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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
Almost 2.5 honestly, rounding to 3. This book was so strange to me and it’s hard to explain my feelings about it. I almost DNF’d around 30% in because I couldn’t stand the main character and all of her inner ranting. Even by the end of the book, I still couldn’t connect with her at all. Which is weird because of how much she went through. The book touches on some very deep topics and it’s a book I feel like I SHOULD have gotten more emotionally attached to the characters with, but I just.. couldn’t. I found myself not caring at all about what happened to her life. Not caring who she ended up with, etc. The only reason I kept reading was because of all the hints about some big thing that happened, and I wanted to find out what that was. The stuff she went through was definitely not deserved, but the writing of these characters didn’t work for me and I was annoyed for most of the book.
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Mass/school shootings
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
Loveable characters:
Complicated
For a book I found for free on a stoop, it was amazing!! So much happening there was little ground to figure out what was coming next; healthy depiction of what it’s like to sort through trauma; an unreliable protagonist who invoked my sympathy. Will be sending my copy along to a friend :)
In order to call a character an anti-hero I go through this thought process in my head: “They are horrible but also badass and even though I’d never do what they are doing, I get where they are coming from”. Which is why I hesitate calling Ani, the protagonist of this book, an anti-hero. I completely understand why she is the way she is and to be honest, I think everyone, even the strongest person in the world, would turn out just like her if they went through the same things as she did.
And trust me, horrible things happen to her. When you take into consideration that the author was inspired to write this book by real events that happened to her, it’s no wonder that this book packs such a strong punch. I was literally shaking from rage when I read some of the things that happened to Ani. Not only the event itself is extremely traumatic, but the reactions she gets from people afterwards are horrible too.
I really liked how Ani’s really shallow and narcissistic mother affected her future. Ani has found a way to cope with her trauma by focusing on achieving success, but I think it’s interesting how she’s basically trying to fulfill her mother’s idea of what success is.
Another observation: I think some of the negative reviews just further prove that we do live in a slut-shaming and victim-blaming society. Now I don’t want to start unnecessary drama and there are many people who didn’t like the book for the way it was written or other acceptable reasons. After all everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Nonetheless, I am shocked by how many people were appalled not by the two big traumas in Ani’s and the people who caused them, by her very unsupportive fiancé (who I really despised btw) or all of the incompetent adults in her life. No, instead they were shocked by how bitchy or shallow Ani was. Seriously?
Oh and one last thing. This is nothing like Gone Girl, no matter how hard publishers try to convince us otherwise. But it’s a great book and even if you don’t enjoy it, it’s still a good idea to give it a read and re-think what you assume you know about the subject matter it deals with.
And trust me, horrible things happen to her. When you take into consideration that the author was inspired to write this book by real events that happened to her, it’s no wonder that this book packs such a strong punch. I was literally shaking from rage when I read some of the things that happened to Ani. Not only the event itself is extremely traumatic, but the reactions she gets from people afterwards are horrible too.
I really liked how Ani’s really shallow and narcissistic mother affected her future. Ani has found a way to cope with her trauma by focusing on achieving success, but I think it’s interesting how she’s basically trying to fulfill her mother’s idea of what success is.
Another observation: I think some of the negative reviews just further prove that we do live in a slut-shaming and victim-blaming society. Now I don’t want to start unnecessary drama and there are many people who didn’t like the book for the way it was written or other acceptable reasons. After all everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Nonetheless, I am shocked by how many people were appalled not by the two big traumas in Ani’s and the people who caused them, by her very unsupportive fiancé (who I really despised btw) or all of the incompetent adults in her life. No, instead they were shocked by how bitchy or shallow Ani was. Seriously?
Oh and one last thing. This is nothing like Gone Girl, no matter how hard publishers try to convince us otherwise. But it’s a great book and even if you don’t enjoy it, it’s still a good idea to give it a read and re-think what you assume you know about the subject matter it deals with.
Finally read this after hearing lots of conflicting reviews, and ended up enjoying it immensely. Worth a read if you enjoy send-ups of NYC society and/or psychological dramas.
dark
emotional
medium-paced
4.5 stars
I think a lot of people missed the point a bit with this one. Ani is a very unlikable character, she's supposed to be. At the beginning of the book, it's very easy to hate her, but you have to remember that half of the narration is through the mind of a 14 year old girl living a pretty privileged life, of course, she's going to be a little asshole. Then, once you find out everything she went through at that young age and how much trauma and anger she still holds inside her, it's easy to understand why she is the way she is. Adult Ani is doing everything she can to protect child Ani and find her happiness even though she questions if she even deserves happiness. It creates a good juxtaposition because you want to give her sympathy because of all she went through, but she's such a crappy person that it's difficult to feel bad for her. Overall, I liked the book, but there are some heavy triggers that caused me to step away from it occasionally. I think the essay from the author really helps to put the whole book into perspective too.
