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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
hopeful
reflective
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:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
The ending was a bit rushed and predictable but it was enjoyable. I wish the eating disorder hadn’t been referenced so often, it made it seem like Ellie hadn’t changed in that way at all. I expected Nadine and Magda to have changed a bit more too, they were a bit flat. But I did enjoy revisiting the characters.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved the Girls series when I was a teenager so I was really excited to catch up with Ellie and her friends! I really commend Jaqueline Wilson for giving this a go and I hope she continues to write some more adult fiction. In fact, the bit I liked best was the preview for the follow on of the Illustrated Mum at the back of the book!
For me it felt like it was still a bit YA in the way it was written and I couldn’t help getting annoyed with Ellie’s constant self deprecation. I wonder if it’s to do with being written in first person present tense? Something about being in a person’s full inner monologue perhaps?
For me it felt like it was still a bit YA in the way it was written and I couldn’t help getting annoyed with Ellie’s constant self deprecation. I wonder if it’s to do with being written in first person present tense? Something about being in a person’s full inner monologue perhaps?
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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:
Yes
emotional
funny
medium-paced
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
I adored Jacqueline Wilson as a kid, and I adored the girls series too so when I saw there was a new book aimed at adults, I had to read it. Is it the most incredibly purple language flowery descriptive book on the planet? No. Is it quintessential Jacqueline Wilson? Absolutely. It is like nostalgia put on a page and evolved and adapted to suit the millennial readers who used to read her books by torchlight under the covers way later than their parents would have found acceptable. I found myself giggling and smiling just as I did as a young girl. It tugged at the heart strings as a woman who has children (and who had them young), and I found Ellie just as relatable and just as charming as I did when I was a teen. I devoured this book in a matter of hours, just as I did all of those years ago. If you're looking for extended metaphors and beautiful imagery then you won't find it here, but nostalgia? By the truckload. Glorious.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
slow-paced