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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
3 1/2 stars. This is the story of Ani, who has the perfect life: a fabulous body, a fabulous job, fabulous clothes and a fabulous fiance. But there is something that happened in her past that was far from perfect. For a while, I wasn't sure if I was hate-reading this book or if I really actually liked it. The narrator is very unlikable and judgmental and I didn't even want to root for her at all. About halfway through the book, you get some insight into her backstory that softens your image of her somewhat, but even before that event, she was still an incredibly shallow and annoying person. But still, I COULD NOT put this book down! Not sure who to recommend it to, but it was a definite page-turner.
There's a biting, dark, twisted beauty to this that resonated with my soul, and I devoured this book like my life depended on it
Loved this book!
Ani is such a despicable character until you discover what she went through in high school and how it’s silently eaten away at her for 15 years.
The story bounced between humorous, horrifying, stressful, and sweet.
With an all-so-important satisfying ending!
Ani is such a despicable character until you discover what she went through in high school and how it’s silently eaten away at her for 15 years.
The story bounced between humorous, horrifying, stressful, and sweet.
With an all-so-important satisfying ending!
The denouement takes waaaaaay too long to come (hah!), and then is over before you are ready.
I enjoyed this book as a whole, but found I could not relate to Ani AT ALL. It takes me maybe 10 minutes to get ready in the morning and I'm much prouder of a bargain than shoes that cost $1,000. The subject is interesting but as other's noted, the comparison to Gone Girl is a bit ridiculous. I kept waiting for the giant plot twist to happen, and....it never did. Ani definitely suffered some horrible things and though she's overcome a lot, it's still very evident in how she turns out as an adult. To be honest I wanted a bigger ending - if she's going to be unlikable, go all the way with it. That's what makes books like Gone Girl interesting - the characters are relatable but still terrible in the end. Ani was just bad enough to be annoying. And I pray her character was an exaggeration and other girls out there aren't like her. It must be tiring to care so much and be so judgemental.
While this book was first written in 2015, it needs to be updated with trigger warnings. There is an incredible amount of trauma throughout the book and the main character’s “coping” is also triggering.
Ani/TifAni is an anti hero, and not the likable Taylor Swift kind. We learn the story of her past trauma in pieces that go back and forth between her 14-year-old self and present day 28-year-old self. This is meant to explain some of her less than stellar adult behaviors and motivations, however the teenage TifAni was not likable to begin with. That “heart” mentioned in the synopsis… barely saw it. Her “healing” occurs within the last 15 pages of the book and gives very little sense of closure for the reader. Overall, this book seemed like a lesson in how to shove as many childhood traumas as possible into one character without providing any sort of counter balance.
Ani/TifAni is an anti hero, and not the likable Taylor Swift kind. We learn the story of her past trauma in pieces that go back and forth between her 14-year-old self and present day 28-year-old self. This is meant to explain some of her less than stellar adult behaviors and motivations, however the teenage TifAni was not likable to begin with. That “heart” mentioned in the synopsis… barely saw it. Her “healing” occurs within the last 15 pages of the book and gives very little sense of closure for the reader. Overall, this book seemed like a lesson in how to shove as many childhood traumas as possible into one character without providing any sort of counter balance.
I had trouble identifying with the main character. Maybe if you are into all that status stuff it would be more interesting.
Jessica Knoll's humor in Luckiest Girl Alive isn't for everyone - but oh is it for me. Ani FaNelli's sarcasm drips with bitchy and fakeness, which makes it a very quick and fun read.
The point of view flip flops between present Ani, a 28 year-old New York editor for The Women's Magazine, engaged to the most eligible bachelor and 14 year-old TifAni, a freshman student at the Bradley high school in Pennsylvania.
What happens to 14 year old TifAni is what sets Ani up for the life she will live. After everything she went through at such a young age, she felt that she had something to prove to those who mistreated her and that, in the end, she is the one that ended up on top. It's about living through the most traumatic events of your life and learning how that day will effect you going forward. It's also about truth and seeking what Ani so rightfully deserved, which was justice for the disgusting crime committed against her and the acknowledgement that it happened, even though the ones closest to her refused to truly believe her.
The point of view flip flops between present Ani, a 28 year-old New York editor for The Women's Magazine, engaged to the most eligible bachelor and 14 year-old TifAni, a freshman student at the Bradley high school in Pennsylvania.
What happens to 14 year old TifAni is what sets Ani up for the life she will live. After everything she went through at such a young age, she felt that she had something to prove to those who mistreated her and that, in the end, she is the one that ended up on top. It's about living through the most traumatic events of your life and learning how that day will effect you going forward. It's also about truth and seeking what Ani so rightfully deserved, which was justice for the disgusting crime committed against her and the acknowledgement that it happened, even though the ones closest to her refused to truly believe her.
