the time. Will she be
able to rise back to the top? Will she have to give up her modeling
forever? Will her beauty ever be as it used to?

I loved this
book. It is all true, and Cheryl has a extremely good writing style.
Her writing makes you feel like you are right there with her. Her story
is inspiring and teaches a lesson - reach for your dreams and never
give up. This book isn't "clique" like you might think, since Cheryl is
a lot more realistic than that. This book was wonderful! I hope you
enjoy it as much as I did!

This book review is also printed with authors permission here:  http://booksforteensreviews.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-03-02T20%3A38%3A00-06%3A00&max-results=7

Reader reviewed by Cowgirl

Cheryl Diamond is 14, she wants to become a model. Shes pretty enough, actually, shes a little to pretty for some model agencies. She gets turned away because shes just a little to young, not enough experienced, and a little bit to short. However, when she comes to one certain agency, they love her. No matter that shes a few inches to short, she'll grow eventually. Everything is going wonderfully for her with this agency, they are treating her perfectly, they love her, she likes them. However, soon there agency has to close and shes back at square one. Cheryl waits until shes older, 16, and starts trying to find an agency again. She signs with one, and finds how much unfriendly they are compared to her former agency. Cheryl is rising to the top, and getting there faster than most. Her life is going good, until she signs with to do a fashion show, and a terrible thing happens to her and her job is ruined for the time. Will she be able to rise back to the top? Will she have to give up her modeling forever? Will her beauty ever be as it used to?

I loved this book. It is all true, and Cheryl has a extremely good writing style. Her writing makes you feel like you are right there with her. Her story is inspiring and teaches a lesson - reach for your dreams and never give up. This book isn't "clique" like you might think, since Cheryl is a lot more realistic that that. This book was wonderful! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!


Reprinted here with 100% authors permission: http://booksforteensreviews.blogspot.com/

Reader reviewed by KitKat

Cute. Cheryl Diamond's story is engaging, funny, and has a few Little Life Lessons. It's not exactly a tome, but as a fluffy fun-read it's very enjoyable. I recommend you check it out if you're interested in the modeling biz - the Memoir dispells so many of the illusions that surround that profession. But even if you have no aspirations towards modeling, it's a sweet book.

Reader reviewed by Booked Books

Despite the wonders of Photoshop, the formidable modeling industry is still as harsh and critical about appearance as ever. Nevertheless, modeling isn't just about pretty girls smiling in front of a camera and earning tons of fame and fortune. It's about dealing with difficult people, including backstabbing competitors (a.k.a. jealous models), harassing managers, and disgruntled bookers. It's about time management, knowing when and where to go to which photo shoot. It's about standing up for yourself and picking your battles. Although models are always depicted as beautiful and divinely perfect, models can sometimes be the girls with the lowest self-esteem. Cheryl Diamond knows this well enough; in fact, she has been a model ever since she was fourteen. Model is a vivid memoir of Cheryl's life in the model industry, a true account about the pitfalls and perks of modeling.


Cheryl is a savvy business woman, who knows what she wants and doesn't let anyone stop her. She's independent and morally-guided she doesn't enjoy clubbing, drugs, or starving herself; she's her own person. As mature as she may sound, she's really lighthearted she never misses an opportunity to make a joke.
At the beginning, I was slightly weary because Cheryl seemed to giggle about pretty much everything. However, as the book progressed, I began to enjoy Cheryl's cheery nature; it makes her resilient regardless of all the condescending remarks and attitudes imparting from her surroundings. She's realistic and down-to-earth; she readily makes friends, yet she's guarded, knowing how unpredictable and traitorous people can be. She doesn't get put down easily by outright insults because she sees right through them.


Model is brimming with fun, honesty, and sarcasm. It is also an informative read; it not only reveals truths about the modeling industry, but it also teaches many important universal truths. Cheryl tells things like as they are. She doesn't try to victimize herself, but she makes no effort to hide the negatives of modeling. Throughout the story, she remains true to herself come what may (even if it means costing her an opportunity). She proves that it's possible to get to the top and make friends along the way.


Cheryl Diamond isn't a typical model or a supermodel. She's even better - she's a role model.

Reader reviewed by Kayla (Midnight Twilight)

This is a book about a fourteen year old girl who moves to New York to become a model. She rises, she falls, and rises again.

If you're going to read one story about modeling this is a good one to read. It was very funny and entertaining, Cheryl spiced up the modeling world. But there's only so much one person can take of modeling. There are countless tv shows and books about modeling and there's just not that much difference between them to keep them interesting. This book was very well written and would probably have gotten a better rating if there wasn't so much other, less interesting, model based entertainment.

Reader reviewed by Krista

I recently received the book, Model: A Memoir, from Simon Pulse's Pulse IT program. It was about a girl named Cheryl, who wanted to be a model - and she succeeded. It's a tale of her triumphant rise, and her almost dramatic fall.


Cheryl Diamond was only fourteen years old when she first came to New York City to model. But events such as 911 stopped her from being one until she was sixteen. Cheryl came back to model, and lived all by herself (except for her cat)in the suburbs of New York City. She lived paycheck to paycheck, and learned to ration her money carefully. Though she was living by herself, she learned to be strong and take care of herself. She climbed up through the modeling industry, got more jobs everyday - and even landed a tryout for Victoria's Secret! Cheryl was funny, and almost everyone liked her. She was able to reply with a sarcastic, witty comment almost every time. When something happened with her hair, and she almost lost all that she had in modeling, her parents were there to save her. Today Cheryl is still going strong, because of that very thing - her strength.


This book was a very good read, especially for summer. I enjoyed it very much, partly because of Cheryl's personality. She was hilarious, making the book have it's own personality, different from other books. It wasn't some fake book about the modeling industry - it was real, and it made me appreciate what some people may go through to get their dream.

Reader reviewed by Milly

Looking at the back of this book you think...eww...what? A stuck up model girl and why is she writing a memior? But then...you start to read about Cheryl and you see she is one of us, she's so funny and enteratining and makes all the characters just so great..it's such a great read and I totally reccomend it. It's about Cheryl and her life when she is 16 and begings to go into the modeling buisness, living alone with her cat and living off not so good food, she goes through good times and even at one point time stops and we dunno if she'll make it back...but she does and is 20 and is still going strong!