Review: Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll

Synopsis from Good Reads:

HER PERFECT LIFE
IS A PERFECT LIE.

As a teenager at the prestigious Bradley School, Ani FaNelli endured a shocking, public humiliation that left her desperate to reinvent herself. Now, with a glamorous job, expensive wardrobe, and handsome blue blood fiancé, she’s this close to living the perfect life she’s worked so hard to achieve.

But Ani has a secret.

There’s something else buried in her past that still haunts her, something private and painful that threatens to bubble to the surface and destroy everything.

With a singular voice and twists you won’t see coming, Luckiest Girl Alive explores the unbearable pressure that so many women feel to “have it all” and introduces a heroine whose sharp edges and cutthroat ambition have been protecting a scandalous truth, and a heart that’s bigger than it first appears.

The question remains: will breaking her silence destroy all that she has worked for—or, will it at long last, set Ani free?

I received a copy of this title from NetGalley. It does not impact my review.

Luckiest Girl alive will be available May 12, 2015.

I think the synopsis of this book makes it sound much more intriguing than it is. There aren’t really any huge twists and the ending didn’t pack the punch I was hoping for.

Ani has done her best to rise from her somewhat humble upbringing to become one of the rich, sophisticated women she’s always admired. Marrying a successful Wall Street-er who comes from old money is the ultimate prize to clinch the life she’s always wanted for herself and to shut up the naysayers that don’t think she deserves it.  The only problem is that it’s not making her happy and living the lie is getting exhausting.

For about half the book there are references to an event from Ani’s past that made her infamous, an event she’s always tried to overcome. There’s a documentary being made about said event and Ani agrees to be part of it so she can finally share her side of the story. The story is told in alternating past and present sections that slowly (very slowly at times) clue us in to what happened. While the event was indeed quite tragic, it wasn’t as surprising as I was expecting it to be.

Ani was not a likable character. Perhaps because of the comparison to Gillian Flynn, I was expecting Ani to be kind of a psychopath, someone I could love to hate. Failing that, an unlikable character that was at least sympathetic. However, for most of the book I just plan didn’t like her. She was mean and self-centered and catty. She went through some pretty horrible things as a teenager, but she was such a stupid, stupid girl, too caught up in popularity and showing very little empathy for anyone else, that all I could feel was sad for her. But not in a way that made her a sympathetic protagonist I could root for.

The supporting characters, including her fiancé and best friend, were also unlikable. The teenagers she was so desperate to be friends with were awful with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. The one bright spot was her old teacher, Mr. Larsen. He was kind and caring and protective. Even though he had a few moments of weakness, he ultimately remained the good guy and I was glad for it.

I know it sounds like I hated this book, but that’s not the case. It’s true that the first half or so of the story I had to make myself keep reading (and only did so because it’s an ARC), but once we got to the actual event, it became a much more compulsory read. The pace picked up and was about more than Ani’s goal of anorexic thinness and her disillusionment with her fiancé. I did keep expecting for there to be some sort of crazy twist, though, and was a little disappointed that there wasn’t.

Overall, this book was ok for me. While the start was hard to get into, it definitely got better as the story went on. While the ending wasn’t what I was expecting, it did end up painting the main character in a more favorable light and I can appreciate the growth she went through.

Rating (out of 5): 3 Stars

Reviewing the Unreviewed: April 2015

I read a lot of books that I don’t end up reviewing for whatever reason. Some because I wasn’t impressed. Some because I didn’t have the time. Some I just wasn’t feeling it on whatever particular day I finished. I thought I’d start doing a post once a month  with just the couple thoughts I shared on Good Reads.

I don’t know why, but I completely sucked at writing full reviews this month!

 

Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll. Read April 1-4. 3 stars.

Overall, this book was ok for me. While the start was hard to get into, it definitely got better as the story went on. (*A full review will be coming next month, closer to release date.)

Texts from Jane Eyre And other Conversations with Your Favorite Literary Characters by Mallory Ortberg. Read April 7. 2 stars.

I don’t think I’m cultured enough for this book. I skimmed a lot because I’m unfamiliar with most of the stories. I did enjoy The Baby-Sitters Club, Jane Eyre, and The Fight Club parts, though.  

Solitaire by Alice Oseman.  Read April 8-10. 2.5 stars.

There were times where I just so identified with Tori. In a lot of ways I was like her when I was a sad 16-year-old. But then there were other times where I just didn’t get her at all. I didn’t always follow the thought processes of her or those around her. None of the characters were really likable. The whole Solitaire plot line didn’t even make a lot of sense.

The Singles by Meredith Goldsten. Read April 10-11. 4 stars.

This book has been on my radar for awhile, but I always thought the ebook cost too much. At a recent sale at my local library I found it for a $1.00. It was well worth the money!

A book about singles at a wedding seemed right up my alley, especially with my little brother’s upcoming wedding looming on the horizon…However, this book wasn’t really what I thought it would be. Despite that, it was a well-developed character-driven novel with mostly likable characters. It was an easy and quick read that I enjoyed.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. Read April 13-16. 3 stars.

This book was well written and for the most part I liked the style. I wasn’t surprised at the part that was probably supposed to be surprising, as I guessed it much earlier on. The characters were unlikable, but with Anna I eventually liked unliking her. While this book was pretty good, I don’t feel like it lived up to the hype.

A Good Killing by Allison Leotta.  Read April 16-20. 4 stars.

Where has this series been all my life? A well-written, well paced, well done mystery. Full review to come closer to release date.

Made for You by Melissa Marr. Read April 20-23. 3 stars.

I was expecting to be more creeped out by this book than I was. The killer was pretty crazy so that was kind of fun and disturbing to read, though I felt like his parts were really repetitive for awhile. I liked that the supernatural aspect didn’t take over the whole story, but I don’t like that we never find out why or how Eva started to have the visions. While I supported the romance, it was a little fast for me.

Missing You by Harlan Coben. Read April 23-25. 4 stars.

This was my first Harlan Coben book and it certainly won’t be my last. The multiple mysteries were handled well. Even if there were a few things that I thought were obvious, there were other things that surprised me. The characters were well-developed and I even felt myself feeling bad for one of the bad guys, despite how awful he was. While it took a little bit to get into the story, when it picked up it was hard to put down.

Boy Band by Jacqueline E. Smith. Read April 25-26. 3.5 stars.

This was a cute, fun read. It took me a bit to be able to tell all the boy banders apart, but once I did I enjoyed them. I liked that the guys were nice and responsible and not big partiers. I was also amused by all their banter.

My only real complaint is that I think it could have used a bit more editing and formatting. About half way through the book (I bought a Nook copy) the formatting started to change so there was only one paragraph per page (and when it was dialogue, it was often only one line) and it really hindered my reading enjoyment, though that’s not the book’s fault. (*Note: The Author is aware of this and is working on getting it fixed.) There was also a lot of repetition that could have been phased out a bit.

Not a whole lot happened in terms of plot development and I would have liked more detailed info about their interviews and behind the scenes things, but it was still a fun read! I’ll definitely have to read book #2. Even though I didn’t realize this was going to be a series and was initially a little upset (because of the ending!), I am excited to get to spend more time with The Kind of September and Mel.

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RE-READ

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi. Still love it! Definitely recommend this series to YA lovers!

The Fine Art of Pretending by Rachel Harris. I was in the mood for a light, contemporary and there wasn’t a wait for this at the library. I think I enjoyed it more this second time around.