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Luckiest Girl Alive
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Mystery & Thriller (2015), Nominee for Best Debut Goodreads Author (2015)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?
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?
338 pages, Hardcover
First published May 12, 2015
About the author
Jessica Knoll
7 books4,904 followersJessica Knoll is the New York Times Bestselling author of THE FAVORITE SISTER and LUCKIEST GIRL ALIVE—now a major motion picture on Netflix starring Mila Kunis. She has been a senior editor at Cosmopolitan, and the articles editor at SELF. She grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and graduated from The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and bulldog, Franklin. BRIGHT YOUNG WOMEN, her third novel, publishes on September 19th.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 17,847 reviews
June 12, 2016
When a book becomes one of the most-read books of the week/month on Goodreads but maintains a barely respectable average rating of 3.6, there are usually one of two reasons for it:
1) The book is an objectively well-written, pretentious masterpiece that everyone thinks they should read but no one really likes.
Or 2) Some marketing guru thought it would be a good idea to - wrongly - pitch the book as the next Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Gone Girl... etc.
In this case, it's the second reason. Luckiest Girl Alive is Gone Girl's boring, less clever, younger sister. It's a tale devoid of emotional connection of any kind, introducing a narrator who establishes herself as a cold-hearted bitch on the first page and continues to seal the title of "unlikable narrator" by analyzing, judging and hating every woman she has ever known.
I really, really hate it when people say this, so I'm sorry, but I think so much about this book was a case of "trying too hard". I know, I know, what the fuck does that mean?? Well, here it means that the author created a villainous caricature, rather than a complex character. Authors like Gillian Flynn write women who ruminate on human behaviour, who dissect the world around them with a nihilistic flair; Knoll tries to do the same, but it's too forced.
Amy Dunne is so great because there's grains of truth in her insanity (we know all about the "cool girl"); Ani FaNelli, on the other hand, is just mindlessly ranting to demonstrate her own inner crazy-bitchness. When Amy Dunne offered some insight into the way people behave, I found myself nodding and understanding exactly what she meant; when Ani FaNelli bitchily finds fault with everyone around her, I was rolling my eyes.
Plus, it was freaking boring. We're promised all these secrets and revenge but, frankly, I never cared. Ani is so annoying and her inner narrative so very tedious. She spends way too much time pulling apart what other women are wearing - I honestly do not give a flying fuck if that bag is Chanel or if those leather pants are real - and making judgments based upon it; judgements that I suppose are to indicate how observant and twistedly insightful our protagonist is.
There is no emotion in this book. It deals with serious issues like rape and even they are glossed over with nary an emotion in sight. The glaring problem was that I never felt a reason to care about anything. Not the characters. Not the story. Such a dull read.
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1) The book is an objectively well-written, pretentious masterpiece that everyone thinks they should read but no one really likes.
Or 2) Some marketing guru thought it would be a good idea to - wrongly - pitch the book as the next Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Gone Girl... etc.
In this case, it's the second reason. Luckiest Girl Alive is Gone Girl's boring, less clever, younger sister. It's a tale devoid of emotional connection of any kind, introducing a narrator who establishes herself as a cold-hearted bitch on the first page and continues to seal the title of "unlikable narrator" by analyzing, judging and hating every woman she has ever known.
I really, really hate it when people say this, so I'm sorry, but I think so much about this book was a case of "trying too hard". I know, I know, what the fuck does that mean?? Well, here it means that the author created a villainous caricature, rather than a complex character. Authors like Gillian Flynn write women who ruminate on human behaviour, who dissect the world around them with a nihilistic flair; Knoll tries to do the same, but it's too forced.
Amy Dunne is so great because there's grains of truth in her insanity (we know all about the "cool girl"); Ani FaNelli, on the other hand, is just mindlessly ranting to demonstrate her own inner crazy-bitchness. When Amy Dunne offered some insight into the way people behave, I found myself nodding and understanding exactly what she meant; when Ani FaNelli bitchily finds fault with everyone around her, I was rolling my eyes.
Plus, it was freaking boring. We're promised all these secrets and revenge but, frankly, I never cared. Ani is so annoying and her inner narrative so very tedious. She spends way too much time pulling apart what other women are wearing - I honestly do not give a flying fuck if that bag is Chanel or if those leather pants are real - and making judgments based upon it; judgements that I suppose are to indicate how observant and twistedly insightful our protagonist is.
There is no emotion in this book. It deals with serious issues like rape and even they are glossed over with nary an emotion in sight. The glaring problem was that I never felt a reason to care about anything. Not the characters. Not the story. Such a dull read.
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June 3, 2015
“She didn’t have anything in her teeth.”This book was sold with a blurb as being "for fans of Gone Girl." With all due respect, there is no comparison. It is more The Devil Meets Prada or Four Blondes than anything else. At best, it is the poor man's Gone Girl, a fake $5 knockoff of the original.
I took my time leaning over the table, slurped my wine from the rim to spare my white jeans. Never fuck with a rich white bitch and her white jeans. “Not in her teeth. Up her ass, on the other hand . . .”
Luke’s laugh was the standing ovation. He shook his head, impressed. “You can be pretty vicious, you know?”
There is no arguing who is the superior writer. Flynn's words have more power. Knoll's words feel emotionless. Paraphrased. Here is a comparison of two paragraphs.
First, Flynn:
“Men always say that as the defining compliment, don’t they? She’s a cool girl. Being the Cool Girl means I am a hot, brilliant, funny woman who adores football, poker, dirty jokes, and burping, who plays video games, drinks cheap beer, loves threesomes and anal sex, and jams hot dogs and hamburgers into her mouth like she’s hosting the world’s biggest culinary gang bang while somehow maintaining a size 2, because Cool Girls are above all hot.Now, Knoll:
Men actually think this girl exists. Maybe they’re fooled because so many women are willing to pretend to be this girl. For a long time Cool Girl offended me. I used to see men – friends, coworkers, strangers – giddy over these awful pretender women, and I’d want to sit these men down and calmly say: You are not dating a woman, you are dating a woman who has watched too many movies written by socially awkward men who’d like to believe that this kind of woman exists and might kiss them. I’d want to grab the poor guy by his lapels or messenger bag and say: The bitch doesn’t really love chili dogs that much – no one loves chili dogs that much! And the Cool Girls are even more pathetic: They’re not even pretending to be the woman they want to be, they’re pretending to be the woman a man wants them to be.
Pretty girls had to appear as though they weren’t trying to be pretty, which I had made the fatal mistake of doing at Bradley. There were times Nell went out in her father’s polo, nasty old Uggs, and sweatpants, no makeup, just to prove her loyalty resided with her own gender. Pretty girls also had to have a self-deprecating sense of humor and point out when they had a blistering pimple and talk about their explosive diarrhea to assure other girls that they weren’t interested in the role of man-eating minx.As you can see, there is no comparison as to whose words are far more effective.
This book dealt with some very difficult issues, issues like rape and eating disorders, but it didn't deal with them well. The issues were dealt with dismissively, the narrator discussed them with as much emotion as if she was telling us about her last SoulCycle class.
I understand that everyone deals with these issues in a different way. Some dismiss them, try not to think about them. Others dwell on their pain. A good book that deals with these issue tell the story of the character--the victim---in such a way as to make the reader empathize with what they have gone through. However the character deals with their past, be it downright "I'm going to pretend it never happened" to "I can't stop thinking about it. This is killing me," the reader should FEEL it.
This did not happen in this book. You may argue that this is the main character's way of dealing with things, that I should infer it through her experience. Well, with all due respect, fuck that shit, this is a book. It is not the reader's burden to infer everything. If that's the case, you might as well hand me a blank book with two characters names typed on it and have me infer 600 pages. I don't think so.
As a narrator, the main character, the rather unfortunately named TifAni FaNelli, "Ani" (pronounced aaaaaaahh-nee), is a highly irritating one. She has one tone: glib. Again, there is zero emotion in anything she describes, from her work, to her past, to her relationships, to her descriptions of the people in her life.
Speaking of the people in her life, they are no better. Every single one of them is one-dimensional. Ani herself is materialistic, bitchy, constantly criticizing of others (hint: she doesn't like anyone). All the men in the book are arrogant assholes, easily manipulable if one just say the right things, offer the right promises, offer them that little bit of excitement, be the lady in the living room, the cook in the kitchen, the whore in the bedroom. All the women in the book are competitors.
His wife, body mean with Equinox muscles, cheery blond hair swept away from her face in a ninety-dollar blow-out. I always eye the wife first; I like to know what I’m up against. She was wearing the typical Kate uniform: white jeans, nude wedges, and a silky, sleeveless top. Hot pink, I’m sure she spent a few minutes debating it—was she tan enough, maybe the navy silky sleeveless top instead, can’t go wrong with navy—and over her shoulder, a cognac Prada the exact same shade as her shoes, the perfect match more age revealing than the skin starting to pucker in her neck. She had at least ten years on me, I determined, relieved. I don’t know how I’m going to live with myself when I turn thirty.None of the women eat. They're all medicated up the yin-yang, spray-tanned, Botoxed Bergdorf blondes whose greatest desire in life is the ring, the husband in finance, the designer child, the summer house in Nantucket. The artificiality of it would be humorous, except that everything in this book reeks with tension-filled misery.
Ani's life is a giant parade in which she is the showpiece. She is clearly miserable, her life is one of an underfed bird in a gilded cage, and I have no idea why she strives so hard to maintain it.
Ani has as much personality as a gluten-free piece of bread. She is "shocking" to the upper class, and to the reader, because of her sexual proclivities. Hearing her describe her good qualities is simply pitiful.
I’m pretty—I have to work at it, but the raw materials are there. I’m four years Luke’s junior, which isn’t as good as eight, but still, something. I also like to do “weird” things in bed. Even though Luke and I have very different definitions of “weird” (him: doggy style and hair pulling, me: electric shocks to my pussy with a ball gag in my mouth to stifle my screams), by his standards, we have a freaky, fulfilling sex lifeAnd it's not a pitiful as in "poor girl, she has so much going for her, but she doesn't realize her full potential," as much as it is "wow, what a sorry excuse for a human being. But really, what's between her legs is more interesting than what's in between her head, which is, frankly, nothing at all.
There is a severe disconnect between her and the reader. As a result, I have no empathy for her. I have no emotional connection with her. I do not feel her pain. I find her story boring. I find what happened to her---as atrocious as it was---to be little more than an afterthought.
The story is so, so dull. How can a revenge story hold so little interest? Well, read this book, and you will see how. The narrative is disruptive, jumping from her teens to her current "perfect" life, and frankly, both timelines bore the fuck out of me.
