Justine's Thoughts: Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

Twenties Girl
By Sophie Kinsella

Source: Library
Pages: 435
Rating: 5/5
Book 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.

A quote:

The worst thing a girl can do is trail after a boy when a love affair is dead.

Any thoughts:

Oh gosh! I’ve been a huuuuuge fan of Sophie Kinsella for a long time. I miss reading her novels and that escape-y feeling I get when reading them. And as always, I cried my eyes out, laughed like a lunatic, and giggled like the hopeless romantic I am. That’s what Sophie Kinsella’s novels do to me. This one was no exception.

Initially, I thought Lara seemed like a vulnerable heroine who always finds herself lying to get out of situations so she could fix them while panicking every single second. Yes, it was quite annoying and sad at the same time, especially with her amusing obsession with Josh, the supposed “perfect” man. When she meets Sadie, her life goes on for a crazy ride. Lara learns numerous things from Sadie -- some outrageous, some from the 1920s, and some with a bit of wisdom. In this, Lara changes and comes to terms with things such as her business, her best friend, and Josh, taking responsibility more like a mature adult...although she always has her funny moments.

Sadie, Lara’s great-aunt who appears to her as a ghost in her twenties, is quite the rebel. She’s determined and forceful and likes to interfere. A lot. She can be annoying as well, with her shrugs and waves and oh-well looks. Oh, but my heart goes to her. She’s a ghost who likes to scream in people’s ears to “hypnotize” them, and she has such a captivating history involving a lover and a painting.

All in all, it was a fun, riveting book. Lara’s new romance is just a subplot but it was enough to satisfy me and give me the giggles. Lara and Sadie grow to become attached to one another, and although I’ve read books that deal with the paranormal, Twenties Girl definitely has a unique take on it, with family and friendship issues. Sophie Kinsella wrote it with her awesome, famous style and I’m always going to be a huge fan.