I think a lot of people missed the point a bit with this one. Ani is a very unlikable character, she's supposed to be. At the beginning of the book, it's very easy to hate her, but you have to remember that half of the narration is through the mind of a 14 year old girl living a pretty privileged life, of course, she's going to be a little asshole. Then, once you find out everything she went through at that young age and how much trauma and anger she still holds inside her, it's easy to understand why she is the way she is. Adult Ani is doing everything she can to protect child Ani and find her happiness even though she questions if she even deserves happiness. It creates a good juxtaposition because you want to give her sympathy because of all she went through, but she's such a crappy person that it's difficult to feel bad for her. Overall, I liked the book, but there are some heavy triggers that caused me to step away from it occasionally. I think the essay from the author really helps to put the whole book into perspective too.
I liked the voice of the narrator without liking her at all. It is on point - bitchy, simultaneously snobby/anti-snob, completely bought in to her choices while also totally seeing the ridiculousness of it all. Ending was a little too pat for the tone of the book for me,
This is the first book I have read in a long time where the synopsis doesn't do the book justice. Just when you think you have a bead on what a character is all about and where the plot is going, you are thrown for a loop. That made this book very good for me.
Our main character is TifAni FaNelli (yes, her name is really spelled like that, and it killed me too). She is the only child of parents who want to portray that they are richer than they really are. Her story is told through flashbacks of her high school life, when she was still known as TifAni, and a view into her now seemingly perfect life, where Ani is engaged to a man of high standing and living her dream life in New York City.
The problem is, Ani is trying to erase a past life that keeps pulling her back in. Because of the things that happened to her more than ten years ago, Ani can't sleep, is possibly on the verge of an eating disorder, and could very well be getting ready to marry the wrong man.
As I read the first ten or so chapters of the book, I found myself disliking Ani very much. She is a mean girl in her workplace, constantly worried about wearing the right labels and having the perfect blowout rather than how she treats the people around her. She is cold to her fiance when he seems to be the only one who can tolerate her. But, as the story progressed and I found out what happened to Ani in high school, I realized her entire adult life has been a facade, and one she struggles to keep up.
It's very hard to review this book without giving away the very events that make it so heart-wrenching. I will say that I absolutely did not expect where the author was going. After learning of Ani's initial trauma, I thought the rest of the narrative would have her dealing with the fallout of that. I never imagined that it would be a catalyst for the climax that came, though.
I know some reviews are calling this book "the next Gone Girl," but I think it's quite far from that. I enjoyed this book just as much, but in a completely different way, than Gone Girl. I found myself more connected to the main character, for one.
Luckiest Girl Alive is a dark tale, but I think many readers will find themselves embroiled in the story on beaches across the nation this summer.
Our main character is TifAni FaNelli (yes, her name is really spelled like that, and it killed me too). She is the only child of parents who want to portray that they are richer than they really are. Her story is told through flashbacks of her high school life, when she was still known as TifAni, and a view into her now seemingly perfect life, where Ani is engaged to a man of high standing and living her dream life in New York City.
The problem is, Ani is trying to erase a past life that keeps pulling her back in. Because of the things that happened to her more than ten years ago, Ani can't sleep, is possibly on the verge of an eating disorder, and could very well be getting ready to marry the wrong man.
As I read the first ten or so chapters of the book, I found myself disliking Ani very much. She is a mean girl in her workplace, constantly worried about wearing the right labels and having the perfect blowout rather than how she treats the people around her. She is cold to her fiance when he seems to be the only one who can tolerate her. But, as the story progressed and I found out what happened to Ani in high school, I realized her entire adult life has been a facade, and one she struggles to keep up.
It's very hard to review this book without giving away the very events that make it so heart-wrenching. I will say that I absolutely did not expect where the author was going. After learning of Ani's initial trauma, I thought the rest of the narrative would have her dealing with the fallout of that. I never imagined that it would be a catalyst for the climax that came, though.
I know some reviews are calling this book "the next Gone Girl," but I think it's quite far from that. I enjoyed this book just as much, but in a completely different way, than Gone Girl. I found myself more connected to the main character, for one.
Luckiest Girl Alive is a dark tale, but I think many readers will find themselves embroiled in the story on beaches across the nation this summer.