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A review by liana
The Personal Shopper by Carmen Reid
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
Alright, here goes... the good, the bad, and the ugly:
The good:
It was the first time I read a book where our main character not only loves fashion, but is also not vilified for it. Seriously, think about all the times we've been promised a book set in the glamorous world of fashion, only for our protagonist to absolutely detest it (looking at you, The Devil Wears Prada). Annie not only loved fashion, but you could tell the author actually put some effort into creating this character and her love for fashion, instead of settling for a Chanel-obsessed stereotype (now looking at you, The Fashion Orphans & The Chase). Even if Annie wanted to dress someone "parisian chic" in Missoni, the overall fashion-lover vibes were there and I really appreciated it.
The bad:
Annie also had a shopping problem, one that was never properly addressed or explored. She seemed quite reckless, and I think seeing the fallout of her actions in a darker turn of events would have benefitted the book, as it already dealt with some pretty heavy stuff. She was also quite judgmental, and even fully referred to Ed as a project or investment. Uuum....
The ugly:
Connor's entire characterisation. Having a gay best friend wasn't enough, noooo, she had to kiss him on the lips and also give him shit for not being out publicly? The entire thing was just very homophobic, and every scene with Connor present made me want to dnf this book.
Overall, I did enjoy this book and it was a quick plane read, even if I wasn't happy with every single aspect of it. I have to admit though, that all the Roddy stuff made me tear up every single time.
The good:
It was the first time I read a book where our main character not only loves fashion, but is also not vilified for it. Seriously, think about all the times we've been promised a book set in the glamorous world of fashion, only for our protagonist to absolutely detest it (looking at you, The Devil Wears Prada). Annie not only loved fashion, but you could tell the author actually put some effort into creating this character and her love for fashion, instead of settling for a Chanel-obsessed stereotype (now looking at you, The Fashion Orphans & The Chase). Even if Annie wanted to dress someone "parisian chic" in Missoni, the overall fashion-lover vibes were there and I really appreciated it.
The bad:
Annie also had a shopping problem, one that was never properly addressed or explored. She seemed quite reckless, and I think seeing the fallout of her actions in a darker turn of events would have benefitted the book, as it already dealt with some pretty heavy stuff. She was also quite judgmental, and even fully referred to Ed as a project or investment. Uuum....
The ugly:
Connor's entire characterisation. Having a gay best friend wasn't enough, noooo, she had to kiss him on the lips and also give him shit for not being out publicly? The entire thing was just very homophobic, and every scene with Connor present made me want to dnf this book.
Overall, I did enjoy this book and it was a quick plane read, even if I wasn't happy with every single aspect of it. I have to admit though, that all the Roddy stuff made me tear up every single time.