Bette Robinson never imagined her ideal job would be putting in long hours at a banking job where her every move is monitored by rule-crazy supervisors. She likes the money, though, so she tolerates the boredom. One day, in a fit of rebellion, Bette quits her job, the magnitude of the deed only hitting her after a few weeks of unemployment. Through the intervention of her uncle, Bette meets Kelly, who heads Manhattan’s newest and brightest PR firm. Without any other prospects on the horizon, Bette accepts a position with Kelly.

The job doesn’t seem much more demanding than going to clubs and partying every night, which Bette never had the time or inkling to do in her “previous life.” Admittance to the VIP clubs and bypassing long lines throw Bette into a new culture of the rich and famous. When the press hooks her up with the world’s most available, gorgeous, and wealthy bachelor, she decides to go with the flow even though things aren’t exactly what they seem on the surface. And what happens when she meets someone she really does care about? Are the only people worth knowing the ones she meets for her job?

Everyone Worth Knowing is a fascinating look at Manhattan and its nightlife. As Bette gets more comfortable in her new job, she begins to plan parties, and the insider knowledge of this world will appeal to celebrity watchers everywhere. This a refreshing chick lit novel; one can only take so many journalist and advertising protagonists. The subtle twist of the gossip columns and tabloids and the truth gives the readers some food for thought.

Bette is an approachable character; readers should be able to identify with many of her situations and dilemmas. Particularly meaningful is the different directions she is pulled when she gets a new job. Her job puts expectations on her social life, and she ends up putting her old friends and family on the back burner while she tries to advance her career. While I didn’t agree with many of her choices, I could see how she ended up making them.

There are a few things that either should have been explored more fully or left out completely. There is a drug use storyline that goes nowhere. Maybe it’s just to set the scenery and show that these people consider themselves above everyone, but it rubbed me the wrong way to just leave it hanging. And the book is a bit too long - the main story could have been told in a significantly shorter novel. Overall, though, if you enjoyed Weisberger’s first novel, The Devil Wears Prada, or you’re looking for chick lit that is a cut above the ordinary, Everyone Worth Knowing is a good choice.