ANNE WNDR READS: TWENTIES GIRL BY SOPHIE KINSELLA

Lara Lington has always had an overactive imagination, but suddenly that imagination seems to be in overdrive. Normal professional twenty-something young women don't get visited by ghosts. Or do they?

When the spirit of Lara's great-aunt Sadie-a feisty, demanding girl with firm ideas about fashion, love, and the right way to dance-mysteriously appears, she has one request: Lara must find a missing necklace that had been in Sadie's possession for more than seventy-five years, because Sadie cannot rest without it.

Lara and Sadie make a hilarious sparring duo, and at first it seems as though they have nothing in common. But as the mission to find Sadie's necklace leads to intrigue and a new romance for Lara, these very different "twenties" girls learn some surprising truths from and about each other. Written with all the irrepressible charm and humor that have made Sophie Kinsella's books beloved by millions, Twenties Girl is also a deeply moving testament to the transcendent bonds of friendship and family.

“No human on God's earth is a nobody.”

This book has been sitting on my shelf for the past few years since I got it from a booksale and it's not what I expected. It mainly focuses on family and friendship which shies away from the usual book I read. I must say that I wasn't able to feel the excitement and joy not until I am almost done with the book. I wouldn't say it's boring but more like, you have to give it some time for you to eventually get what you asked for and I know that it's pretty big and most people won't give that much of a thought.

I had a hard time putting myself into it and finding that instant connection I get whenever I open or read a book. I found myself putting a lot of effort trying to completely understand and be patient with this book. It's not really irritating but it's a lot of work.

The plot is too predictable. You put a ghost with a twenty something broke woman, they search for the missing stuff and after that, the ghost gets to be peaceful. I get that but I guess I was looking for more thrill  and something to actually push me off the edge and make me say "I did not see that coming!".

There's no shade being thrown on this book but I believe it has more to be work on. 

Let's get to the main characters. The protagonist is Lara and she's completely out of track of her life. She's broke, her lovelife is a mess and her business is down, can she be more pitying? I feel like she has nothing good in her life. She has a conceited Uncle and a sister that is evil, she finds enjoyment in putting her little sister down. I mean, what is with that? 

I don't wanna criticize her on her lovelife because everyone's been there in some time of their lives, you know. Being so hang up on someone you think you really love and finding it so hard to move on just because you're so fixated in the complete fantasy that you guys are meant to be. The only humour I got from this part of her life is the very fact that we do not only share the same experience but also the name of the ex. Coincidence? I guess.

“It's not enough to believe! Don't you see that, you stupid girl? You could spend your whole life hoping and believing! If a love affair is one-sided, then it's only ever a question, never an answer. You can't live your life waiting for an answer.” 

Sadie Lancaster or the ghost of her  great-aunt is completely annoying. It's like being with a kid. You know, she constantly nags her and what 27-year-old lady would scream all the time just to get what she wants?  I mean, I get it that her necklace is too important so that she could move forward to afterlife but c'mon, she's too obnoxious and selfish especially on the scene where Lara was on an important meeting with a client. It was too much for me because that was Lara's low-low moment and she was really struggling to save her business. She could really appreciate some support even from a dead lady.

I refuse to delve further on the other characters because they're just so-so and I have a lot to say about her best friend, Natalie, but I choose not to discuss that because boy, oh, boy, I am so pissed at her.

I believe what made me made an effort reading and allotting my time for this because every book needs a chance to be understood and I really think highly of Ms. Kinsella. 

What I love about this is that, it's witty and it's not about love-love-love. And the whole relationship between Sadie and Lara really hits a spot. It made me sad that I wasn't able to give much love and care to my late grandma and this book showed me how important it is to give time to the our loved ones before it's too late.

Am I crazy about this? Not really. Will I recommend this? I guess if you're the kind of bookworm that has a lot patience and time in your hands then be my guest.

ANNE WNDR READS: FINDING AUDREY

"Life is all about climbing up, slipping down, and picking yourself up again. And it doesn't matter if you slip down. As long as you're kind of heading more or less upwards. That's all you can hope for. More or less upward."

I am officially in love with this book! Hands down to Sophie Kinsella for writing such amazing books all the time. I just read the book for like two and a half days and if I weren't busy with school stuff I'd probably finish it in one sitting. Yes, that's how engrossed I was to this book. I am just too psyched to tell everyone how I feel and think about this book. I'm literally bubbling inside with excitement as I write this down. It's a definite MUST-HAVE. I'm not kidding.

"I think what I've realized is, life is all about climbing up, slipping down and picking yourself up again. And it doesn't matter if you slip down. As long as you're kind of heading more or less upwards. That's all you can hope for. More or less upwards."

An anxiety disorder disrupts fourteen-year-old Audrey’s daily life. She has been making slow but steady progress with Dr. Sarah, but when Audrey meets Linus, her brother’s gaming teammate, she is energized. She connects with him. Audrey can talk through her fears with Linus in a way she’s never been able to do with anyone before. As their friendship deepens and her recovery gains momentum, a sweet romantic connection develops, one that helps not just Audrey but also her entire family.

It's one of those books  that tackles about mental illness in a light, friendly approach that definitely tells you that the author is considerate and mean no offense to those that have them.

Since the first chapter I've found myself falling in love with their dysfunctional family. I could almost see the scenes unfold right in my very eyes. I would go further and say they could be part of a funny sitcom and Anne Turner - Audrey's mom - would totally rock the whole thing. And don't start me with her love-hate relationship with her son, Frank. Those two would be the perfect duo. I mean, crazy "Daily Mail obsessed" mom + stubborn "video game obsessed" teen? Who wouldn't want to see them together?

This book is defo for those who are just looking for something funny and lighthearted story but very much well-written. I simply love the humour. It's not trying too hard, it just comes off completely funny. The characters compliment each other and they have helped a lot in supporting the whole story and it is nice how they've developed all through out the story.    

"If rhubarb needs time in the dark, maybe you do too."     

  I also love how the story doesn't focus much on her love interest or it doesn't try to make it all romantic and stuff like that coz it doesn't came off as cliche. And in my opinion, Linus is much more of a helping hand. He's not basically the sole reason Audrey conquered it all, he's more of an inspiration.  And It mainly just focus on Audrey and her development, how she's conquering her illness and it's amazing how positive her character is. And I think this book gives way to those people who aren't well aware of anxiety disorder, it makes them understand it at some point. 

There are lessons that this book offers, about life and relationship with people. Each phrases holds something meaningful in them that we could all use as an inspiration in our daily lives.                                                                                                                                                       "...that's what life is. We're all on a jagged graph. I know I am. Up a bit. Down a bit. That's life."    

 Alas, I highly recommend this to everyone out there because this book is certainly a  5.