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emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A truly superb book. I read nearly all of Jacqueline Wilson's books as a child/teen and this felt like diving back into a warm bath - so familiar and easy to read. A great story about familiar characters, but well adapted for the adult audience. I hope there are going to be many more adult novels from this wonderful author!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Stalking, Pregnancy
Minor: Cursing, Eating disorder, Blood, Alcohol
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As someone who was a Jaqueline STAN in her younger years, I wanted to like this SO badly. But unfortunately Ellie is still the absolutely insufferable character she was when she was a teenager, and doesn’t seem to have grown up literally at all considering she has a grown child. Her narrative was just juvenile and the plot was so predictable. Wish we’d got some chapters from Nadine and magda’s perspective because they just seemed to be there for nostalgias sake and they haven’t actually developed as characters. Sorry Jackie :(
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Death of parent, Lesbophobia
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Alcohol
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really a book held up by childhood nostalgia, read it because I wanted to finish out the story of the characters. Love JW but it felt like her usual YA / Children's media with a few more mentions of sex, still kind of comforting and familiar though and I enjoyed the twists throughout.
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
"...he seems so sure I’m feeling exactly the way he does - while I’m veering off his yellow brick road and rushing back to Kansas as fast as I can."
As an OG Jacqueline Wilson stan, this didn't quite live up to my 5-star expectations, but I'm still so glad that we got this glimpse into Ellie's adult life and it was just such a fun and nostalgic (despite also being at some points slightly infuriating) reading experience. I adored getting to spend time with so many of the original characters again, I really liked the way it looks at mother-daughter relationships, and I absolutely loved the direction it ultimately ends up going in.
My main issue was that there's a very prominent storyline that takes up a LOT of page time and it's deliberately icky and uncomfortable but I just felt that, if it had to be included, it didn't have to be done at the expense of the other many great elements of the book that did at times feel a bit sidelined. However, my continuing overarching feeling is one of comfort from thinking that this was probably SO healing for Jacqueline to write <3
Here's to hoping for more sequels!!!
As an OG Jacqueline Wilson stan, this didn't quite live up to my 5-star expectations, but I'm still so glad that we got this glimpse into Ellie's adult life and it was just such a fun and nostalgic (despite also being at some points slightly infuriating) reading experience. I adored getting to spend time with so many of the original characters again, I really liked the way it looks at mother-daughter relationships, and I absolutely loved the direction it ultimately ends up going in.
My main issue was that there's a very prominent storyline that takes up a LOT of page time and it's deliberately icky and uncomfortable but I just felt that, if it had to be included, it didn't have to be done at the expense of the other many great elements of the book that did at times feel a bit sidelined. However, my continuing overarching feeling is one of comfort from thinking that this was probably SO healing for Jacqueline to write <3
Here's to hoping for more sequels!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death, Eating disorder, Death of parent
Minor: Cancer, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Incest, Racism, Religious bigotry, Abortion
funny
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Homophobia, Sexism, Stalking
Minor: Emotional abuse
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic relationship
Minor: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Death of parent, Gaslighting
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was beyond excited when it was announced that Jacqueline Wilson would be releasing her first novel for adults this year - and especially when it was announced that it would be picking up with Ellie, Magda and Nadine from her Girls series. My re-read of the series in advance of Think Again had me interested to see how their friendship would build and be stronger in their adulthood, and how they were all getting on decades later - unfortunately, Think Again didn't really answer too much of this.
We're back with Ellie, who is now 40 and working as an art teacher and illustrator, having been a single Mum to her daughter Lotte, whose off to university. Her friendship with Magda, now dating an older man with kids and trying to fit in with the Joneses, and Nadine, a model (?) who is yet to settle down, feels very on the periphery of this book. The main focus is Ellie's chance meeting with Alice, a woman at her local swimming pool who agrees to help her with a graphic novel, and her reconnecting with Gary aka Mr Windsor the Art Teacher.
Ellie still feels very much like her 13-year-old self which on the one hand was instantly nostalgic, and on the other felt a little bit stuck in time. I know I'm not 40, but I definitely felt that Ellie was overly mature in terms of both her vocabulary and way of engaging with the world - I don't know many 40-year-olds who are clueless when it comes to things like mobiles and the internet. In keeping with her younger self, she still feels a bit judgey of other people's choices which whilst true for a teenager felt a little tiresome as an adult.
As pure nostalgia bait I can't bring myself to give this too low a rating, I did find it super readable and I think there were some plotlines that were handled well (view spoiler), and it was nice to revisit some of the characters as adults - Russell turns out how you expect, and Eggs is a pleasant surprise. However, if this is the start of another new series I'm hoping for some better endings and editors.
We're back with Ellie, who is now 40 and working as an art teacher and illustrator, having been a single Mum to her daughter Lotte, whose off to university. Her friendship with Magda, now dating an older man with kids and trying to fit in with the Joneses, and Nadine, a model (?) who is yet to settle down, feels very on the periphery of this book. The main focus is Ellie's chance meeting with Alice, a woman at her local swimming pool who agrees to help her with a graphic novel, and her reconnecting with Gary aka Mr Windsor the Art Teacher.
Ellie still feels very much like her 13-year-old self which on the one hand was instantly nostalgic, and on the other felt a little bit stuck in time. I know I'm not 40, but I definitely felt that Ellie was overly mature in terms of both her vocabulary and way of engaging with the world - I don't know many 40-year-olds who are clueless when it comes to things like mobiles and the internet. In keeping with her younger self, she still feels a bit judgey of other people's choices which whilst true for a teenager felt a little tiresome as an adult.
As pure nostalgia bait I can't bring myself to give this too low a rating, I did find it super readable and I think there were some plotlines that were handled well (view spoiler), and it was nice to revisit some of the characters as adults - Russell turns out how you expect, and Eggs is a pleasant surprise. However, if this is the start of another new series I'm hoping for some better endings and editors.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Sexual violence
Minor: Eating disorder, Homophobia, Abortion, Death of parent
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical trauma
Minor: Eating disorder, Homophobia
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Minor: Homophobia