By Sophie Kinsella
First published: 2010 by Black Swan
Read: 27 August - 11 September 2012
Goodreads | Amazon
Description
Lara Lington has always had an overactive imagination, but suddenly that imagination seems to be in overdrive. Normal professional twenty-something young women don’t get visited by ghosts. Or do they?
When the spirit of Lara’s great-aunt Sadie–a feisty, demanding girl with firm ideas about fashion, love, and the right way to dance–mysteriously appears, she has one last request: Lara must find a missing necklace that had been in Sadie’s possession for more than seventy-five years, and Sadie cannot rest without it. Lara, on the other hand, has a number of ongoing distractions. Her best friend and business partner has run off to Goa, her start-up company is floundering, and she’s just been dumped by the “perfect” man.
Sadie, however, could care less.
Lara and Sadie make a hilarious sparring duo, and at first it seems as though they have nothing in common. But as the mission to find Sadie’s necklace leads to intrigue and a new romance for Lara, these very different “twenties” girls learn some surprising truths from each other along the way. Written with all the irrepressible charm and humor that have made Sophie Kinsella’s books beloved by millions, Twenties Girl is also a deeply moving testament to the transcendent bonds of friendship and family. (Goodreads)
My thoughts
When the spirit of Lara’s great-aunt Sadie–a feisty, demanding girl with firm ideas about fashion, love, and the right way to dance–mysteriously appears, she has one last request: Lara must find a missing necklace that had been in Sadie’s possession for more than seventy-five years, and Sadie cannot rest without it. Lara, on the other hand, has a number of ongoing distractions. Her best friend and business partner has run off to Goa, her start-up company is floundering, and she’s just been dumped by the “perfect” man.
Sadie, however, could care less.
Lara and Sadie make a hilarious sparring duo, and at first it seems as though they have nothing in common. But as the mission to find Sadie’s necklace leads to intrigue and a new romance for Lara, these very different “twenties” girls learn some surprising truths from each other along the way. Written with all the irrepressible charm and humor that have made Sophie Kinsella’s books beloved by millions, Twenties Girl is also a deeply moving testament to the transcendent bonds of friendship and family. (Goodreads)
My thoughts
This was my first Sophie Kinsella book, and for the first half I was mildly entertained but nothing more. I found some of the situations Lara got herself into because of Sadie too far-fetched and it felt like the author was trying too hard to be funny. I didn't really like Sadie, she was selfish and annoying, and Lara's pining for her ex-boyfriend was a bit irritating as well. But about half-way through the book something changed, and I started really enjoying it. The pace quickened, things finally started happening and the characters started developing. I went from wanting to knock some sense into both Lara and Sadie to wanting to hug them both.
Lara is a likeable, albeit naïve, girl in her late twenties, trying to sort out her life. Although I have never been in her situation, it was easy to relate to her. Sadie the ghost started out being very annoying, but she grew on me as we learned more about her. The glimpses into her old life in the roaring 20s were very interesting, and the author does a good job of bringing some of that 20s feeling into the 21st century. Oh, and the handsome American Sadie takes a fancy to is quite the dashing romantic lead (and the scene in which he and Lara meet is hilarious).
It is interesting to see how the relationship between Lara and Sadie slowly develops into a friendship, and what the two are willing to do for each other. The bittersweet but satisfying ending took me by surprise and was the best part of the book - definitely worth waiting for.
Bottom line: A fun and sweet story of unlikely love and an even more unlikely friendship.