June 20, 2018
You only scream when you're finally safe.
this book is kind of like if the lifetime channel exploded, causing lifetime confetti to go everywhere.
but i don't think that's a bad thing.
a lot of people have had really strong negative reactions to this book, but since this seems to be the year that i like the books everyone hates and hate the books everyone likes, here i am with at least one thumb up.
this book is far from perfect, and it's got a lot of things in it that people who read less clinically than i do are going to have emotional responses to. it covers all the modern-day danger-ground topics like bullying, , , eating disorders, homophobia, and there are various gender and class issues scattered throughout.
is it the new Gone Girl? not really, although it does share some qualities with that book in centering around a calculating and manipulative female lead, with several twists and reveals along the way, as well as an explication of knoll's version of "the cool girl." however, unlike Gone Girl, where the more we know about amy dunne the less likable she is, here it's the complete opposite and the character becomes more sympathetic as the story unfolds.
and i like antiheroes more than empathy.
i suppose here is where i am supposed to use the character's name, but it is so spectacularly bad. and it's meant to be, but still. okay - bracing myself: TifAni FaNelli. fortunately, she goes by "ani" for most of the book, so i will use that name for the rest of the review, because good lord.
so ani is one stone cold bitch. shedding her past and her bougie mother's grasping ways (Italians who don't even know how to pronounce "bruschetta." We are the worst kind.), she has reinvented herself not only by changing her name, but by changing her everything. she has landed herself a prestigious job at a well-known women's magazine and refashioned herself into a combination of trendy stylishness and timeless class, landing herself a fiance who can offer her the stability of his family's aristocratic, blueblooded bliss. and a honking big ring. ani has relentlessly driven herself up several social classes through observation and rigorous study, learning the difference between nouveau riche and really rich, learning the difference between true class and glitzy veneer, learning old-world etiquette and adopting the pose for herself. she is bateman-esque in her label name-dropping and her carefully-composed public face.
about that honking big ring, which she casually flaunts at every opportunity
…my pride and joy: a fat, brilliant emerald planet, flanked by two winking diamonds, the band simple platinum. It had been Luke's grandmother's - pardon me, his Mammy's - and when he gave it to me he'd offered me the option to reset the stones on a diamond band. "Mom's jewelry guy said that's the look a lot of girls go for now. It's more modern I guess."
And that's exactly why I didn't want to have it reset. No, I would wear it just the way dear sweet Mammy had worn it: at once restrained and ornate. A very clear message: This is an heirloom. We don't just have money, we come from money.
she is the very paradigm of calculating self-control - starving and exercising herself to exhaustion to attain her ideal body, and using her status and beauty to power play other women. it's cutthroat competition, and she's great at it. it's snarky popcorn entertainment.
I always eye the wife first; I like to know what I'm up against. She was wearing the typical Kate uniform: white jeans, nude wedges, and a silky, sleeveless top. Hot pink, I'm sure she spent a few minutes debating it - was she tan enough, maybe the navy silky sleeveless top instead, can't go wrong with navy - and over her shoulder, a cognac Prada the exact same shade as her shoes, the perfect match more age revealing than the skin starting to pucker in her neck. She had at least ten years on me, I determined, relieved. I don't know how I'm going to live with myself when I turn thirty.
my problem is - i liked her cold. i liked her savage. i enjoyed her chilling calculations - My favorite strategy is to feign inferiority and encourage my enemy's arrogance. but as the story progresses, and we learn about her past and what she has lived through (a checklist of lifetime movie themes), so much of what she is now turns out to be just superficial reflexive armor and when the cracks reveal her past vulnerability, i thought the story weakened.
not that her backstory is weak on its own, but this reads like two separate stories fused together, and it's the joining that is unconvincing.
there's a reason both megan abbott and alissa nutting have blurbed this. knoll writes the teenage girl stuff so so well, and it's heartbreaking, but she's also able to slide a thin blade under your comfort level with shocking scenes just this side of gratuitous.
i'm more interested in/impressed by the heartbreak than the shock, so i'm going to focus on that, even though it's the shocking things that most readers will remember. this really does a great job covering all the warts of female adolescence; it's the froth of mean girls mixed with blood and venom: the social performances required to achieve and maintain status, the superficiality, the shame of having breasts enormous and unpredictable without a bra, the boredom of following the crowd, how private letting-off-of-steam appears more sinister under the public eye, the way motives are misjudged, the way there's nothing sadder than the adolescent rite of passage to have sex before understanding what sexy is, the temporary rise in popularity and the rapid decline after obscure transgressions, and the cutthroat ways that girls enact revenge on other girls. jesus, the scene with the running shorts will NEVER LEAVE ME.
this sums up adolescence perfectly:
I was so tired of everything that was embarrassing about me being on display.
and you don't come out of that without a little damage; without learning how to hustle and con and pose and manipulate and become an adaptive adult.
and ani's damage is worse than most because - again - she has lived through every after-school special ever.
and she leaves behind her painful adolescence by distancing herself from everything she was, learning the ropes and ascending beyond her expectations, The place I had worked so hard to fit into that was now beneath me.
but the past never leaves us.
i really liked this book. i wish it had been two different books, because i think it takes on too many issues and it doesn't present a consistent character, even allowing for change and growth and damage, but it was damn entertaining and i don't got no triggers, so i liked it just fine.
come to my blog!
this book is kind of like if the lifetime channel exploded, causing lifetime confetti to go everywhere.
but i don't think that's a bad thing.
a lot of people have had really strong negative reactions to this book, but since this seems to be the year that i like the books everyone hates and hate the books everyone likes, here i am with at least one thumb up.
this book is far from perfect, and it's got a lot of things in it that people who read less clinically than i do are going to have emotional responses to. it covers all the modern-day danger-ground topics like bullying, , , eating disorders, homophobia, and there are various gender and class issues scattered throughout.
is it the new Gone Girl? not really, although it does share some qualities with that book in centering around a calculating and manipulative female lead, with several twists and reveals along the way, as well as an explication of knoll's version of "the cool girl." however, unlike Gone Girl, where the more we know about amy dunne the less likable she is, here it's the complete opposite and the character becomes more sympathetic as the story unfolds.
and i like antiheroes more than empathy.
i suppose here is where i am supposed to use the character's name, but it is so spectacularly bad. and it's meant to be, but still. okay - bracing myself: TifAni FaNelli. fortunately, she goes by "ani" for most of the book, so i will use that name for the rest of the review, because good lord.
so ani is one stone cold bitch. shedding her past and her bougie mother's grasping ways (Italians who don't even know how to pronounce "bruschetta." We are the worst kind.), she has reinvented herself not only by changing her name, but by changing her everything. she has landed herself a prestigious job at a well-known women's magazine and refashioned herself into a combination of trendy stylishness and timeless class, landing herself a fiance who can offer her the stability of his family's aristocratic, blueblooded bliss. and a honking big ring. ani has relentlessly driven herself up several social classes through observation and rigorous study, learning the difference between nouveau riche and really rich, learning the difference between true class and glitzy veneer, learning old-world etiquette and adopting the pose for herself. she is bateman-esque in her label name-dropping and her carefully-composed public face.
about that honking big ring, which she casually flaunts at every opportunity
…my pride and joy: a fat, brilliant emerald planet, flanked by two winking diamonds, the band simple platinum. It had been Luke's grandmother's - pardon me, his Mammy's - and when he gave it to me he'd offered me the option to reset the stones on a diamond band. "Mom's jewelry guy said that's the look a lot of girls go for now. It's more modern I guess."
And that's exactly why I didn't want to have it reset. No, I would wear it just the way dear sweet Mammy had worn it: at once restrained and ornate. A very clear message: This is an heirloom. We don't just have money, we come from money.
she is the very paradigm of calculating self-control - starving and exercising herself to exhaustion to attain her ideal body, and using her status and beauty to power play other women. it's cutthroat competition, and she's great at it. it's snarky popcorn entertainment.
I always eye the wife first; I like to know what I'm up against. She was wearing the typical Kate uniform: white jeans, nude wedges, and a silky, sleeveless top. Hot pink, I'm sure she spent a few minutes debating it - was she tan enough, maybe the navy silky sleeveless top instead, can't go wrong with navy - and over her shoulder, a cognac Prada the exact same shade as her shoes, the perfect match more age revealing than the skin starting to pucker in her neck. She had at least ten years on me, I determined, relieved. I don't know how I'm going to live with myself when I turn thirty.
my problem is - i liked her cold. i liked her savage. i enjoyed her chilling calculations - My favorite strategy is to feign inferiority and encourage my enemy's arrogance. but as the story progresses, and we learn about her past and what she has lived through (a checklist of lifetime movie themes), so much of what she is now turns out to be just superficial reflexive armor and when the cracks reveal her past vulnerability, i thought the story weakened.
not that her backstory is weak on its own, but this reads like two separate stories fused together, and it's the joining that is unconvincing.
there's a reason both megan abbott and alissa nutting have blurbed this. knoll writes the teenage girl stuff so so well, and it's heartbreaking, but she's also able to slide a thin blade under your comfort level with shocking scenes just this side of gratuitous.
i'm more interested in/impressed by the heartbreak than the shock, so i'm going to focus on that, even though it's the shocking things that most readers will remember. this really does a great job covering all the warts of female adolescence; it's the froth of mean girls mixed with blood and venom: the social performances required to achieve and maintain status, the superficiality, the shame of having breasts enormous and unpredictable without a bra, the boredom of following the crowd, how private letting-off-of-steam appears more sinister under the public eye, the way motives are misjudged, the way there's nothing sadder than the adolescent rite of passage to have sex before understanding what sexy is, the temporary rise in popularity and the rapid decline after obscure transgressions, and the cutthroat ways that girls enact revenge on other girls. jesus, the scene with the running shorts will NEVER LEAVE ME.
this sums up adolescence perfectly:
I was so tired of everything that was embarrassing about me being on display.
and you don't come out of that without a little damage; without learning how to hustle and con and pose and manipulate and become an adaptive adult.
and ani's damage is worse than most because - again - she has lived through every after-school special ever.
and she leaves behind her painful adolescence by distancing herself from everything she was, learning the ropes and ascending beyond her expectations, The place I had worked so hard to fit into that was now beneath me.
but the past never leaves us.
i really liked this book. i wish it had been two different books, because i think it takes on too many issues and it doesn't present a consistent character, even allowing for change and growth and damage, but it was damn entertaining and i don't got no triggers, so i liked it just fine.
come to my blog!
Shelved as 'dnf'
August 8, 2015Got to the halfway mark, realized I didn't really feel like reading about rich, white people problems. Therefore, DNF.
June 7, 2015
I tried to get into this book. I truly did, but couldn't stand the authors writing style or the main character.
April 15, 2018
Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll is a 2015 Simon & Schuster publication.
When this book was first released and making the rounds on Goodreads, the cover was so enticing, but the reviews were mixed. I hemmed and hawed over it, unable to decide if I wanted to read it or not. But, as time passed, and all the hype died down, I forgot all about this book. But, when I noticed this author had a new release coming up soon, I thought I’d go back and give this book a second look. The reviews were still mixed, but this time, instead of scaring me away, it only increased my curiosity. It seemed people either loved it or hated it. I had to see which side of the fence I would come down on.
Ani’s life is golden. She has a job at a very popular women’s magazine and is engaged to Luke, a good looking, wealthy guy, and is ready to embark on, what appears on the surface, a charmed life. She embraces the role completely, replete with an entitled, snobby, snotty attitude. But, maintaining that image, is hard work. It seems Ani is also working mighty hard to convince herself, she’s as close to happy as she’s ever going to get, and that her chosen path is the right one for her. Further complicating matters, is that her dark and troubling past has come to roost, so to speak. She has agreed to do a documentary centered around a very traumatic event in Ani’s life, and Luke is not as supportive as she’d like him to be. Not only that, talking about it now, after all these years, has brought the whole horrible situation back into the forefront of her mind.
As the details slowly emerge, Ani’s well orchestrated and carefully constructed life begins to fray at the edges, as she confronts her personal inner demons.
