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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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:
Yes
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Alcohol
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship
Minor: Biphobia, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Abandonment
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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:
N/A
Pros: feels exactly like the Girls series
Cons: feels exactly like the Girls series
Ellie’s character felt very childish with no deep thoughts and I found it hard to believe she could stand up to the rough kids but not Gary. Alice was without faults and it seemed icky that Ellie found her having the same likes as Lottie attractive. Disappointed to see what became of Guy/Gary as his comments about larger women in art in the original books really stuck with me. There were a lot of cliches such as the cat liking Alice but not Gary. This is fine for a kid’s book but poor writing for an adult one. It felt like the plot lines of Lottie, Magda, Nadine, and Ellie’s dad were unresolved and others could have been fleshed out more. I actually thought my copy of the book was missing chapters when I finished.
As a book for adults, I would have liked to have some wisdom in the book. JW is almost 80 and surely has life advice to share. Eggs and Simon could have spoken about coming out and knowing which sexuality you are. Anna about the reality of having an older man as a life partner. Ellie’s dad about the importance of being more than just your job. Mrs Henderson about being an older woman and the menopause. Nicola about the reality of publishing a book and dealing with rejections. Russell about feeling you lost “the one”. Steve about wanting to make up for your past. Etc etc. So many great potential conversations.
Parts of this book felt very dated. Alice’s brown skin is repeatedly mentioned, as well as her being a different ethnicity, yet no other character’s race is mentioned. Ellie decides to write a book incorporating Swahili words and set in Africa but doesn’t think to consult a Swahili speaker. Instead she decides to use old timey language like Rudyard Kipling used in The Jungle Book. What does this have to do with Africa? There's also bi-erasure. The fashion in this book felt dated too. I haven’t seen anyone wear pinstripes or black skinny jeans since I read the original books 20 odd years ago.
The lion masturbation thing was eyebrow raising.
Saying all this, it was nice to revisit the characters and the book did keep me engaged, if not completely satisfied. I really enjoyed all the art and literature references. I hope JW writes a sequel to tie up all the loose ends and gives Nadine and Magda bigger roles.
Cons: feels exactly like the Girls series
Ellie’s character felt very childish with no deep thoughts and I found it hard to believe she could stand up to the rough kids but not Gary. Alice was without faults and it seemed icky that Ellie found her having the same likes as Lottie attractive. Disappointed to see what became of Guy/Gary as his comments about larger women in art in the original books really stuck with me. There were a lot of cliches such as the cat liking Alice but not Gary. This is fine for a kid’s book but poor writing for an adult one. It felt like the plot lines of Lottie, Magda, Nadine, and Ellie’s dad were unresolved and others could have been fleshed out more. I actually thought my copy of the book was missing chapters when I finished.
As a book for adults, I would have liked to have some wisdom in the book. JW is almost 80 and surely has life advice to share. Eggs and Simon could have spoken about coming out and knowing which sexuality you are. Anna about the reality of having an older man as a life partner. Ellie’s dad about the importance of being more than just your job. Mrs Henderson about being an older woman and the menopause. Nicola about the reality of publishing a book and dealing with rejections. Russell about feeling you lost “the one”. Steve about wanting to make up for your past. Etc etc. So many great potential conversations.
Parts of this book felt very dated. Alice’s brown skin is repeatedly mentioned, as well as her being a different ethnicity, yet no other character’s race is mentioned. Ellie decides to write a book incorporating Swahili words and set in Africa but doesn’t think to consult a Swahili speaker. Instead she decides to use old timey language like Rudyard Kipling used in The Jungle Book. What does this have to do with Africa? There's also bi-erasure. The fashion in this book felt dated too. I haven’t seen anyone wear pinstripes or black skinny jeans since I read the original books 20 odd years ago.
The lion masturbation thing was eyebrow raising.
Saying all this, it was nice to revisit the characters and the book did keep me engaged, if not completely satisfied. I really enjoyed all the art and literature references. I hope JW writes a sequel to tie up all the loose ends and gives Nadine and Magda bigger roles.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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