Luckiest Girl Alive

I finished this book on Sunday and instead of rushing to write a book review; like I usually do, I held off. My first thought was it’s not ‘my cup of tea’, i.e. it wasn’t to my liking. So I thought it was best to take some time to reflect on why I felt that way.

The story focuses around the past and present life of TifAni; a girl who is obsessed with changing her image. In her past, we meet young TifAni as she starts her new private school and tries desperately to fit in with the popular crowd. In the present, we meet the rebranded ‘Ani’, engaged to the handsome, rich Luke and with a successful magazine job. But Ani is tormented by her past; she’s unable to sleep and is eager for her side of the story to be finally told.

The story beautifully flicks between the past and the present, which kept me hooked and turning the pages long into the night. You find out that TifAni had a dreadful time in school, with some shocking events occurring. Jessica builds up the story so cleverly that from the start of the book, what you believe is keeping Ani up at night in the present, turns out to be something completely different and… Much darker!

In the present, a documentary is being filmed about the events and after all that time, Ani is finally ready to admit what happened; something she had backed out of doing when she was young. The documentary provides a link, which allows us to explore how some of the other characters have changed over time; the common theme of ‘it should never have happened’ is picked up as the characters reflect on their immaturity.

So what put me off this book? Looking back, I loved the to and fro between the past and the present; I understood TifAni’s need to rebrand herself and I loved the ending. What I struggled with was the events TifAni went through in school and her ‘bedroom preferences’. Similar to Maestra by Lisa Hilton, this story is not for the young and unless you’re a fan of Fifty Shades of Grey, some of TifAni’s thoughts can make you feel a little uncomfortable.

Until next time, Chloe x

P.S. I’m currently reading The Storm Sister, which is the second in the Seven Sisters series by Lucinda Riley