Trigger warning: rape
So I didn't read this when this book first came out (with everyone saying this was the next Gillian Flynn) but I have to say that this was a surprising read and for once did not make me want to pull my hair out like many books do with the word "girl" in the title. I actually felt for the protagonist Ani FaNelli. I know a lot of readers didn't like her, but I honestly did when the book starts digging in deeper to Ani in high school and college. Why she can't sleep and what she's searching for even though she's engaged to someone that anyone would call a catch. I also felt for how lonely she was since she really has only allowed one person in her life (her best friend) to see the real her.
"Luckiest Girl Alive" follows 28 year old Ani FaNelli. Ani has a life that many women would kill for. She lives in New York, is engaged to a WASP, and also works at NY Magazine. Ani is focused on being the best she can be at all times and is now pushing to have a wedding that most women would kill for. The book slowly reveals though that Ani is being asked to participate in a documentary. Her fiancée Luke is opposed to her participating and just wants Ani to "let that crap go." But Ani has a need to finally have the real story of what happened to her while attending a private school called Bradley as a teen.
Look, I get why Ani turned a lot of people off. She's the epitome of an anti-hero. To me she's not similar to Amazing Amy in Gone Girl. Amazing Amy just wore a face that was a lie to everyone around her. Ani pushes herself to have the perfect face because she knows what happens when you show weakness around others. Knoll showing us a younger Ani (when she was called TifAni)and her wanting desperately to fit in with the kids at Bradley. That she didn't feel as if she fit in and her mother was just as desperate as she was to be in with the cool crowd. Reading the passages of TifAni and Ani are a messy fit, but I get why now when you get to the different reveals. You know that something had to have happened to have Ani as an adult be all about control. With either her eating, or working out, or how she did her hair, Ani has to control things. When she starts to lose control of her fiancée and wonder about what she really wants in a marriage you start to see TifAni peeking out.
I liked the other characters in this, but not a lot of the adults besides TifAni's mom and Mr. Larson were very developed I thought in the TifAni sections. And the teens were wonderfully written I thought. The Ani sections though with her and her best friend Nell were really good though. I also liked that you could see what drew Ani to Luke, but also was starting to repel her.
The writing to me was more strong when we follow TifAni as a teen. Knoll writes teens very well and the ugliness of high school and how teens often turn into pack animals around anyone that they see as weak.
I honestly liked the ending to this. Probably because Knoll does not tie things up into a nice tidy bow. Life is messy and I think that there's enough context clues there that we can imagine what happens next when the documentary comes out. I know that a lot of readers wanted truth and justice to win the day, but sadly enough, life doesn't work out that way.
So I didn't read this when this book first came out (with everyone saying this was the next Gillian Flynn) but I have to say that this was a surprising read and for once did not make me want to pull my hair out like many books do with the word "girl" in the title. I actually felt for the protagonist Ani FaNelli. I know a lot of readers didn't like her, but I honestly did when the book starts digging in deeper to Ani in high school and college. Why she can't sleep and what she's searching for even though she's engaged to someone that anyone would call a catch. I also felt for how lonely she was since she really has only allowed one person in her life (her best friend) to see the real her.
"Luckiest Girl Alive" follows 28 year old Ani FaNelli. Ani has a life that many women would kill for. She lives in New York, is engaged to a WASP, and also works at NY Magazine. Ani is focused on being the best she can be at all times and is now pushing to have a wedding that most women would kill for. The book slowly reveals though that Ani is being asked to participate in a documentary. Her fiancée Luke is opposed to her participating and just wants Ani to "let that crap go." But Ani has a need to finally have the real story of what happened to her while attending a private school called Bradley as a teen.
Look, I get why Ani turned a lot of people off. She's the epitome of an anti-hero. To me she's not similar to Amazing Amy in Gone Girl. Amazing Amy just wore a face that was a lie to everyone around her. Ani pushes herself to have the perfect face because she knows what happens when you show weakness around others. Knoll showing us a younger Ani (when she was called TifAni)and her wanting desperately to fit in with the kids at Bradley. That she didn't feel as if she fit in and her mother was just as desperate as she was to be in with the cool crowd. Reading the passages of TifAni and Ani are a messy fit, but I get why now when you get to the different reveals. You know that something had to have happened to have Ani as an adult be all about control. With either her eating, or working out, or how she did her hair, Ani has to control things. When she starts to lose control of her fiancée and wonder about what she really wants in a marriage you start to see TifAni peeking out.
I liked the other characters in this, but not a lot of the adults besides TifAni's mom and Mr. Larson were very developed I thought in the TifAni sections. And the teens were wonderfully written I thought. The Ani sections though with her and her best friend Nell were really good though. I also liked that you could see what drew Ani to Luke, but also was starting to repel her.
The writing to me was more strong when we follow TifAni as a teen. Knoll writes teens very well and the ugliness of high school and how teens often turn into pack animals around anyone that they see as weak.
I honestly liked the ending to this. Probably because Knoll does not tie things up into a nice tidy bow. Life is messy and I think that there's enough context clues there that we can imagine what happens next when the documentary comes out. I know that a lot of readers wanted truth and justice to win the day, but sadly enough, life doesn't work out that way.