Amazon UK
Title: Who's That Girl?
Author: Mhairi McFarlane
Format reviewed: Ebook
Source: Netgalley
Publisher: Harper
Publication Date: 7th April 2016
Rating: 3.5 Stars
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| Amazon UK |
When Edie is caught in a compromising position at her colleagues’ wedding, all the blame falls on her – turns out that personal popularity in the office is not that different from your schooldays. Shamed online and ostracised by everyone she knows, Edie’s forced to take an extended sabbatical – ghostwriting an autobiography for hot new acting talent, Elliot Owen. Easy, right?
Wrong. Banished back to her home town of Nottingham, Edie is not only dealing with a man who probably hasn’t heard the word ‘no’ in a decade, but also suffering an excruciating regression to her teenage years as she moves back in with her widowed father and judgy, layabout sister.
When the world is asking who you are, it’s hard not to question yourself. Who’s that girl? Edie is ready to find out.
Wrong. Banished back to her home town of Nottingham, Edie is not only dealing with a man who probably hasn’t heard the word ‘no’ in a decade, but also suffering an excruciating regression to her teenage years as she moves back in with her widowed father and judgy, layabout sister.
When the world is asking who you are, it’s hard not to question yourself. Who’s that girl? Edie is ready to find out.
I have very mixed feelings about this book. I loved the first 10%, found it witty, entertaining, and there was a small gasp of shock, that my initial suspicions were roughly correct with the incident that set off the chain of reactions leading to Edie, moving back to Nottingham to ghost write sexy actor Elliot's autobiography.
However for most of the middle of the book, I found it just felt long, I was struggling to stay interested in the plot, and although it turns out it was mainly all useful information that we were learning about Edie and her relationships with friends, family and acquaintances.
Then we have a section which goes towards explaining the title of the book, and I really liked the few chapters dealing with that thread of the story, it felt like the pace had picked up and that the story had become interesting again, but then that feeling didn't last long and by the end, I frankly felt flat, and that it was a bit predictable.
There are definitely positives within the book, from a small mention of a card game in a pub that made me smile (as it's not one I see referenced often, but yet I'm involved with it for my day job), to Edie's growing friendship with her next door neighbour. In fact Margot (the neighbour), was probably my favourite character. She is the sort of person who calls a spade a spade, and had clearly lived a colourful life, which I enjoyed learning about as Edie got to know her better. And Margot's reaction to Edie's sister and her friends topless sunbathing in their garden, was priceless.
Yes Edie was involved in an unforgivable incident at the start of the book, and unfortunately the repercussions from this were gone over again and again, throughout the novel. The reaction that it received and the vilification of Edie seemed over the top, but not in a funny way, just in a this is desperately sad sort of way.
Overall I found Who's That Girl to be really good in patches, with hints of just how talented I know Mhairi McFarlane can be from her previous book, but that it felt inconsistent in its brilliance.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper for this review copy. This was my honest opinion.
However for most of the middle of the book, I found it just felt long, I was struggling to stay interested in the plot, and although it turns out it was mainly all useful information that we were learning about Edie and her relationships with friends, family and acquaintances.
Then we have a section which goes towards explaining the title of the book, and I really liked the few chapters dealing with that thread of the story, it felt like the pace had picked up and that the story had become interesting again, but then that feeling didn't last long and by the end, I frankly felt flat, and that it was a bit predictable.
There are definitely positives within the book, from a small mention of a card game in a pub that made me smile (as it's not one I see referenced often, but yet I'm involved with it for my day job), to Edie's growing friendship with her next door neighbour. In fact Margot (the neighbour), was probably my favourite character. She is the sort of person who calls a spade a spade, and had clearly lived a colourful life, which I enjoyed learning about as Edie got to know her better. And Margot's reaction to Edie's sister and her friends topless sunbathing in their garden, was priceless.
Yes Edie was involved in an unforgivable incident at the start of the book, and unfortunately the repercussions from this were gone over again and again, throughout the novel. The reaction that it received and the vilification of Edie seemed over the top, but not in a funny way, just in a this is desperately sad sort of way.
Overall I found Who's That Girl to be really good in patches, with hints of just how talented I know Mhairi McFarlane can be from her previous book, but that it felt inconsistent in its brilliance.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper for this review copy. This was my honest opinion.
I think I'll give this book a try even though you had some mixed feelings.
ReplyDeleteI am still pretty excited about it bc Lindsey Kelk said it was really good, but since I still haven't read anything by McFarlane maybe I'll like it better because there's no book to comare this one with.. if you know what I mean...