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aimeesbookishlife's review against another edition
2.0
Hmm... Well I'm kinda sorry now that I didn't just finish the Spinster Club trilogy and leave it there. In fact actually I'm sorry Holly Bourne didn't. I don't think this book will completely take away how much I enjoyed [b:Am I Normal Yet?|23592235|Am I Normal Yet? (The Spinster Club, #1)|Holly Bourne|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1429354198s/23592235.jpg|43194852] or (to a lesser extent) the other books in the series, but it has tarnished it a little.
I was annoyed by how the character are still very much in the same place a year on from the end of Lottie's book - so a couple of years after Evie's. They still have the same boyfriends, the same issues, and are largely defined by their experiences: Evie is the 'mental health' one, Amber is the 'went to America and got a boyfriend' one, Lottie is the 'feminist' one. In their individual books they were so much more than that, but in this one they are stripped back to only one facet of their personalities.
The conflict between then felt manufactured, as if Holly Bourne was desperately looking for a reason to temporarily drive them apart and then back together again. I wondered if maybe the novella was her publisher's idea, rather than coming about because she had a clear idea for a final story. There wasn't really much plot to this at all, just three separate sub-plots for each of the girls that didn't feel very fleshed-out and were resolved a little too neatly at the end.
There were little glimmers that I liked, hence the two star rating rather than one. As someone with anxiety in a relationship with another anxious person, I completely related to Evie and Oli's relationship. I love the way Holly Bourne writes Evie's 'bad thoughts' and I find it a really useful way to categorise my own thoughts and work out which are helpful and which aren't.
There was also a really nice phrase that I highlighted, about how uni gives you the chance to leave the labels others put on you as a teenager and redefine who you are.
But these were too few and far between, and that's a shame.
I was annoyed by how the character are still very much in the same place a year on from the end of Lottie's book - so a couple of years after Evie's. They still have the same boyfriends, the same issues, and are largely defined by their experiences: Evie is the 'mental health' one, Amber is the 'went to America and got a boyfriend' one, Lottie is the 'feminist' one. In their individual books they were so much more than that, but in this one they are stripped back to only one facet of their personalities.
The conflict between then felt manufactured, as if Holly Bourne was desperately looking for a reason to temporarily drive them apart and then back together again. I wondered if maybe the novella was her publisher's idea, rather than coming about because she had a clear idea for a final story. There wasn't really much plot to this at all, just three separate sub-plots for each of the girls that didn't feel very fleshed-out and were resolved a little too neatly at the end.
There were little glimmers that I liked, hence the two star rating rather than one. As someone with anxiety in a relationship with another anxious person, I completely related to Evie and Oli's relationship. I love the way Holly Bourne writes Evie's 'bad thoughts' and I find it a really useful way to categorise my own thoughts and work out which are helpful and which aren't.
There was also a really nice phrase that I highlighted, about how uni gives you the chance to leave the labels others put on you as a teenager and redefine who you are.
But these were too few and far between, and that's a shame.
zoebasson's review
3.0
“this is life, lottie. there’s no such thing as a happy ending. because there’s no such thing as an ending. more days keep coming, some good, some bad. you can’t just stay limboed in a moment of happiness. that’s not realistic.”
this was not at all necessary. there was no need for the series to be left on such a sad note. i didn’t mind the writing, because it was good as always (with the exception of soulmates) :) but it was just so unnecessarily depressing and i’m really trying not to let it ruin the series for me a little bit. sadly, i wouldn’t really recommend this to fans of the spinster club 3
adeslibrary's review
4.0
i'm so sad to have finished the spinster club stories! i already miss evie, amber and lottie. this novella perfectly end their story.
maisie_x's review
4.0
Good Y/A quick read. Relatable, about how friendships change after school with some people going to uni and some staying in their small town. The whole book is set over the course of one New Year’s party. I enjoyed reading it and the different chapters from each girls point of view.
owls_rainbow's review
5.0
Super quick easy read, I love these characters and only wish it was longer.
kelseyoulater's review
4.0
Originally reviewed on thebasicbookbitch
If you haven't read The Spinster Club trilogy then you should probably stop reading this review and go read them immediately, not just because this review may have tiny spoilers for the trilogy in it, but also because it is an incredible YA feminist series everyone should read.
...And a Happy New Year? is a novella set a year after What's a Girl Gotta Do (the last in the Spinster Club trilogy) and sees all three girls from the Spinster Club trilogy back after going their separate ways at the end of college. The events in the book all take place on New Years Eve and is told through the eyes of each of the girls.
This is the last book that we will be seeing the Spinster Girls in and I think it was a very lovely end to the series. New Years eve is told through each girls view and Holly Bourne does a great job of showing all the different personality traits of each girl in one book.
As with all the other books in this series, AAHNY is funny, touching and slightly sad as the girls explore how hard it is to maintain friendships after college and how people often change when they go away to university, something that I've seen firsthand and think Holly portrays it very realistically.
I really wish this book was slightly longer, just because I love the characters in the series so much (Evie is my favorite!) but I think although it is a novella, it is the perfect length to tie up all three stories and end it.
This book isn't worth reading if you haven't already read the rest of the Spinster Club books because there is too much back story, but if you have you will love this one equally and if you haven't, well go read them and come back and read this!
If you haven't read The Spinster Club trilogy then you should probably stop reading this review and go read them immediately, not just because this review may have tiny spoilers for the trilogy in it, but also because it is an incredible YA feminist series everyone should read.
...And a Happy New Year? is a novella set a year after What's a Girl Gotta Do (the last in the Spinster Club trilogy) and sees all three girls from the Spinster Club trilogy back after going their separate ways at the end of college. The events in the book all take place on New Years Eve and is told through the eyes of each of the girls.
This is the last book that we will be seeing the Spinster Girls in and I think it was a very lovely end to the series. New Years eve is told through each girls view and Holly Bourne does a great job of showing all the different personality traits of each girl in one book.
As with all the other books in this series, AAHNY is funny, touching and slightly sad as the girls explore how hard it is to maintain friendships after college and how people often change when they go away to university, something that I've seen firsthand and think Holly portrays it very realistically.
I really wish this book was slightly longer, just because I love the characters in the series so much (Evie is my favorite!) but I think although it is a novella, it is the perfect length to tie up all three stories and end it.
This book isn't worth reading if you haven't already read the rest of the Spinster Club books because there is too much back story, but if you have you will love this one equally and if you haven't, well go read them and come back and read this!
katrina26's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
annabelreadsandwrites's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ellrab's review
5.0
I think this is a perfect ending to the series and made me so sad that there will be no more! Definitely perfect as a small book and I love how each chapter switches between characters. The story line is great to finish the series and I can't wait to see which new books Holly Bourne will create with her magical powers