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whateveryoneelseisreading 's review for:
Think Again
by Jacqueline Wilson
The discourse around the sequel to the hit Girls series has been very mixed and honestly, I can see why. Think Again is the continued story of Ellie Allard, a newly 40 year old with a grown up daughter and a desire to rekindle her love life. She starts dating her old high school teacher and also begins a friendship with a woman called Alice, both of which cause her to reassess her life.
This is allegedly a book for adults although to be honest, it's not. It's a book for people who read the originals and have since grown up. I think without any nostalgia to power you, there's not a lot to be gained here. The writing style is the same as Wilson's younger books and there's simultaneously too much and not enough going on to sustain attention. Having said that, the nostalgia does offer a lot. Much of it doesn't actually make sense with the original series but if you can ignore those aspects, it's fun to see where everyone has ended up.
Unfortunately this is a double-edged sword. By far my least favourite aspect of this book was Ellie and how she hadn't changed one bit from the anxious, awkward teenager she was. She is still horribly insecure, she is still ignoring her own needs in relationships and she still won't communicate properly with the people around her. While this makes sense for a teenager, it just seemed horribly sad to me. She's reached the age of 40 and raised a child and still has no sense of self-esteem? It was really disappointing. Not only that, but it affected how I saw the guy she was dating as well. He's meant to be a mansplaining, overbearing creep but because Ellie isn't actually telling him how much she dislikes his behaviour, it feels really harsh to judge him that way. Maybe he would stop explaining things if she actually told him she already knew them. It makes Ellie seem unreasonable.
Aside from that, I can only echo what other reviews have already said. Magda and Nadine are barely present in the story. I never like Nadine much but if she's here, she should be here properly. The plot feels rushed and there's a lot going on, but also not much really happens. I liked Ellie's daughter a lot but she seems much more grown-up than Ellie herself, which impacted the problem I had with Ellie's character. A lot of the nostalgia-bait also seems unrealistic. Ellie dated her high school boyfriend for four years, she is still best friends with her teenage best friends (and worse still, doesn't have any other friends for some reason) and her high school teacher remembers her and her friends over 20 years later in incredible detail. Another review said it feels like what teenage Ellie would imagine her life as, and I have to agree with that.
Overall, I am still glad I read this book and I will pick up the sequel when it comes out. Despite all its flaws, it's very light reading and I particularly enjoyed listening to the audiobook. It fulfils the purpose I think Wilson intended and I can't fault it for that, even if I think it doesn't stand on its own particularly well
Overall Rating: 3.5/5 stars
This is allegedly a book for adults although to be honest, it's not. It's a book for people who read the originals and have since grown up. I think without any nostalgia to power you, there's not a lot to be gained here. The writing style is the same as Wilson's younger books and there's simultaneously too much and not enough going on to sustain attention. Having said that, the nostalgia does offer a lot. Much of it doesn't actually make sense with the original series but if you can ignore those aspects, it's fun to see where everyone has ended up.
Unfortunately this is a double-edged sword. By far my least favourite aspect of this book was Ellie and how she hadn't changed one bit from the anxious, awkward teenager she was. She is still horribly insecure, she is still ignoring her own needs in relationships and she still won't communicate properly with the people around her. While this makes sense for a teenager, it just seemed horribly sad to me. She's reached the age of 40 and raised a child and still has no sense of self-esteem? It was really disappointing. Not only that, but it affected how I saw the guy she was dating as well. He's meant to be a mansplaining, overbearing creep but because Ellie isn't actually telling him how much she dislikes his behaviour, it feels really harsh to judge him that way. Maybe he would stop explaining things if she actually told him she already knew them. It makes Ellie seem unreasonable.
Aside from that, I can only echo what other reviews have already said. Magda and Nadine are barely present in the story. I never like Nadine much but if she's here, she should be here properly. The plot feels rushed and there's a lot going on, but also not much really happens. I liked Ellie's daughter a lot but she seems much more grown-up than Ellie herself, which impacted the problem I had with Ellie's character. A lot of the nostalgia-bait also seems unrealistic. Ellie dated her high school boyfriend for four years, she is still best friends with her teenage best friends (and worse still, doesn't have any other friends for some reason) and her high school teacher remembers her and her friends over 20 years later in incredible detail. Another review said it feels like what teenage Ellie would imagine her life as, and I have to agree with that.
Overall, I am still glad I read this book and I will pick up the sequel when it comes out. Despite all its flaws, it's very light reading and I particularly enjoyed listening to the audiobook. It fulfils the purpose I think Wilson intended and I can't fault it for that, even if I think it doesn't stand on its own particularly well
Overall Rating: 3.5/5 stars