The Rise, Fall, and Return of Sarah Mandelbaum

Book excerpt: After a soul-crushing stint at music school, Sarah Mandelbaum thinks her star is finally on the rise when she’s recruited by the fabulous Fiona Campbell for a top spot at high-fashion Sophistiquée magazine. But almost as soon as she slips into her first pair of stilettos, Sarah realizes that between the plotting and scheming of the industry’s Fashion Flamingos and outrageous demands from Sophistiquée’s creative director Henri-François Bernard, her fall is imminent. Caught between the need to pay off her staggering student loans and the struggle to regain her self-confidence, Sarah seems completely stuck between that proverbial rock and a hard place. But with the help of a tattooed guitar teacher, a statuesque Southern pastry chef, 90-lb financial analyst with anger management issues, and a rockstar muse, she discovers the true path to her return. The question is: Will she take it?