Welcome to “Lipstick Jungle,” a world where a woman’s success is measured with money and power rather than her ability to find “Mr. Right.” The fresh and witty new novel is author Candace Bushnell’s feminist counter to her own cultural phenomenon, “Sex and the City,” as she follows the hiring and firing of three New York City executives.

The easy and entertaining 353-page read ventures on a high-heeled journey everywhere from Romania to Paris alongside the novel’s successful leading ladies; a magazine editor, a fashion designer and a president of a movie studio. Nico, Victory and Wendy know what they want and aren’t afraid to go after it. Bushnell’s characters, as well as her writing, are smooth and sassy, their lives intertwined seamlessly as she transitions back and forth between them. Their lives prove their theory that women who refuse to engage in "regular social niceties," a.k.a. subservient behavior, are often considered bitches.

“Why was it that no matter what a woman accomplished in the world, if she hadn’t married and had children, she was still considered a failure?” Victory wonders early on. Interwoven throughout the entire novel are the ever-prevalent questions of societal expectations of women and their ever-changing roles in our culture. Can we be successful and powerful in our careers and at the same time lead a fulfilling family life?

Essentially, Candance Bushnell’s new novel asks, “Can we have it all?” The answer to this question is no, as life amongst the big boys of New York business proves to bring its own set of challenges for these suit-wearing career women. In pointing out the difficulties of trying to balance motherhood, romance and business, Bushnell creates a realistic image of what life can be like for high-powered women, which is not quite as glamorous as it seems.

Even Wendy, who considers herself at odds with “women who believed that the only way a woman could truly define herself was through a husband and children” is forced to re-evaluate her priorities when her husband divorces her and goes after custody of their three children. While she has largely left her children’s developmental years in the hands of not-so Mary-Poppins-esque nannies, it’s hard not to sympathize for a woman who has, like so many men, put her professional ambition on the front burner. Meanwhile, the only thing her husband Shane is good for is getting facials and racking up credit card debt. Talk about some serious role reversals.

In the vast and crowded realm of chick lit, “Lipstick Jungle” is a welcome break from tales of hubby hunting and heartbreak. While Bushnell’s new heroines aren’t without their own daily disasters, varying from trying to end an affair with an underwear model to an utterly disastrous spring fashion show, they never fail to flex their muscles or push the limits of women’s roles in the workforce—heels and all.