Well, I must say, this book was nothing at all like I thought it would be. This is yet ANOTHER book once compared to ‘Gone Girl’. that is not even remotely similar in style, format or content, in my opinion. This is not a psychological thriller in the purest sense, either. Yes, there is a slow burn of building suspense, the feeling our narrator is not exactly reliable, and of course there are crimes, with a palpable feeling of foreboding, but at the end of the day, the book was more about Ani’s coming to terms with her past and the traumatic event that was the possible catalyst to a stunning turn of events. I don’t know if I’d say Ani’s psychological state was deteriorating, though, but I can see where some might question it. Admittedly, Ani is not the warmest person, especially in the beginning, which makes it hard to sympathize with her. But, as her story unfolds, I began to understand her better.
It took me a while to get into this book, and quite a while to read it as a result, but the second half of the book made up for it, big time. The book touches on some very important topics, and Ani’s backstory has a definite authenticity and realism to it. I think the book is far more thought provoking than it is being credited with, all because the characters are not especially likable. This is a shame because the very important messages the book sent out was tempered, drowned out by Ani’s difficult personality.
If you discover someone you dislike has suffered a series of very serious traumas, does that in some way lessen its severity, or make it any less a crime, any less traumatic? Could it be, that the reason the person behaves in an off-putting way is because they are a product of their past? Maybe they have suffered in ways you can’t imagine, maybe they are being judged, if not unfairly, then maybe a bit too harshly. Most importantly, though, is learning what makes a person tick can change our perception of them, softening our opinions. I admit I did feel guilty for being too hard on Ani in the beginning, did soften once I knew more about her, and even cheered for her after she made some very tough personal decisions about her life. In hindsight, I think Ani made a very interesting character study.
Having said all that, I still couldn’t decide how to rate this one. It was a bit uneven, and I’m not sure if painting Ani in such a negative light, was the best choice to make, or if maybe a firmer, more pronounced and obvious conclusion, was needed to wash that bad taste out the reader’s mouth. I don’t think the book quite lived up to the hype surrounding It either, and the style of writing is not comparable to Gillian Flynn, but the book does have many merits and is a very solid debut novel. In the end, I ended up sitting on the fence, instead of coming down on one side or the other. I didn’t love the book, but I certainly didn’t hate it. It didn’t stir my emotions, but it did make me think.
So, while I’ve been waffling between a 3 or 3.5, I’ve convinced myself to fudge the rating up a notch- 3.5 rounded up, to make up for my awful prejudgement and bias against Ani. May we should all strive to be and do better.
When this book was first released and making the rounds on Goodreads, the cover was so enticing, but the reviews were mixed. I hemmed and hawed over it, unable to decide if I wanted to read it or not. But, as time passed, and all the hype died down, I forgot all about this book. But, when I noticed this author had a new release coming up soon, I thought I’d go back and give this book a second look. The reviews were still mixed, but this time, instead of scaring me away, it only increased my curiosity. It seemed people either loved it or hated it. I had to see which side of the fence I would come down on.
Ani’s life is golden. She has a job at a very popular women’s magazine and is engaged to Luke, a good looking, wealthy guy, and is ready to embark on, what appears on the surface, a charmed life. She embraces the role completely, replete with an entitled, snobby, snotty attitude. But, maintaining that image, is hard work. It seems Ani is also working mighty hard to convince herself, she’s as close to happy as she’s ever going to get, and that her chosen path is the right one for her. Further complicating matters, is that her dark and troubling past has come to roost, so to speak. She has agreed to do a documentary centered around a very traumatic event in Ani’s life, and Luke is not as supportive as she’d like him to be. Not only that, talking about it now, after all these years, has brought the whole horrible situation back into the forefront of her mind.
As the details slowly emerge, Ani’s well orchestrated and carefully constructed life begins to fray at the edges, as she confronts her personal inner demons.
Well, I must say, this book was nothing at all like I thought it would be. This is yet ANOTHER book once compared to ‘Gone Girl’. that is not even remotely similar in style, format or content, in my opinion. This is not a psychological thriller in the purest sense, either. Yes, there is a slow burn of building suspense, the feeling our narrator is not exactly reliable, and of course there are crimes, with a palpable feeling of foreboding, but at the end of the day, the book was more about Ani’s coming to terms with her past and the traumatic event that was the possible catalyst to a stunning turn of events. I don’t know if I’d say Ani’s psychological state was deteriorating, though, but I can see where some might question it. Admittedly, Ani is not the warmest person, especially in the beginning, which makes it hard to sympathize with her. But, as her story unfolds, I began to understand her better.
It took me a while to get into this book, and quite a while to read it as a result, but the second half of the book made up for it, big time. The book touches on some very important topics, and Ani’s backstory has a definite authenticity and realism to it. I think the book is far more thought provoking than it is being credited with, all because the characters are not especially likable. This is a shame because the very important messages the book sent out was tempered, drowned out by Ani’s difficult personality.
If you discover someone you dislike has suffered a series of very serious traumas, does that in some way lessen its severity, or make it any less a crime, any less traumatic? Could it be, that the reason the person behaves in an off-putting way is because they are a product of their past? Maybe they have suffered in ways you can’t imagine, maybe they are being judged, if not unfairly, then maybe a bit too harshly. Most importantly, though, is learning what makes a person tick can change our perception of them, softening our opinions. I admit I did feel guilty for being too hard on Ani in the beginning, did soften once I knew more about her, and even cheered for her after she made some very tough personal decisions about her life. In hindsight, I think Ani made a very interesting character study.
Having said all that, I still couldn’t decide how to rate this one. It was a bit uneven, and I’m not sure if painting Ani in such a negative light, was the best choice to make, or if maybe a firmer, more pronounced and obvious conclusion, was needed to wash that bad taste out the reader’s mouth. I don’t think the book quite lived up to the hype surrounding It either, and the style of writing is not comparable to Gillian Flynn, but the book does have many merits and is a very solid debut novel. In the end, I ended up sitting on the fence, instead of coming down on one side or the other. I didn’t love the book, but I certainly didn’t hate it. It didn’t stir my emotions, but it did make me think.
So, while I’ve been waffling between a 3 or 3.5, I’ve convinced myself to fudge the rating up a notch- 3.5 rounded up, to make up for my awful prejudgement and bias against Ani. May we should all strive to be and do better.
January 2, 2020
In the ironically titled Luckiest Girl Alive we meet Ani Fanelli, a twenty-something who is all about appearances, which does not seem so much different from who she was as a teenager, when she was all about getting in with the cool kids. Teen-aged Ani goes through some pretty awful experiences, none of them deserved.
After struggling to make it in the big city, after having snagged a gold ring of a handsome, moneyed fiancee and the gold ring of a status career, Ani is busy planning her wedding. She has also agreed to participate in a documentary being made about a traumatic event she was involved in as a teen. It brings up many memories, and some old feelings, which, of course, affect decisions she must make.
There are plenty of fashion and cultural refs for those who enjoy them. Knoll certainly knows her designers, and that gives her venue believability. I tip my Brent Black Panama to Knoll for knowing her bling. The largest positive in the book is in showing not only how Ani found herself in an untenable position as a teen, but in illuminating both her thought process and the milieu in which she existed as she struggled to cope with the aftermath. There is real world relevance in this.
Luckiest certainly includes page-turning elements, particularly once we get the big reveal in the latter half. But I was never engaged enough with Ani to feel the love. Twenty-something Ani may be facing emotional and moral challenges but she is never in mortal peril, which is usually required for this sort of book. There is plenty of sympathy generated for Ani, for sure. The girl got a bad deal on several fronts. But will she have a happy marriage? Will she get the job of her dreams? Will she lose those last few pounds? Will she resolve her feelings for that guy from way back when? I never really cared that much.
While an attempt is clearly made to give the story meaningful substance, it never felt to me that it got more than skin deep. If all you need is a surface read, The Luckiest Girl Alive will certainly serve. But if you want something heartier, you might try your luck elsewhere.
Published - 5/12/15
Review posted - 12/25/15
After struggling to make it in the big city, after having snagged a gold ring of a handsome, moneyed fiancee and the gold ring of a status career, Ani is busy planning her wedding. She has also agreed to participate in a documentary being made about a traumatic event she was involved in as a teen. It brings up many memories, and some old feelings, which, of course, affect decisions she must make.
There are plenty of fashion and cultural refs for those who enjoy them. Knoll certainly knows her designers, and that gives her venue believability. I tip my Brent Black Panama to Knoll for knowing her bling. The largest positive in the book is in showing not only how Ani found herself in an untenable position as a teen, but in illuminating both her thought process and the milieu in which she existed as she struggled to cope with the aftermath. There is real world relevance in this.
Luckiest certainly includes page-turning elements, particularly once we get the big reveal in the latter half. But I was never engaged enough with Ani to feel the love. Twenty-something Ani may be facing emotional and moral challenges but she is never in mortal peril, which is usually required for this sort of book. There is plenty of sympathy generated for Ani, for sure. The girl got a bad deal on several fronts. But will she have a happy marriage? Will she get the job of her dreams? Will she lose those last few pounds? Will she resolve her feelings for that guy from way back when? I never really cared that much.
While an attempt is clearly made to give the story meaningful substance, it never felt to me that it got more than skin deep. If all you need is a surface read, The Luckiest Girl Alive will certainly serve. But if you want something heartier, you might try your luck elsewhere.
Published - 5/12/15
Review posted - 12/25/15
November 8, 2022
Jessica Knoll is trying to discuss a very important topic in this book.
What will you do if the ghosts of your past come back, haunting you both in the present and the future? The author attempts to answer this question through this book.
The public humiliation that Ani had to go through and how she is trying to overcome it with a successful career are all interesting topics that the readers will love to read. It is the execution and the narration that totally disappointed me. Despite an interesting plot, this book failed to get me involved with the characters. I badly wanted to connect with Ani's feelings, but sadly her character is written in a complicated way, and the writing pushed me into a mode where I was not enthusiastic about what she was doing. I can't blame the author entirely for my bad experience with the book. I expected a book like Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl with many thrilling elements that will keep us glued to it. If we approach this book without many expectations, I think we might have a better experience with it.
I picked up this book only because a new Netflix movie of this book has been released. I wanted to finish the book first before watching the movie. But after finishing the book, I lost the motivation to watch the film. Still, I somehow managed to watch it, and the movie also sadly didn't meet my expectations.
What will you do if the ghosts of your past come back, haunting you both in the present and the future? The author attempts to answer this question through this book.
The public humiliation that Ani had to go through and how she is trying to overcome it with a successful career are all interesting topics that the readers will love to read. It is the execution and the narration that totally disappointed me. Despite an interesting plot, this book failed to get me involved with the characters. I badly wanted to connect with Ani's feelings, but sadly her character is written in a complicated way, and the writing pushed me into a mode where I was not enthusiastic about what she was doing. I can't blame the author entirely for my bad experience with the book. I expected a book like Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl with many thrilling elements that will keep us glued to it. If we approach this book without many expectations, I think we might have a better experience with it.
I picked up this book only because a new Netflix movie of this book has been released. I wanted to finish the book first before watching the movie. But after finishing the book, I lost the motivation to watch the film. Still, I somehow managed to watch it, and the movie also sadly didn't meet my expectations.
May 9, 2018
Somewhere between 3 and 3.5 stars.
Well, I think it had been a few days since I saw a book compared to Gone Girl so thankfully we didn't lose a step. Truthfully, though, other than the fact that both books have the word "Girl" in their title, I don't know what they have in common, so maybe someone else can explain the need to compare the two.
