Review: Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella Review

“When things go wrong in life, lift your chin, put on a ravishing smile, mix yourself with a cocktail and out you go.”

I read Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella because I read CanYou Keep A Secret? and totally loved it! And the rest of her novels are very good from what I hear. This is a departure from my comfort zone of YA, but it’s an easy leap. At time the characters drove me crazy, but in the end I was in love. 

Twenties Girl 

by Sophie Kinsella

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 request: Lara must find a missing necklace that had been in Sadie’s possession for more than seventy-five years, because Sadie cannot rest without it. 

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 and about each other. 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. 

Twenties Girl follows Lara Lington, niece of a famous business man Bill Lington, a struggling headhunter that just starting out her own business with her flighty best friend. Lara is recently dumped by Josh without an explanation, her best friend and business partner took off with an exotic lover, leaving Lara in charge without a clue how to run things and her parents are ever worrying about her well being. 

A death in the family brings her together with her parents and her uncle’s more lucky family (rich and snooty if I might add). Her great aunt Sadie’s died at the age of 105 and the funeral is a pathetic. With minimal turnout and not a flower to be seen, the family is judged by the funeral director when they are unable to recall anything about Sadie’s life. Just before the end of the service, Sadie’s 23-year-old self makes her self know to Lara, as a ghost. Her reason for not going over, her dragonfly necklace she has had all of her life is missing and she cannot rest without it. 

Sadie choose Lara to help on this quest and won’t take no for an answer. Sadie screams and shouts at Lara until she agrees to help. First order of business is to postpone the cremation. Sadie often persuades Lara to do things she would never do (such as walking into a business meeting and asking for a date. And sneaking into her uncles house for the necklace). But Lara sees Sadie as a wonderful pawn in her game to get back with her ex. 

As they venture on their journey, it takes some surprising twists and turns. Sadie and Lara turn into quite the companions on their journey to find the missing necklace. But their journey turns into more than finding the necklace, its more about what footprints you want left behind when your no longer there to make them. Sadie and Lara learn together the joy and difficulties in discovering who they are, what life is all about and how much the people in your life matter. 

I enjoy Kinsella’s writings but I found this one to be a bit difficult for me. I found many of the elements to be obnoxious and obsessive. Lara’s constant wining about wanting her ex back almost made me quit. But when she wasn’t obsessing over her ex, her personality was quite tolerable. Esp. how she was when she was around Ed. When she said I don’t have to make an impression with him and don’t care what he thinks, she was being her true self. I always love when characters let down their walls and become vulnerable. It’s always a risk, but the rewards are often grand. As for Lara, her rewards were the best anyone could have; discovering how strong she is and becoming her own individual person. 

Because at times this book drove me crazy, the real reason I didn’t just throw it away was because of Sadie. I would love to have a story about just Sadie. I have a soft spot in my heart for the elderly population. They have lived a grand life and experienced so much. I love listening to their stories about life and love and happiness. And there for I LOVE Sadie. Despite her obnoxiousness I still loved her outlook on life. Her outrageous and often over the top youth was faded to memory, as she got older and discarded to a nursing home. I found myself wanting to know more about Sadie because she was dismissive about her past and not wanting to dwell on the things that cant be changed. Her outlook on life is what drove me to finish this book. 

The end is very touching and this was a nice departure from my usual genre of YA. Although not her best book, I still enjoy the deeper meaning behind the story. If you like a good romantic comedy, check it out. Also check out her other books too. They are all wonderful!

Overall rating: 3/5

Tally HO!