kelsbookzone1 's review for:

Shopgirls by Jessica Anya Blau

2.75

slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

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Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for an early release copy.

Zippy didn’t belong in the exquisite that was I.magnin. She was between rotating Salvation Army outfits and waiting for the day she would be called in to be her last. 

This is for the people who feel like they don’t belong but a lot of the insecurity is in their head too. The author laid heavy into setting and imagery but left me yearning to get to know the main character a little more early on.  Be prepared for shallow and vapid characters and a main character who seems to want to be anyone but herself.

I didn’t like a lot of the judgement and self righteous vibes the writing would give. They would pray quite a bit but the mc was constantly discussing her eating, or her eating on/off days, and critiquing the shape of other’s womens bodies. 

The writer definitely felt like someone writing from the experience of a commission dept but the dialogue left a lot to be desired. The conversations did not flow at all- they either felt forced and random or flat and shallow. Like it would go from “work friends” conversations to conversations you would have with a therapist. Definitely character contradictions when it came to Zippy and left me too confused. She was almost likeable and charming but not quite there for me with lack of consistency. And especially how gossipy and childish she ended up in the end, when she found out about someone close to her and the lifestyle they were keeping secret. Like made me want to hate her for that. 

This needed a few more draft rounds before seeing the public eye.