Ani FaNelli finally has it all. She's engaged to a gorgeous, wealthy man from a notable family. He makes her feel safe and secure, and allows her to buy the designer wardrobe she needs to fit in. She also has a terrific job, writing for one of the most popular women's magazines, and while she is wearying of writing sex column after sex column, her boss promises a tantalizing opportunity not far in the future.
But in her teenage years, Ani, then known as TifAni, longed desperately to fit in, to be considered part of the popular crowd at the prestigious Bradley School. Her need to belong led herself to be more vulnerable than she would have been ordinarily, and although she quickly was befriended by a sarcastic group of outcasts, she wanted to be invited to the in crowd's lunch table, to be best friends with the girls everyone talked about.
A decision made in a split second made her the target of a humiliating event, and so while she became the talk of the school, it wasn't for the reasons she had hoped. But that event set her and her classmates on a dangerous course, one which will change many of their lives in ways they hadn't expected.
Years later, Ani is invited to tell her side of the story in a documentary. She desperately wants to show her old classmates that she isn't the same girl, that she finally has it all and is a worthy opponent. But what secrets will this documentary lay bare? Will she be able to channel the fear and anxiety she has had since those days? Is she truly a survivor, or a master manipulator?
Jessica Knoll creates a flawed and enigmatic character in Ani, and teases out her plot little by little, so you want to keep reading. There was some suspense, as I wanted to know how Ani's secrets, and how Knoll was going to resolve everything. Some of the twists were predictable, some less so, but while this was a diverting book that I read on a long flight, I don't know that I enjoyed it as much as I had hoped. Knoll certainly can write; I just found some of what happened really implausible, and at times, Ani was so unlikable that I just didn't care.
While I was reading this book on a plane, several passengers told me how much they liked it, so I may be in the minority here. But I just wanted to be wowed a little more, to feel a bit breathless when I finished the book, and that didn't happen.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com, or check out my list of the best books I read in 2017 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2017.html.
Well, I think it had been a few days since I saw a book compared to Gone Girl so thankfully we didn't lose a step. Truthfully, though, other than the fact that both books have the word "Girl" in their title, I don't know what they have in common, so maybe someone else can explain the need to compare the two.
Ani FaNelli finally has it all. She's engaged to a gorgeous, wealthy man from a notable family. He makes her feel safe and secure, and allows her to buy the designer wardrobe she needs to fit in. She also has a terrific job, writing for one of the most popular women's magazines, and while she is wearying of writing sex column after sex column, her boss promises a tantalizing opportunity not far in the future.
But in her teenage years, Ani, then known as TifAni, longed desperately to fit in, to be considered part of the popular crowd at the prestigious Bradley School. Her need to belong led herself to be more vulnerable than she would have been ordinarily, and although she quickly was befriended by a sarcastic group of outcasts, she wanted to be invited to the in crowd's lunch table, to be best friends with the girls everyone talked about.
A decision made in a split second made her the target of a humiliating event, and so while she became the talk of the school, it wasn't for the reasons she had hoped. But that event set her and her classmates on a dangerous course, one which will change many of their lives in ways they hadn't expected.
Years later, Ani is invited to tell her side of the story in a documentary. She desperately wants to show her old classmates that she isn't the same girl, that she finally has it all and is a worthy opponent. But what secrets will this documentary lay bare? Will she be able to channel the fear and anxiety she has had since those days? Is she truly a survivor, or a master manipulator?
Jessica Knoll creates a flawed and enigmatic character in Ani, and teases out her plot little by little, so you want to keep reading. There was some suspense, as I wanted to know how Ani's secrets, and how Knoll was going to resolve everything. Some of the twists were predictable, some less so, but while this was a diverting book that I read on a long flight, I don't know that I enjoyed it as much as I had hoped. Knoll certainly can write; I just found some of what happened really implausible, and at times, Ani was so unlikable that I just didn't care.
While I was reading this book on a plane, several passengers told me how much they liked it, so I may be in the minority here. But I just wanted to be wowed a little more, to feel a bit breathless when I finished the book, and that didn't happen.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com, or check out my list of the best books I read in 2017 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2017.html.
February 10, 2016
2.5 Stars
Whew! LUCKIEST GIRL ALIVE turned out to be a very long and tedious read for me that I really struggled to finish.
In a nutshell, this story is about a damaged, but fortunate 28 year old woman (with a secret past) who is in the process of planning her wedding soon to be part of a very affluent family, while at the same time, ruminating about an upcoming documentary depicting a disastrous and shocking time in her young 14 year old life.
I am sorry to say that despite the sensitive and horrific subject matter that comes to light, the deep emotional impact of the situation(s) were greatly lacking from my point of view, and boy....did it take a long time to get there.
Gillian Flynn-like.......I don't think so.
June 2, 2015
Hi. Come on in. Have a seat, here's a cup of tea. Now, let me explain to you why you need to pre-order (or, depending on the date you're reading this, go pick up) this book.
First and foremost, please understand that it took me a few times of running through the ARCs on Netgalley before I requested this title. The cover art just didn't do it for me, made me think romance, fluff, air. Not my style. But then I looked a little closer, read the description, popped onto GoodReads to see what was up with this book with a tragically unfortunate cover.
And I got intrigued.
I turned it into an at-work book. To be read on my computer during down times, or when mindlessly filing. And at first glance, it wasn't something I wished I had on my phone or tablet, to take home with me and devour.
But slowly, ever so slowly, it took over. And it's the first book in an extremely long time that I stayed awake to finish. And I lay awake afterwards because I couldn't stop thinking about it.
Reason Number One you need to get this book: Ani. The grown-up version of our narrator. You will hate her. She is shallow. She is a Super Bitch, one of those The Devil Wears Prada clackers who judges everyone she meets, and holds her power over them with intense self awareness. She knows she's a horrible person, and she crafts her world meticulously to make sure no one else does.
You will hate her.
Keep reading, though. Because when that facade starts to crack, when you see the bone and marrow beneath, it is so mesmerizing. This is when you start to get pulled in, really pulled in. You start to ask why.
Reason Number Two you need to get this book: TifAni. The 14-year old version of our narrator. God, if there were ever a more unfortunate name for a child. Why would you ever think it was a good idea to subject a child to this name.
You will not hate her. You might not particularly like her, but there will not be the visceral dislike you had for her adult counterpart. But she starts out as an average 14 year old, and depending on how far removed you are from her age, you might find her trying.
This story bounces back and forth in time between Ani and TifAni. And it tells you everything in tiny hints. Hints that make sense eventually, but it's not until you get to these reveals that you realize the hints existed in the first place.
Reason Number Three you need to get this book: You will think you know what's coming. You will laugh at your own assumptions when you find out you're so very wrong.
I will not spoil this book for you. Not because, "Don't you dare let anyone spoil this book for you!!" because that is a trope that is so overplayed as to be laughable. I won't spoil it because this roller coaster ride has to be felt all on its own, without warning.
Jessica Knoll needs to be commended for this writing. There are so many pot holes this book could have fallen into. So many turns it could've taken, that I was silently begging it not to take. Apparently, Ms Knoll and I are familiar with similar books, because she knew the pot holes I was worried about her falling in, and swerved around them so deftly. Every expectation I had disappeared. Every cliche I expected, it was like she was laughing at me. I love it.
This book is being compared to Gone Girl. Don't listen to that. It's in a league all on its own.
First and foremost, please understand that it took me a few times of running through the ARCs on Netgalley before I requested this title. The cover art just didn't do it for me, made me think romance, fluff, air. Not my style. But then I looked a little closer, read the description, popped onto GoodReads to see what was up with this book with a tragically unfortunate cover.
And I got intrigued.
I turned it into an at-work book. To be read on my computer during down times, or when mindlessly filing. And at first glance, it wasn't something I wished I had on my phone or tablet, to take home with me and devour.
But slowly, ever so slowly, it took over. And it's the first book in an extremely long time that I stayed awake to finish. And I lay awake afterwards because I couldn't stop thinking about it.
Reason Number One you need to get this book: Ani. The grown-up version of our narrator. You will hate her. She is shallow. She is a Super Bitch, one of those The Devil Wears Prada clackers who judges everyone she meets, and holds her power over them with intense self awareness. She knows she's a horrible person, and she crafts her world meticulously to make sure no one else does.
You will hate her.
Keep reading, though. Because when that facade starts to crack, when you see the bone and marrow beneath, it is so mesmerizing. This is when you start to get pulled in, really pulled in. You start to ask why.
Reason Number Two you need to get this book: TifAni. The 14-year old version of our narrator. God, if there were ever a more unfortunate name for a child. Why would you ever think it was a good idea to subject a child to this name.
You will not hate her. You might not particularly like her, but there will not be the visceral dislike you had for her adult counterpart. But she starts out as an average 14 year old, and depending on how far removed you are from her age, you might find her trying.
This story bounces back and forth in time between Ani and TifAni. And it tells you everything in tiny hints. Hints that make sense eventually, but it's not until you get to these reveals that you realize the hints existed in the first place.
Reason Number Three you need to get this book: You will think you know what's coming. You will laugh at your own assumptions when you find out you're so very wrong.
I will not spoil this book for you. Not because, "Don't you dare let anyone spoil this book for you!!" because that is a trope that is so overplayed as to be laughable. I won't spoil it because this roller coaster ride has to be felt all on its own, without warning.
Jessica Knoll needs to be commended for this writing. There are so many pot holes this book could have fallen into. So many turns it could've taken, that I was silently begging it not to take. Apparently, Ms Knoll and I are familiar with similar books, because she knew the pot holes I was worried about her falling in, and swerved around them so deftly. Every expectation I had disappeared. Every cliche I expected, it was like she was laughing at me. I love it.
This book is being compared to Gone Girl. Don't listen to that. It's in a league all on its own.
June 1, 2015
Definitely 1 star
And I give this without any regrets. Luckiest Girl Alive is one of those novels that tricks you through its promotions (you know how I fucking hate propaganda). Look at those reviews, this is labelled as a psychological thriller and how? Only the last 15% had any hint of suspense. Pfft.
And look how everyone is comparing this to Gillian Flynn. Gillian Flynn. Gone Girl. Amy Dunne!? Ani barely holds a candle to Amy Dunne’s amazing character. Such trickery. I went into this novel expecting a dark and twisty mystery but it’s actually just a girl bitching about husbands and life.
- I absolutely hated how this book was written. It was very choppy. Either the scenes cut too short or the scenes drag on and on. The narrative constantly jumps from past to present without giving at least any warning to the reader. It was very confusing and the characters were all so indistinguishable I couldn’t identify any of them. There was no uniqueness to the cast of characters. Everything was just so random!
- Not enough plot, too much sex talk. First 50% of the novel, characters would ramble on sexual topics. We were shown the life of Ani as an adult and as a teenager and in both of those timelines the characters were either
a.) talking about sex
b.) having sex
THAT’S IT and I was just wondering what the point of this novel is. The point was flown across at the end but it was never really addressed properly, the characters were too horny they can’t discuss such topics too soon!
- I felt like the author tackled too many subject matters at once. I mean this isn’t necessarily a bad thing but the way this book was executed and how things were not happening during the first half made the payoff at the end too underwhelming.
This tried to deal with heavy, sensitive subject matter but I just felt it wasn’t done all too well. And there were too many of those that the way it was resolved at the end was rushed and didn’t really have an impact on me. I did not feel it.
- This book is extremely slow. This adds to the whole lot of sex talk. I was so bored throughout the entire novel and so frustrated I felt like I wanted to throw my kindle at the wall. And probably one of the reasons why I didn’t feel the themes at the end was because I was really bored and wanted to finish it quickly. A very painful experience I have to tell you, very painful.
