14 July 2009

Review: TWENTIES GIRL!!! by Sophie Kinsella!!! *****

"Lara has always had an overactive imagination. Now she wonders if she is losing her mind. Normal twenty-something girls just don't get visited by ghosts! But inexplicably, the spirit of Lara's great aunt Sadie - in the form of a bold, demanding Charleston-dancing girl - has appeared to make one last request: Lara must track down a missing necklace Sadie simply can't rest without. Lara's got enough problems of her own. Her start-up company is floundering, her best friend and business partner has run off to Goa, and she's just been dumped by the love of her life. But as Lara spends time with Sadie, life becomes more glamorous and their treasure hunt turns into something intriguing and romantic. Could Sadie's ghost be the answer to Lara's problems and can two girls from different times end up learning something special from each other?"

(summary TBA)

Oooh, how long I've waited for this book! It was actually my most anticipated novel of the year and I'm glad to say that it totally lived up to all the hype and expectations! It arrived on Friday (words can't describe how happy I was), I started reading it on Saturday evening and finished it on Sunday afternoon (obviously went to sleep etc. in between). It's not a small book, it's over 400 pages, but I so wish it could've lasted longer.

The book had me hooked from page one, which immediately cracked me up. This one's a bit different to other Kinsella novels, possibly due to the supernatural element, which I know sounds strange, but the author totally makes it work! At the same time, it's a typical Kinsella, i.e. very, very, very hilarious (grammatically incorrect but still true). I was reading it with a permanent grin on my face and occassionally I just had to close the book because I was laughing so hard.

Kinsella's heroines are always so funny and loveable, and Lara is certainly no exception. Furthermore, Kinsella always, repeat: ALWAYS creates dreamy leading male characters and yes, I developed a crush on the guy in this novel too - typical (Luke Brandon is still my number one though, hehe). I may have kinda fallen in love with him during their London sightseeing and oooh, don't even get me started on the London Eye scene (before Sadie showed up, lol), which was just amazing and unforgettable (the scene of my dreams, hehehe).

All in all, I adored the characters - they were all wonderfully portrayed and they all contributed to the story. I thought Sadie was a bit annoying at times, but she pushed the story forward and on the whole she turned out to be quite a loveable character too. The plot was far fetched, yes, and a bit slow at first, but it all worked out in the end, everything connected and the ending was awww. It even has elements of mystery in it, which was quite refreshing and enjoyable, and it made the book even harder to put down, hehe.

Haters gonna hate, but I'm convinced that Kinsella fans will adoooore this story. Yes, it's not very deep blah blah, but it's just such an incredible feel-good read and I just can't praise it enough! I'm gutted that I finished it so fast and now I'll have to wait like a year or so for the next Kinsella book, boooo! :(

overall rating: 5/5 (d'oh, was there ever any doubt whatsoever)
plot: 5/5 | writing: 5/5 | characters: 5/5 | cover: 5/5


ps: It's safe to say Sophie Kinsella is my favourite writer - I've read and bought ALL her books and thoroughly enjoyed every single one of them, which is something that I can't say for other authors that I also admire. This woman is just brilliant! :)

8 comments:

Bluebell said...

Hey Suzana!

I've heard great things about this book and so was expecting no less to be honest! But I'm SO glad you liked it, I cannot wait to get it myself, Sophie Kinsella is the queen of chick lit!

By the way, in answer to your comment from a while back on my blog (sorry, I thought I had replied and then realised I hadn't), it is a good idea to make my blog more commerical, with adverts, etc, and increase the traffic somehow, however I do like my blog to be small and to know everyone personally and I don't really want my blog to become like work. Still, I get my jobseeker's allowance and hopefully I will find work soon!

Bookalicious Ramblings said...

She is THE QUEEN indeed!!! I look forward to reading your review too and I'm sure you'll love it, there's just no other way. :)
ps: Good luck with the job! :)

Anonymous said...

Glad you liked it as much as I did, great review

Chloe :)

Bluebell said...

Hi again, I just got back from the bookshop and was stunned to see that the RRP for 'Twenties Girl' was £18.99 (sorry I don't know what it would be in euros). But I really am shocked at the expensive price, I can't afford to pay what is basically a round £20 for a book that will only take me a couple of hours to read, even if it is in hardback. I know there are deals around and some places are charging it cheaper - 12 or 13 pounds in some bookshops and at Waterstones it's half price if you spend a certain amount. Still! I hate it when they do that, I think they should release the hardback and the paperback at the same time, I know most people would buy the paperback only but come on, it's a recession right now, and those who really wanted it could buy the nice fancy hardback/trade paperback. And I normally buy ALL my books and spend about £30-40 a month (at least until I was unemployed), so it's not like I'm against supporting the authors. Kinsella writes wonderfully and she is worth it, but I've also got to take into consideration how long it takes me to read her books - and that's not very long at all. So on balance it is not very good value for money and I shall be waiting for this one until the paperback comes out....shame.

Bookalicious Ramblings said...

Chloe - I think this book is impossible to not like if you're a chick lit fan! :D Btw, I can't remember, did you and Leah both post separate reviews of Twenties Girl?

Amy - Agreed, the price is quite high, but that's mostly because they know people will buy the book regardless of the price. I know I'd be willing to pay triple the amount to read this book asap because I wanted it so badly, but I can fully understand why it's silly to spend so much money on a book you'll probably only read once or so. Perhaps borrow this one from a friend/library and then buy the paperback next year to support the author? :)

Jessica Lawlor said...

Love it! It's seriously one of my favorite books! :) Great review.

Anonymous said...

I loved this book from start to finish.. wonderful
Bought myself a dragonfly pin and having it made into a necklace. It will make me smile just to wear it..
:0)
ellen

Wings said...

i absolutely LOVED this book it was fantastic!

i should probably post a review about it too...Sophie Kinsella is absolutely awesome!

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