First line: The thing about lying to your parents is, you have to do it to protect them.
Why I read this: I’ve read all the Shopaholic books by Sophie Kinsella and when I saw that this one was available for my Nook, I decided to give it a try.
Synopsis from Goodreads: 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.
My thoughts: This was a fun, quick read that I really enjoyed. It’s the first non-Shopaholic book I’ve read by Sophie Kinsella. Twenties Girl is the story of Lara Lington and her great-aunt Sadie. The catch – Sadie is a ghost, and Lara barely knew her in life. Through Sadie’s persistent haunting, Lara gets to know her – and in the process, learns quite a lot about herself. While I don’t normally read anything having to do with the paranormal, I picked this one up because of the author and the fun cover.
While attending the funeral of her great aunt Sadie, the spirit of the aunt begins to haunt Lara, demanding she find some way to stop the funeral and help Sadie get back a necklace that means a great deal to her. In doing this, Lara discovers some shocking secrets about her family. Along the way, Lara meets a handsome American and finds out her best friend a business partner is a total fraud. While searching for the necklace, Lara learns just what a fascinating person her great aunt was, and learns how she wants to live. Sadie teaches Lara about relationships, having fun, and moving on. In the process, she leads Lara to step beyond her boundaries and live a more fulfilled life.
Sophie Kinsella really creates a vivid world for the reader to enter. I could visualize the dresses and the jewelry that Sadie talks about and could see her twirling around the dance floor. Having enjoyed this one so much, I think I might now go pick up some of Sophie Kinsella’s other non-Shopaholic books!
(I purchased this e-book.)
Great review! I've been looking forward to this one for awhile and just haven't gotten around to reading it. You should definitely try her Can You Keep a Secret and The Undomestic Goddess! I like them more than the Shopaholic books.
@emmegailsbookshelf Thanks for the suggestions…I will definitely check them out!
I have read some of her books, but not the Shopaholic Series. I have this one on my shelf. Thanks for the review!
This sounds like a really great book. My sister and mother stole my copy before I could get around to reading it. They both really enjoyed it. I need to get it back from them so I can read it myself!
This does sound like a really fun read. I have wondered about it for a while, but not actually gotten to reading it. Great review Kristin, I'm happy to see that you enjoyed it!
Sophie Kinsella always entertains me with her novels. I walked with Becky Bloomwood to all the shops in the "Shopaholic" series, I went along on Lexi's adventures of amnesia in "Remember Me?", and I laughed as Samantha goes from being an office flunky to an amateur housekeeper in "The Undomestic Goddess". I was thrilled to see this book, "Twenties Girl", in the library as a quick read and snatched it right up.