Those are just rundown of my thoughts and I was obviously disappointed overall. The hype (propaganda) surrounding this and all the comparisons to Gillian Flynn, I was really expecting a lot from this but it just turned out to be some long and pointless view into Ani's sexual life. Sigh. It’s just not for me.
And I give this without any regrets. Luckiest Girl Alive is one of those novels that tricks you through its promotions (you know how I fucking hate propaganda). Look at those reviews, this is labelled as a psychological thriller and how? Only the last 15% had any hint of suspense. Pfft.
And look how everyone is comparing this to Gillian Flynn. Gillian Flynn. Gone Girl. Amy Dunne!? Ani barely holds a candle to Amy Dunne’s amazing character. Such trickery. I went into this novel expecting a dark and twisty mystery but it’s actually just a girl bitching about husbands and life.
- I absolutely hated how this book was written. It was very choppy. Either the scenes cut too short or the scenes drag on and on. The narrative constantly jumps from past to present without giving at least any warning to the reader. It was very confusing and the characters were all so indistinguishable I couldn’t identify any of them. There was no uniqueness to the cast of characters. Everything was just so random!
- Not enough plot, too much sex talk. First 50% of the novel, characters would ramble on sexual topics. We were shown the life of Ani as an adult and as a teenager and in both of those timelines the characters were either
a.) talking about sex
b.) having sex
THAT’S IT and I was just wondering what the point of this novel is. The point was flown across at the end but it was never really addressed properly, the characters were too horny they can’t discuss such topics too soon!
- I felt like the author tackled too many subject matters at once. I mean this isn’t necessarily a bad thing but the way this book was executed and how things were not happening during the first half made the payoff at the end too underwhelming.
This tried to deal with heavy, sensitive subject matter but I just felt it wasn’t done all too well. And there were too many of those that the way it was resolved at the end was rushed and didn’t really have an impact on me. I did not feel it.
- This book is extremely slow. This adds to the whole lot of sex talk. I was so bored throughout the entire novel and so frustrated I felt like I wanted to throw my kindle at the wall. And probably one of the reasons why I didn’t feel the themes at the end was because I was really bored and wanted to finish it quickly. A very painful experience I have to tell you, very painful.
Those are just rundown of my thoughts and I was obviously disappointed overall. The hype (propaganda) surrounding this and all the comparisons to Gillian Flynn, I was really expecting a lot from this but it just turned out to be some long and pointless view into Ani's sexual life. Sigh. It’s just not for me.
April 6, 2016
Update: Now available in paperback. YAY!
"Luckiest Girl Alive" by Jessica Knoll was one of my favorite novels I read last year. The book's protagonist, Ani might come off as alluring and confident to her fiancée, Luke and to her flashy co-workers, but underneath her glossy sheen is a woman internally wrestling with past demons. Even though her personal and professional life is free of conflict; emotionally she is drowning. During Ani's teenage years, she endured a handful of traumas. Now that she's older, her destructive coping mechanisms (in dealing with those traumas) are starting to boil over. Ani does everything in power to be the "perfect woman" but the past has other plans. Jessica Knoll handles the sensitive subject matter with absolute precision. It's hard to believe this is Knoll's first novel. She writes like a pro. Brutally honest, sharp, haunting, and gutsy. A must-read. Enjoy!
"Luckiest Girl Alive" by Jessica Knoll was one of my favorite novels I read last year. The book's protagonist, Ani might come off as alluring and confident to her fiancée, Luke and to her flashy co-workers, but underneath her glossy sheen is a woman internally wrestling with past demons. Even though her personal and professional life is free of conflict; emotionally she is drowning. During Ani's teenage years, she endured a handful of traumas. Now that she's older, her destructive coping mechanisms (in dealing with those traumas) are starting to boil over. Ani does everything in power to be the "perfect woman" but the past has other plans. Jessica Knoll handles the sensitive subject matter with absolute precision. It's hard to believe this is Knoll's first novel. She writes like a pro. Brutally honest, sharp, haunting, and gutsy. A must-read. Enjoy!
April 10, 2024
It's difficult for me to explain in words the way this story shaped me as a person, also because I hadn't realized that until this re-reading. I was seventeen the first time, a lot already happened in my life and I understood it the way I thought it was supposed to be understood.
You could assume that now I'm wiser and know myself better, but no. Looking back at the younger and more naive version of me, I realize how much this story thought me to be harsher on myself, to be more cynical towards others and to pretend all the damn time because it's true, no one would ever like the real you.
I saw TifAni, her life and her lies, and I thought that was the way. One of the main reasons is that my girl is the original forgive-forget-but-never-let-go type of girl, and I was so happy not to be the only psycho around.
TifAni FaNelli is not a likeable character. She was a bitch before and she remains one after the tragedy in her life, she spent all her life pretending to be someone she’ll never be, and she had to fight with teeth and nails to survive. But she did the best she could with what she had, and I don't blame her for that.
Gun violence, raping, eating disorders, toxic relationships and many more topics are highly discussed in the book, but not in the way you probably expect them to be. And you know why? Because people are fucked up and many of them won't change their habits, can't change the way they cope with their lives.
And this is their story: semi-decent people who became horrible people, for one reason or another, starting an irreversible domino effect.
↠ 5 stars
Author's note: Luckiest Girl Alive was also turned into a movie (thanks Netflix) and it's pretty faithful to the book in comparison with other cinematography adaptations
You could assume that now I'm wiser and know myself better, but no. Looking back at the younger and more naive version of me, I realize how much this story thought me to be harsher on myself, to be more cynical towards others and to pretend all the damn time because it's true, no one would ever like the real you.
I saw TifAni, her life and her lies, and I thought that was the way. One of the main reasons is that my girl is the original forgive-forget-but-never-let-go type of girl, and I was so happy not to be the only psycho around.
TifAni FaNelli is not a likeable character. She was a bitch before and she remains one after the tragedy in her life, she spent all her life pretending to be someone she’ll never be, and she had to fight with teeth and nails to survive. But she did the best she could with what she had, and I don't blame her for that.
Gun violence, raping, eating disorders, toxic relationships and many more topics are highly discussed in the book, but not in the way you probably expect them to be. And you know why? Because people are fucked up and many of them won't change their habits, can't change the way they cope with their lives.
And this is their story: semi-decent people who became horrible people, for one reason or another, starting an irreversible domino effect.
↠ 5 stars
Author's note: Luckiest Girl Alive was also turned into a movie (thanks Netflix) and it's pretty faithful to the book in comparison with other cinematography adaptations
May 20, 2015
2.5 stars Entertaining, but this one tackles a few too many topics and doesn't really resolve any of them in a satisfactory manner. Liked the arch narrative voice (even with the over-emphasis on material goods...we get it, she's seeking security) but I think this needed more cohesion and streamlining, as well as better pacing and build-up of tension in the second half. The payoff is also far too predictable and underwhelming.
I'd check out a future book by this author, though.
I'd check out a future book by this author, though.
June 24, 2015
ARC for review.
I'm famous (well, "famous" is probably strong) for completing nearly every book I start. I can only think of a couple of instances where the book was so bad I didn't finish, seriously, maybe only two or three. So, obviously I end up reading some bad books.
Recently I was having a GoodReads conversation with my friend Amy, who had just stopped reading a book, and I started to rethink my position. Life is short and I currently have nearly nine hundred books on my "to read" list (and that means I actually OWN these books). However, this is a perfect example of way sometimes you have to give what seems like a book that is not for you a fighting chance.
Our heroine, TifAni (yep, I know some people would have stopped right there) is trying very hard to live the dream in NYC. She's worked hard to get a job at a women's magazine (think Cosmo), to find the right purse, the right hair color, the right weight (there's a LOT of talk about workouts and calories, etc.) and the right fiance - TifAni is a woman with stuff to prove, and she apparently intends to do that with Chloe bags, summers on Nantucket and a huge engagement ring that she wears as armor.
However, just when I had written this off as another Bergdorf Blondes, it takes a hard turn, and then a SECOND hard turn (and the second one I really didn't see coming). Suddenly, TifAni is a real human being, one that you sometimes want to shake and sometimes want to cheer on. I won't give away any spoilers (the first turn is probably fairly predictable, the second was quite a surprise), but if you are looking for a airplane or beach read, this is an excellent choice - enough fluff so that you can truly enjoy your cocktail, but enough meat that you'll keep turning the pages. Very, very good debut by Ms. Knoll.
I'm famous (well, "famous" is probably strong) for completing nearly every book I start. I can only think of a couple of instances where the book was so bad I didn't finish, seriously, maybe only two or three. So, obviously I end up reading some bad books.
Recently I was having a GoodReads conversation with my friend Amy, who had just stopped reading a book, and I started to rethink my position. Life is short and I currently have nearly nine hundred books on my "to read" list (and that means I actually OWN these books). However, this is a perfect example of way sometimes you have to give what seems like a book that is not for you a fighting chance.
Our heroine, TifAni (yep, I know some people would have stopped right there) is trying very hard to live the dream in NYC. She's worked hard to get a job at a women's magazine (think Cosmo), to find the right purse, the right hair color, the right weight (there's a LOT of talk about workouts and calories, etc.) and the right fiance - TifAni is a woman with stuff to prove, and she apparently intends to do that with Chloe bags, summers on Nantucket and a huge engagement ring that she wears as armor.
However, just when I had written this off as another Bergdorf Blondes, it takes a hard turn, and then a SECOND hard turn (and the second one I really didn't see coming). Suddenly, TifAni is a real human being, one that you sometimes want to shake and sometimes want to cheer on. I won't give away any spoilers (the first turn is probably fairly predictable, the second was quite a surprise), but if you are looking for a airplane or beach read, this is an excellent choice - enough fluff so that you can truly enjoy your cocktail, but enough meat that you'll keep turning the pages. Very, very good debut by Ms. Knoll.
February 7, 2015
3.5 Oh My! I think this is going to be a popular book.
For those who have enjoyed "Gone Girl", "The Good Girl", The "Still Missing" Girl, "The Forgotten Girl", and any other troubled story with the word "GIRL" on its book cover -then get a copy of
"Luckiest Girl Alive", and start reading!
As for me, I'm somewhat "A Confused Girl".
I'm confused about the 'ending' of this story. I'm not sure what 'fully' happened.
Makes you even more interested to read this right?
Heck, it would me! (but I'm not going to give any spoilers away here)
Its definitely a 'book-discussion' novel.
The main character isn't the most likeable person you'll ever met. In fact, 'none' of the characters are particularly likeable. Yet, doesn't matter --I can enjoy a book where I'm not crazy about the characters. I just need other things to keep me interested.
Ani FaNelli lived through a haunting disturbing trauma --(during High School).
As an adult -- She seems to have somewhat recovered. She works for an established successful woman's magazine, and is engaged to a man who loves her from an-affluent family.
The storytelling goes back and forth --flashbacks to her high school years.
The author Jessica Knoll does a great job engaging us --(but sometimes I just wasn't interested in what I was engaged in). The crafting was excellent though --artfully constructed!
I tended to get bored with the following 'ME' theme : (just my personal preference, though)
Ani's has concerns with being pretty, with her clothes size, and body image. Concerns with herself play out during both her teen years and adult years.
We witness Ani either feeling better than others, or less than. --but rarely do we experience Ani feeling 'whole'.
