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A review by ahbartlett
Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey
2.75
Really average, actually.
As I was reading this I did wonder whether some of the internal monologue would be better suited for a TV show than a book - when I saw that the author was firstly a TV writer, I was not surprised! It felt like she was going for a Lorelei Gilmore- esque protagonist in Maggie but the moments of genuine humour and charm that were present at the beginning became overshadowed by a degree of self-obsession that did not feel true to reality towards the last 50%. The quips in Maggie’s internal monologue would translate better to millennial television, as lots of these tropes and jokes honestly would’ve landed much better in 2012 but feel outdated in the 2020s. She seems like she’d fit into the primary friend group in Girls (derogatory).
Maggie is not a protagonist you root for even though you’re supposed to. She is mean and cruel to basically every side character in this book, and was generally determined to be The Worst™️. I’m not convinced of her redemption arc in the last 50 pages and seemingly neither do her friends despite everyone “‘making up” - though I honestly did not care for any of her friends either. Flash forward 6 months after this book’s ending and I bet you if this was real life, her friend group would’ve cut her out for good.
As I was reading this I did wonder whether some of the internal monologue would be better suited for a TV show than a book - when I saw that the author was firstly a TV writer, I was not surprised! It felt like she was going for a Lorelei Gilmore- esque protagonist in Maggie but the moments of genuine humour and charm that were present at the beginning became overshadowed by a degree of self-obsession that did not feel true to reality towards the last 50%. The quips in Maggie’s internal monologue would translate better to millennial television, as lots of these tropes and jokes honestly would’ve landed much better in 2012 but feel outdated in the 2020s. She seems like she’d fit into the primary friend group in Girls (derogatory).
Maggie is not a protagonist you root for even though you’re supposed to. She is mean and cruel to basically every side character in this book, and was generally determined to be The Worst™️. I’m not convinced of her redemption arc in the last 50 pages and seemingly neither do her friends despite everyone “‘making up” - though I honestly did not care for any of her friends either. Flash forward 6 months after this book’s ending and I bet you if this was real life, her friend group would’ve cut her out for good.