Reviews

A Very Nice Girl by Imogen Crimp

literarycrushes's review against another edition

4.0

Honestly, this book felt near to perfection for me. On the surface, A Very Nice Girl by Imogen Crimp is about the power dynamics between Anna, a 24-year-old conservatory student, and Max, a 38-year-old banker in London. While the storyline is familiar (and I’ll admit, this is my favorite genre for some reason) – a young woman moves to the ‘big’ city and falls for an older, unavailable man who treats like sh*t – it feels fresh through Crimp’s eyes. I also loved the subplots following the cut-throat world of wannabe opera singers, which added another layer of drama to the story. Anna’s best friend Laurie and their ridiculous living situations had me laughing out loud and Crimp’s well-observed portrayals of a certain subset of 20-somethings who feel like caricatures of a new wave of feminism were genius.
It's difficult to write about a relationship that exists only between two characters and not become dull. But it was never boring, and even in the few parts where it started to feel monotonous, that monotony only added to the overall tone of the book. I highly recommend this book to fans of Sally Rooney, Raven Leilani, and Dolly Alderton.

jillianch's review against another edition

sad slow-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.75

roseawall's review against another edition

4.0

I won an advanced copy through Dymocks. I thought it was interesting to read about a singer at a conservatory. Nice story about being in your mid twenties and not always being sure of what you want.

pegasusgm's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

merlinmaclean's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

kat_caledonia's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

girlbosslindsey's review

i feel in my bones that this would be boring to me personally

likeaspurgeon's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

booksandlattesaddict's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

katejackson's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

At times I found this book a chore to pick up and I also felt like I’d read so many books exactly like it (think Conversations with Friends) with the only difference being Anna is an aspiring Opera singer which for me added a nice nostalgic touch to when I was younger and an aspiring ballet dancer. But there are a few snippets from the beginning section and end section that I really clicked with and got me thinking. I also really felt like I was in Anna’s head, living her life with her which is honestly probably why I struggled to pick it up at times. Then the very end got me frustrated again because it’s exactly like all those other similar books I’ve read which was a bit of a let down but oh well.