During her teen years --she often came off as being meek. As an adult, sometimes as a bitch. This contrasts from meek to bitch allows for some deeper human understanding though --(so I did understood the value for the situations presented to us in the storytelling)
Things I was 'most' interested in:
I wanted to know about the nightmare from Ani's teen years
I wanted to know more about Ani's relationship with her favorite teacher when she was in High School
I wanted to know more about the man Ani was engaged to as an adult
I wanted to know what choices Ani was going to make as an adult.
The suspense storytelling was built effectively --
There comes a point in the novel --where you can't stop reading --You're hooked!
Congrats to Jessical Knoll for a GIRL GRIPPING book!
Also --Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley
For those who have enjoyed "Gone Girl", "The Good Girl", The "Still Missing" Girl, "The Forgotten Girl", and any other troubled story with the word "GIRL" on its book cover -then get a copy of
"Luckiest Girl Alive", and start reading!
As for me, I'm somewhat "A Confused Girl".
I'm confused about the 'ending' of this story. I'm not sure what 'fully' happened.
Makes you even more interested to read this right?
Heck, it would me! (but I'm not going to give any spoilers away here)
Its definitely a 'book-discussion' novel.
The main character isn't the most likeable person you'll ever met. In fact, 'none' of the characters are particularly likeable. Yet, doesn't matter --I can enjoy a book where I'm not crazy about the characters. I just need other things to keep me interested.
Ani FaNelli lived through a haunting disturbing trauma --(during High School).
As an adult -- She seems to have somewhat recovered. She works for an established successful woman's magazine, and is engaged to a man who loves her from an-affluent family.
The storytelling goes back and forth --flashbacks to her high school years.
The author Jessica Knoll does a great job engaging us --(but sometimes I just wasn't interested in what I was engaged in). The crafting was excellent though --artfully constructed!
I tended to get bored with the following 'ME' theme : (just my personal preference, though)
Ani's has concerns with being pretty, with her clothes size, and body image. Concerns with herself play out during both her teen years and adult years.
We witness Ani either feeling better than others, or less than. --but rarely do we experience Ani feeling 'whole'.
During her teen years --she often came off as being meek. As an adult, sometimes as a bitch. This contrasts from meek to bitch allows for some deeper human understanding though --(so I did understood the value for the situations presented to us in the storytelling)
Things I was 'most' interested in:
I wanted to know about the nightmare from Ani's teen years
I wanted to know more about Ani's relationship with her favorite teacher when she was in High School
I wanted to know more about the man Ani was engaged to as an adult
I wanted to know what choices Ani was going to make as an adult.
The suspense storytelling was built effectively --
There comes a point in the novel --where you can't stop reading --You're hooked!
Congrats to Jessical Knoll for a GIRL GRIPPING book!
Also --Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley
February 10, 2017
This book was a drag, it had no positive element whatsoever. It was so bad.
From the first few pages I knew I wouldn't like Ani. She was a complete bitch and a half. Honestly all she did was judge others and complain and it drove me insane. The passages about her when she was in school were a little bit better. She wasn't as awful when she was 14. She was young and naïve and she made mistakes but we all do when we are young. It was only towards the end that I started to dislike young TifAni too. The other characters were so one-dimensional they were like cardboard cut-outs. Maybe it's because Ani was so superficial but I felt nothing for any of the characters. They were all absolutely horrid and I couldn't relate to any of them. Reading a book with characters like this is hard for me. I don't want much, I'm not asking for adorably loveable characters, just a character I can slightly relate to or sympathise with. Because there were no good characters, I was so disinterested, I really did not give a flying feck about the story.
The story annoyed me. Jessica Knoll kept dangling this super shocking secretive twist in front of me and it drove me insane. She was definitely doing it for the shock factor. Then the twist wasn't even that good and I was so annoyed. The only thing that kept me reading the book was to see what would happen. Nothing good happened. The ending was so frustrating. Like NO. This story has things like - drug use, rape, bullying, unhealthy diets, diet pills etc but it doesn't even open a conversation for these topics. It just adds them in for drama factor.
The writing didn't really impress me. I skimmed quite a bit because I was bored and all I cared about was getting to the end. If I had any sense in me I would have marked this as a DNF early on but no, I'm silly.
I would not recommend this and I won't be in a hurry to read another book by Jessica Knoll.
* Oh and this is NOTHING like Gone Girl. N-O-T-H-I-N-G!!! Amy was a brilliant character and she was 100% authentic and she was an evil bitchy genius. Ani was just a judgemental bitch.
From the first few pages I knew I wouldn't like Ani. She was a complete bitch and a half. Honestly all she did was judge others and complain and it drove me insane. The passages about her when she was in school were a little bit better. She wasn't as awful when she was 14. She was young and naïve and she made mistakes but we all do when we are young. It was only towards the end that I started to dislike young TifAni too. The other characters were so one-dimensional they were like cardboard cut-outs. Maybe it's because Ani was so superficial but I felt nothing for any of the characters. They were all absolutely horrid and I couldn't relate to any of them. Reading a book with characters like this is hard for me. I don't want much, I'm not asking for adorably loveable characters, just a character I can slightly relate to or sympathise with. Because there were no good characters, I was so disinterested, I really did not give a flying feck about the story.
The story annoyed me. Jessica Knoll kept dangling this super shocking secretive twist in front of me and it drove me insane. She was definitely doing it for the shock factor. Then the twist wasn't even that good and I was so annoyed. The only thing that kept me reading the book was to see what would happen. Nothing good happened. The ending was so frustrating. Like NO. This story has things like - drug use, rape, bullying, unhealthy diets, diet pills etc but it doesn't even open a conversation for these topics. It just adds them in for drama factor.
The writing didn't really impress me. I skimmed quite a bit because I was bored and all I cared about was getting to the end. If I had any sense in me I would have marked this as a DNF early on but no, I'm silly.
I would not recommend this and I won't be in a hurry to read another book by Jessica Knoll.
* Oh and this is NOTHING like Gone Girl. N-O-T-H-I-N-G!!! Amy was a brilliant character and she was 100% authentic and she was an evil bitchy genius. Ani was just a judgemental bitch.
August 19, 2016
★★★★½
The lingering affects of trauma...that is the theme of this novel. I could go into detail about the parallel storylines, the timeframes, and the relationship dynamics featured here, but it doesn't change the devastating portrait of a woman who grew up broken, unbelieved, invalidated, and judged. It's hard to heal under those circumstances, and the consequences sadly speak for themselves.
Jessica Knoll's debut novel, Luckiest Girl Alive is a character-driven novel that allows readers to get to know the leading lady: TifAni "Ani" FaNelli pretty intimately, but that's not always a good thing. After all, broken people are at times the most difficult. But I for one really liked her character and was less impressed with the behavior and thought-processes of those around her. Ms. Knoll's incorporation of realistic fiction, suspense, mystery, and complexity make this novel incredibly engaging from start to finish. Speaking of finishes, I must note that I was expecting a big twist or mind-boggling revelation at the end (likely due to the fanfare), but this wasn't the case. I did, however, leave my reading experience extremely satisfied with a feeling of hopefulness for TifAni. Instead of a gasp, I ended with a smile, and as long as TifAni was smiling too, that was OK with me :)
My favorite quote:
"He saw me at my stray-dog lowest and still he stood behind me, did everything he could to help me. He imagined the future I could have before I even wanted it for myself, and he was the one to push me toward it. That's faith. Growing up I thought faith was about believing Jesus died for us and that if I held on to that, I'd get to meet him when I died too. But faith doesn't mean that to me anymore. Now it means someone seeing something in you that you don't and not giving up until you see it too.”
The lingering affects of trauma...that is the theme of this novel. I could go into detail about the parallel storylines, the timeframes, and the relationship dynamics featured here, but it doesn't change the devastating portrait of a woman who grew up broken, unbelieved, invalidated, and judged. It's hard to heal under those circumstances, and the consequences sadly speak for themselves.
Jessica Knoll's debut novel, Luckiest Girl Alive is a character-driven novel that allows readers to get to know the leading lady: TifAni "Ani" FaNelli pretty intimately, but that's not always a good thing. After all, broken people are at times the most difficult. But I for one really liked her character and was less impressed with the behavior and thought-processes of those around her. Ms. Knoll's incorporation of realistic fiction, suspense, mystery, and complexity make this novel incredibly engaging from start to finish. Speaking of finishes, I must note that I was expecting a big twist or mind-boggling revelation at the end (likely due to the fanfare), but this wasn't the case. I did, however, leave my reading experience extremely satisfied with a feeling of hopefulness for TifAni. Instead of a gasp, I ended with a smile, and as long as TifAni was smiling too, that was OK with me :)
My favorite quote:
"He saw me at my stray-dog lowest and still he stood behind me, did everything he could to help me. He imagined the future I could have before I even wanted it for myself, and he was the one to push me toward it. That's faith. Growing up I thought faith was about believing Jesus died for us and that if I held on to that, I'd get to meet him when I died too. But faith doesn't mean that to me anymore. Now it means someone seeing something in you that you don't and not giving up until you see it too.”
September 3, 2017
Exquisitely disfunctional! And there's one hell of a crazy girl portrayed in here! It's Gone Girl all right! This book storyline is entirely disgusting, it's like watching a car crash.
One can easily see why modern guys go gay. I would too if facing life with such a nasty creature.
Frankly speaking, a good psychoanalyst would be soo much needed, both for the happy bride and for the unlucky catch. And for the reader too. This should be made a reading material for psychologists in training. The illustration for OCD, neurosis, PTSD and an entire plethora of other conditions.
Paying that much attention to minutiae of life, work, day-to-day... These people are officially crazy!
Q:
I once wrote some tip in The Women’s Magazine, “A study found that the act of physically closing your menu once you’ve decided what to order can make you feel more satisfied with your choice. So go with the pan-seared sole and snap that menu shut before you start eye-sexing the penne alla vodka.” LoLo, my boss, had underlined the words “eye-sexing” and written, “Hilarious.”
(c)
Q:
I gushed, “That would be such a help, Eleanor,” and bared my recently whitened teeth. The elevator doors dinged my freedom.
(c)
Q:
Clifford batted his eyes flirtatiously. Eleanor got nothing. Clifford has been the receptionist at The Women’s Magazine for twenty-one years and has various, absurd reasons for hating the majority of people who walk past him every day. Eleanor’s crime is that she is awful, but also that one time, an e-mail went out that there were cookies in the pantry. Clifford, who couldn’t leave the phones unattended, forwarded it to Eleanor asking her to bring him one, plus a coffee with enough milk that it turned the color of a camel. Eleanor happened to be in a meeting, and by the time she read the e-mail, the cookies were gone. She brought him his precious camel-colored coffee anyway, but Clifford turned his nose up at it and hasn’t spoken more than five words to her since. “Fat cow probably ate the last one instead of giving it to me,” he hissed to me after “the incident.” Eleanor is just about the most anorexic person I know, and we fell to our knees we laughed so hard.
(c)
Q:
“Look at that skirt.” Clifford whistled, his eyes approving on the size two leather tube I’d stuffed myself into after yesterday’s carb catastrophe. The compliment was as much for me as it was for Eleanor. Clifford loved to showboat what a peach he could be if only you never crossed him.
“Thank you, doll.” I opened the door for Eleanor.
“Fucking queen,” she muttered as she passed through, loud enough for Clifford to hear. She looked at me, waiting to see what I would do. If I ignored her, it was a line drawn in the sand. Laugh, and it was a betrayal to Clifford.
I held up my hands. Made sure my voice carried the lie, “I adore you both.”
(c)
Q:
The editor in chief—a chic, asexual woman named LoLo, with a menacing presence I thrive on because it makes my job feel forever in jeopardy and therefore important—seems to be simultaneously disgusted by and in awe of me.
(c)
Q:
My co-workers turn their noses up at meeting with these sad-sack girls the same way they turn their noses up at writing about the grundle, but I find it to be pure entertainment. Nine times out of ten, she’s the prettiest girl in her sorority, the one with the best closet, the biggest collection of J Brand jeans. I’ll never tire of seeing the shadow pass over her face when she sees my Derek Lam trousers slung low on my hips, the messy bun sprouting out of my neck. She’ll tug at the waist of her tasteful A-line dress that suddenly seems so matronly, smooth down her overly straightened hair, and realize she played it all wrong. This girl would have tortured me ten years ago, and I fly out of bed on the mornings I get to exert my power over her now.
...
I make it a point to bring these girls to the newsstand. “You were a staff writer for your college newspaper?” I’ll cradle my chin in my hand, encourage them to tell me more about their exposé on the school mascot, the costume’s homophobic undertones, when I’ve already decided how much help to provide them based on how they treat Loretta.
(c)
One can easily see why modern guys go gay. I would too if facing life with such a nasty creature.
Frankly speaking, a good psychoanalyst would be soo much needed, both for the happy bride and for the unlucky catch. And for the reader too. This should be made a reading material for psychologists in training. The illustration for OCD, neurosis, PTSD and an entire plethora of other conditions.
Paying that much attention to minutiae of life, work, day-to-day... These people are officially crazy!
Q:
I once wrote some tip in The Women’s Magazine, “A study found that the act of physically closing your menu once you’ve decided what to order can make you feel more satisfied with your choice. So go with the pan-seared sole and snap that menu shut before you start eye-sexing the penne alla vodka.” LoLo, my boss, had underlined the words “eye-sexing” and written, “Hilarious.”
(c)
Q:
I gushed, “That would be such a help, Eleanor,” and bared my recently whitened teeth. The elevator doors dinged my freedom.
(c)
Q:
Clifford batted his eyes flirtatiously. Eleanor got nothing. Clifford has been the receptionist at The Women’s Magazine for twenty-one years and has various, absurd reasons for hating the majority of people who walk past him every day. Eleanor’s crime is that she is awful, but also that one time, an e-mail went out that there were cookies in the pantry. Clifford, who couldn’t leave the phones unattended, forwarded it to Eleanor asking her to bring him one, plus a coffee with enough milk that it turned the color of a camel. Eleanor happened to be in a meeting, and by the time she read the e-mail, the cookies were gone. She brought him his precious camel-colored coffee anyway, but Clifford turned his nose up at it and hasn’t spoken more than five words to her since. “Fat cow probably ate the last one instead of giving it to me,” he hissed to me after “the incident.” Eleanor is just about the most anorexic person I know, and we fell to our knees we laughed so hard.
(c)
Q:
“Look at that skirt.” Clifford whistled, his eyes approving on the size two leather tube I’d stuffed myself into after yesterday’s carb catastrophe. The compliment was as much for me as it was for Eleanor. Clifford loved to showboat what a peach he could be if only you never crossed him.
“Thank you, doll.” I opened the door for Eleanor.
“Fucking queen,” she muttered as she passed through, loud enough for Clifford to hear. She looked at me, waiting to see what I would do. If I ignored her, it was a line drawn in the sand. Laugh, and it was a betrayal to Clifford.
I held up my hands. Made sure my voice carried the lie, “I adore you both.”
(c)
Q:
The editor in chief—a chic, asexual woman named LoLo, with a menacing presence I thrive on because it makes my job feel forever in jeopardy and therefore important—seems to be simultaneously disgusted by and in awe of me.
(c)
Q:
My co-workers turn their noses up at meeting with these sad-sack girls the same way they turn their noses up at writing about the grundle, but I find it to be pure entertainment. Nine times out of ten, she’s the prettiest girl in her sorority, the one with the best closet, the biggest collection of J Brand jeans. I’ll never tire of seeing the shadow pass over her face when she sees my Derek Lam trousers slung low on my hips, the messy bun sprouting out of my neck. She’ll tug at the waist of her tasteful A-line dress that suddenly seems so matronly, smooth down her overly straightened hair, and realize she played it all wrong. This girl would have tortured me ten years ago, and I fly out of bed on the mornings I get to exert my power over her now.
...
I make it a point to bring these girls to the newsstand. “You were a staff writer for your college newspaper?” I’ll cradle my chin in my hand, encourage them to tell me more about their exposé on the school mascot, the costume’s homophobic undertones, when I’ve already decided how much help to provide them based on how they treat Loretta.
(c)
May 26, 2015
[4.5 Stars]
ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS!!!! Seriously, so good! I had to take off half a star because there is this one scene where the main character asks someone for help and the person says "I'm not qualified to answer that" and walks away and I am not okay with the author writing that scene like that. Other than that, this was amazing!
Triggers Warnings: Depression, Anxiety, Eating Disorders, Bullying, Sexual Assault
ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS!!!! Seriously, so good! I had to take off half a star because there is this one scene where the main character asks someone for help and the person says "I'm not qualified to answer that" and walks away and I am not okay with the author writing that scene like that. Other than that, this was amazing!
Triggers Warnings: Depression, Anxiety, Eating Disorders, Bullying, Sexual Assault
August 17, 2023
3.5 stars
Ani FaNelli seems to have the perfect life. At the age of 28, Ani (pronounced AH-nee) is an editor at 'The Women's Magazine';
has a closet full of designer clothes, shoes, and handbags; lives in an expensive Manhattan apartment;
and is engaged to blue-blood Wall Street financier Luke Harrison.
As the story opens Ani is preparing for her wedding, a time-consuming endeavor that involves choosing invitations; lining up a calligrapher; selecting bridesmaids dresses; creating a gift registry; cake tasting; food tasting; picking a florist; deciding on a photographer; planning a honeymoon; and so on. Ani's wedding gown is from a high-end boutique - not that 'wedding gown factory' Kleinfeld's - and she's chosen a retooled old bank for the nuptials....a venue that hasn't been 'overdone.'
Ani comes across as a snobby bitch. She judges people by their clothes; makes derogatory remarks about her colleagues; and flashes her huge emerald engagement ring at every opportunity.....to garner envy and deference.
Ani is nasty to waitstaff in restaurants, and - at one point - purposely nudges a black ink pen against a co-workers white pants, to create a stain that looks like 'varicose veins.'
At this point I wondered why I was reading this book, since it seemed to be chick lit about a mean gal - who changed her name from TifAni to Ani - and manipulated a rich man into marrying her.
That's not the case. The story is really about Ani's troubled past and dark secrets.
Ani, born TifAni FaNelli, grew up in a middle-class Pennsylvania family, the only child of a loving mother and distant father. After a pot-smoking incident got TifAni expelled from Catholic school, her parents enrolled her in an elite Philadelphia high school called 'The Bradley School.'
In an effort to be popular at Bradley, 14-year-old TifAni tried to be friends with the 'it girls', Hilary and Olivia.....and the soccer boys Dean, Peyton, and Teddy. TifAni also bonded with fellow new student Liam and a gay boy named Arthur, who befriended her on the very first day of school.
High school can be socially challenging in the best of circumstances, and Bradley was a REALLY rough place, with exceptionally entitled kids. TifAni learned this from stories about Ben - a former student who tried to commit suicide AND from her own experiences. To say more would be a spoiler.
Years have passed since TifAni graduated from Bradley, and the school is now slated to be the subject of a documentary. Moreover, Ani is scheduled to be interviewed for the film, shortly before the wedding. Ani is nervy about being in the production, and wants to appear attractive, skinny, composed, successful, and proudly engaged.
The story alternates between the present and the past. In the present, Ani goes to work; plans her wedding; dines with her best friend Nell; visits her mother; goes out with Luke; does the Bradley interview; etc.
Though Ani seems to 'have it all', she's neurotic; has trouble sleeping; is constantly slimming (to be rail thin for the interview and wedding); and questions some of her choices.
In the past, TifAni shops for clothes with her mother; goes to school; eats in the cafeteria; attends parties;
joins the cross-country team;
becomes friendly with her teacher/coach; hangs out at Arthur's house; and so on. During this time TifAni has unfortunate experiences that cause lasting consequences. These ordeals may explain Ani's 'quirks' as an adult, but it doesn't excuse them - and I wouldn't want to hang out with her.
The story starts out slowly but picks up the pace when it begins to focus on the past. I found the book compelling, but the story is troubling and might be a trigger for sensitive persons. In any case, the narrative is relevant to today's teens, their parents, and society at large.....and the book is well worth reading.
There are interesting interviews with the author - Jessica Knoll - online.....but I strongly suggest you don't read them until you finish the book. Also, Reese Witherspoon has optioned the book for a movie, in case that affects your reading plans.
Author Jessica Knoll
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....
January 25, 2018
A Voz do Silêncio
O livro que acabei de devorar contém uma verdade camuflada!
Quantas jovens vítimas de crimes sexuais se refugiam no Silêncio, ao invés de erguerem a voz, clamando pela justiça que lhes é devida?!
Seja por medo, pudor, repulsa ou um misto dos três, optam por enterrar segredos devastadores que as marcam ao longo da vida, condicionando-lhes o comportamento.
Vemos jovens alegres e populares transmutadas em sorumbáticas introvertidas, sem entender como nem porquê!?...
Falar implica recordar, reviver ao pormenor experiências de dor e expô-las a julgamentos quantas e quantas vezes, reprovadores.
Por isso, Basta! Rebobinar aquele filme, reressar àquela agonia, NÃO !!!
Antes mergulhar na paz podre do Silêncio.
Porém, devagar devagarinho, a Verdade lá vai emergindo com passos curtos mas determinados, até consumar a merecida Justiça!!!...
"A Verdade vem sempre ao de cima" - não é o que se diz?!
E é nesse desabrochar, nessa escalada íngreme da Verdade, que esta leitura ganha interesse e dimensão!!!...
Ao escrever sobre Ani e a sua história, a autora escreve também sobre si mesma.
Quando jovem, Jessica Knoll foi vítima de agressões sexuais e, tal como Ani, também ela optou pelo caminho da dor muda. Por isso, a concepção desta história, foi simultaneamente, uma aliviante catarse, o que aliás até se comprova no artigo onde a autora expõe arrojadamente, o seu segredo reprimido:
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/30/bo...
Há por aí muitas Anis , e histórias assim são a Voz Colectiva dos seus Silêncios de Dor - são 5 estrelas bem merecidas!!!
O livro que acabei de devorar contém uma verdade camuflada!
Quantas jovens vítimas de crimes sexuais se refugiam no Silêncio, ao invés de erguerem a voz, clamando pela justiça que lhes é devida?!
Seja por medo, pudor, repulsa ou um misto dos três, optam por enterrar segredos devastadores que as marcam ao longo da vida, condicionando-lhes o comportamento.
Vemos jovens alegres e populares transmutadas em sorumbáticas introvertidas, sem entender como nem porquê!?...
Falar implica recordar, reviver ao pormenor experiências de dor e expô-las a julgamentos quantas e quantas vezes, reprovadores.
Por isso, Basta! Rebobinar aquele filme, reressar àquela agonia, NÃO !!!
Antes mergulhar na paz podre do Silêncio.
Porém, devagar devagarinho, a Verdade lá vai emergindo com passos curtos mas determinados, até consumar a merecida Justiça!!!...
"A Verdade vem sempre ao de cima" - não é o que se diz?!
E é nesse desabrochar, nessa escalada íngreme da Verdade, que esta leitura ganha interesse e dimensão!!!...
Ao escrever sobre Ani e a sua história, a autora escreve também sobre si mesma.
Quando jovem, Jessica Knoll foi vítima de agressões sexuais e, tal como Ani, também ela optou pelo caminho da dor muda. Por isso, a concepção desta história, foi simultaneamente, uma aliviante catarse, o que aliás até se comprova no artigo onde a autora expõe arrojadamente, o seu segredo reprimido:
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/30/bo...
Há por aí muitas Anis , e histórias assim são a Voz Colectiva dos seus Silêncios de Dor - são 5 estrelas bem merecidas!!!
February 8, 2017
Woah that was pretty crazy! Such an interesting story.
May 6, 2015
How did this nightmare end up with an average rating of four stars??? Seriously? The plotting was horrible. About the only thing I liked about the book was that I found TifAni (and that name fit her so perfectly - pretentious, stupid, gullible - the name says it all) was an unreliable narrator. Which meant that the ending, where she wants you to believe she wasn't part of what went down, is very likely untrue. It would have been very like TifAni to betray her friends even in those final moments.
You can see my mini review at All About Romance to see more of what I thought of the novel. Or a second blog I did here.
You can see my mini review at All About Romance to see more of what I thought of the novel. Or a second blog I did here.
June 25, 2015
Abandoned: I gave this novel 60 pages to try and like it, and only because it’s on so many “summer must read” lists. The press on this novel is amazing and truly undeserving. Touted as having “Gone Girl” like literary attributes, this novel falls well below those standards. The writing is sophomoric with trashy sexual content. I stomached this novel for 50 more pages than I should have. Save yourself: skip this one.
August 5, 2019
This novel was a trumped up work packaged and sold as the must-read of summer 2015. Of course, publishing houses are very good at packaging and selling—that’s what they do—but this one must’ve had the PR agent from heaven! When it appeared on the NYT with its fashionable blurb, I instantly reached for it (all hail the power of sales), but upon reading it, I quickly found it to be an awkward collision between The Devil Wears Prada (though quite the lesser, copy-cat sort of version of it) and Columbine. Yes, try for a moment to imagine that!
The writing was immature, though there were moments where it managed the humorous tone that it was seeking: No man feels very much compelled to rip your clothes off after you inform him, bitchily, that he left one lone turd floating in the toilet is an example of both, offered fairly early in the novel. However, the juxtaposition between her old life and new was fairly amateurishly handled, and while Knoll tried to paint the picture of “girl with rough past makes it big,” the main character, Ani, really came off as whiny and spoiled and eye-roll-promptingly annoying. Unfortunately, there’s enough to read out there about the privileged WASPy female, so while I have no qualms reading it when done right, generally, no one needs another whiny heroine who fawns over Choo pumps and pink nail polish.
I will give it this nod though, the Columbine-esque overture was handled decently—that entire sequence did prompt page turning, and TifAni’s past sexual experiences were relatable to female readers, I’m sure. We all know of someone who’s encountered something similar (and for similar reasons). In that way, TifAni’s school-age character came off a little of a cliché, but it was a cliché worth exploring because she exists for a reason. And the way that TifAni's choices played out allowed Knoll to reach out and touch an audience that was wide enough, it seems, to propel this novel onto the NYT Bestseller List. In fact, the “past” chapters carried the novel much farther than the “present-day” chapters ever could have.
With that in mind, this one would have been much better if she’d been able to carry that tone throughout because, in a lot of ways, TifAni’s voice was more mature than Ani’s, a regression in tone that irked me to no end, proffered only a snarky tone that often missed the mark and whininess that made her character the utmost annoying and hard to read, let alone like. ** 2.5 stars
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The writing was immature, though there were moments where it managed the humorous tone that it was seeking: No man feels very much compelled to rip your clothes off after you inform him, bitchily, that he left one lone turd floating in the toilet is an example of both, offered fairly early in the novel. However, the juxtaposition between her old life and new was fairly amateurishly handled, and while Knoll tried to paint the picture of “girl with rough past makes it big,” the main character, Ani, really came off as whiny and spoiled and eye-roll-promptingly annoying. Unfortunately, there’s enough to read out there about the privileged WASPy female, so while I have no qualms reading it when done right, generally, no one needs another whiny heroine who fawns over Choo pumps and pink nail polish.
I will give it this nod though, the Columbine-esque overture was handled decently—that entire sequence did prompt page turning, and TifAni’s past sexual experiences were relatable to female readers, I’m sure. We all know of someone who’s encountered something similar (and for similar reasons). In that way, TifAni’s school-age character came off a little of a cliché, but it was a cliché worth exploring because she exists for a reason. And the way that TifAni's choices played out allowed Knoll to reach out and touch an audience that was wide enough, it seems, to propel this novel onto the NYT Bestseller List. In fact, the “past” chapters carried the novel much farther than the “present-day” chapters ever could have.
With that in mind, this one would have been much better if she’d been able to carry that tone throughout because, in a lot of ways, TifAni’s voice was more mature than Ani’s, a regression in tone that irked me to no end, proffered only a snarky tone that often missed the mark and whininess that made her character the utmost annoying and hard to read, let alone like. ** 2.5 stars
FOLLOW ME HERE:
Art + Deco Agency Book Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Art + Deco Publishing Agency
October 16, 2022
3 stars.
Ani has a perfect life.
Nobody would have though what she hides from her teenage years.
She buried deep inside of her what happened then, until everything chances...
I had high hopes for this one.
So much potential wasted...
April 4, 2016
I still hate the book and the characters. But I'm willing to admit that I was bitchy and did something that I normally don't do. And that is blaming the victim. Thank you for all the nice people who discussed the book in the comments area. Not everyone who disagrees with you is a troll. ♥
August 15, 2015
2.5 cringing stars
Wow, what a hot mess of a novel this was. I honestly considered abandoning ship 40 pages in because I just could not deal with TifAni FaNelli's insufferably shallow and materialistic The Devil Wears Prada privileged demeanor. There seemed no redeeming value whatsoever reading about this woman's life. I won't beleaguer the obvious point: why do they lure in readers with a front page quote from a YA author comparing Jessica Knoll to Gillian Flynn, when there's nothing remotely Gone Girl-ish about this thing?
And that's about when Ms. Knoll threw a curveball that kept me reading her Luckiest Girl Alive just to see where she was going to take this hot mess. Somehow she morphed two genres of novel ( Sex and the City-esque Chick Lit with trauma-filled YA) and transformed a book going nowhere into a cohesive, strangely readable character study, with plenty of unpredictable twists and turns. Ultimately I could not reconcile the mashup of genres enough to fully enjoy the novel, but that she kept me reading it at all...and compelled me to almost give it 3 stars, is a minor miracle (ok, scoff all you want, all you who know me well enough that I'd never abandon a book, but the first 10% severely tested my patience).
Ms. Knoll alternates the narrative from present-day 28 year-old Ani (pronounced AH-nee, tyvm) FaNelli, a high ranking editor and contributor to NYC-based "The Woman's Magazine" (not unlike Ms.Knoll's day job with Cosmopolitan Magazine; there's nothing like writing what you know), to her past life in high school and college. Ani is preparing for her super high dollar wedding with the insanely wealthy Wall Streeter Luke at his family's estate on Nantucket Island. It becomes apparent, in between her harrangues about fitting into her size 0 wedding dress and blathering about everyone else's fashion and weight shortcomings, that her dream wedding is not quite as dreamy as one might expect from its exorbitant price tag.
It's when Ms.Knoll rolls back the calendar 14 years to TifAni's formative years in private Bradley school in the wealthy suburbs of the Main Line, outside of Philadelphia, PA, when the novel starts getting interesting. It seems something traumatic happened to her that might explain the way she's so shallow and materialistic in the present day.
Then, reverting back to the present, not only is Ani preparing for her wedding, she's nervous about her participation in an upcoming documentary . It's at this point when I really had difficulty swallowing this story. It sorta explains Ani's present-day bitchiness, but not enough to really care enough about her character to do anything more than shrug my shoulders and cringe.
I don't think I've ever encountered a novel so simultaneously intelligent and trashy. (Good luck finding 50-cent words like "synecdoche" in other books of its ilk). I guess that's a back-handed compliment, but it's the best I can do. Ms. Knoll kept me in it to the end, although for the life of me, I can't quite fathom how she did it. Kudos to her for at least trying to break the mold and concoct something fresh and new, even if its ultimate result is half-baked.
Wow, what a hot mess of a novel this was. I honestly considered abandoning ship 40 pages in because I just could not deal with TifAni FaNelli's insufferably shallow and materialistic The Devil Wears Prada privileged demeanor. There seemed no redeeming value whatsoever reading about this woman's life. I won't beleaguer the obvious point: why do they lure in readers with a front page quote from a YA author comparing Jessica Knoll to Gillian Flynn, when there's nothing remotely Gone Girl-ish about this thing?
And that's about when Ms. Knoll threw a curveball that kept me reading her Luckiest Girl Alive just to see where she was going to take this hot mess. Somehow she morphed two genres of novel ( Sex and the City-esque Chick Lit with trauma-filled YA) and transformed a book going nowhere into a cohesive, strangely readable character study, with plenty of unpredictable twists and turns. Ultimately I could not reconcile the mashup of genres enough to fully enjoy the novel, but that she kept me reading it at all...and compelled me to almost give it 3 stars, is a minor miracle (ok, scoff all you want, all you who know me well enough that I'd never abandon a book, but the first 10% severely tested my patience).
Ms. Knoll alternates the narrative from present-day 28 year-old Ani (pronounced AH-nee, tyvm) FaNelli, a high ranking editor and contributor to NYC-based "The Woman's Magazine" (not unlike Ms.Knoll's day job with Cosmopolitan Magazine; there's nothing like writing what you know), to her past life in high school and college. Ani is preparing for her super high dollar wedding with the insanely wealthy Wall Streeter Luke at his family's estate on Nantucket Island. It becomes apparent, in between her harrangues about fitting into her size 0 wedding dress and blathering about everyone else's fashion and weight shortcomings, that her dream wedding is not quite as dreamy as one might expect from its exorbitant price tag.
It's when Ms.Knoll rolls back the calendar 14 years to TifAni's formative years in private Bradley school in the wealthy suburbs of the Main Line, outside of Philadelphia, PA, when the novel starts getting interesting. It seems something traumatic happened to her that might explain the way she's so shallow and materialistic in the present day.
Then, reverting back to the present, not only is Ani preparing for her wedding, she's nervous about her participation in an upcoming documentary . It's at this point when I really had difficulty swallowing this story. It sorta explains Ani's present-day bitchiness, but not enough to really care enough about her character to do anything more than shrug my shoulders and cringe.
I don't think I've ever encountered a novel so simultaneously intelligent and trashy. (Good luck finding 50-cent words like "synecdoche" in other books of its ilk). I guess that's a back-handed compliment, but it's the best I can do. Ms. Knoll kept me in it to the end, although for the life of me, I can't quite fathom how she did it. Kudos to her for at least trying to break the mold and concoct something fresh and new, even if its ultimate result is half-baked.
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