Book Review- Lucy Clarke's One of the Girls

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for a copy of Lucy Clarke’s One of the Girls.

During a hen weekend ( bachelorette party for American readers) at a dramatic cliffside mansion in Greece, copious amounts of alcohol will be consumed, secrets will be spilled, and one person will end up dead.

One of the Girls is told through flashbacks and chapters that alternate between all of the party attendees- Lexi: the newly pregnant bachelorette with a wild girl past, Bella: Lexi’s childhood friend who is still wild, Fen: Bella’s girlfriend, Robyn: Single mother and childhood friend to both Bella and Lexi, Ana: Lexi’s newest friend from yoga class, and Eleanor: socially awkward, soon-to-be sister-in-law.

Clarke begins the story with the reveal that a person will die during the course of the trip, but cleverly teases out the reveal, not sharing the victim or cause until very end of the book. There are many, many near-misses, where it seems clear that a certain person is the victim and then it is revealed that they escaped death. This aspect kept me turning the pages, but it also wore on me. There were a handful too many close-calls that bogged down the pacing in the final chapters. Ultimately, the victim and situation provided a satisfying conclusion and each character had their own story resolved in a way that was honest and satisfactory.

I found the dynamics among the women to be more intriguing than the murder-mystery element. It was relatable. Bella knows that time has changed her friendships with both Robyn and Lexi. Bella clings to the past and struggles to accept that she is growing older as well. When Robyn has a child and gets divorced, Bella doesn’t know how to relate to her and simply removes herself from their friendship. This has gone on for years and makes it uncomfortable when the women are reunited on this trip. Additionally, Bella is envious of the friendship that Lexi has developed with newcomer, Ana. Lexi and Ana’s friendship is forged out of a shared love for quiet, reflective activities, such as yoga and coffee, rather than the nightclubs and teenage antics that Bella and Lexi shared. To add to the frustration, Bella organized the weekend with the intention of heavy drinking and crazy parties, but none of the other women are interested, including the bachelorette, who is newly pregnant, a reveal made in Greece. To further complicate Bella’s life, she is on the verge of breaking up with Fen. Bella feels the most isolated and alone on a party weekend that she planned.

Bella might be the most complex character, but all of the women face their own challenges when relating to the other women. If I had read this story in my late-teens/early-20’s, I’m not sure that I would have related to the shifting of friendships, as at that age, it seems like things will stay the same forever. However, having middle-age hindsight, the shuffling of friendships that occur in late 20’s/30’s is a real thing. Careers and family situations change so much during this time, that often friendships struggle to weather the storm and new friendships develop. Bella’s resistance to change and the fact that she has not experienced motherhood, both put her on the outside.

I enjoyed One of the Girls, primarily for the strong character development. I also appreciated Clarke’s well-crafted mystery that kept me guessing until the very end. I look forward to reading her other novels.

Book Review: Lisa Jewell's The Night She Disappeared

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an advanced copy of Lisa Jewell’s The Night She Disappeared, in exchange for an honest review.

On the outside, it appears that despite being a young mom, Tallulah has her life on the right track. She lives with her mom, Kim, who helps with childcare, allowing Tallulah to attend classes at a local college. Zach, the father of her baby is attentive to his child and wants to marry Tallulah. No one notices how possessive Zach can be and that Tallulah is not interested in pursuing a relationship with him.

At school, Tallulah meets Scarlet, a rich and troubled classmate who lives in a creepy mansion at the edge of the village. Tallulah and Scarlet begins a secretive and unlikely friendship. Tallulah and Zach attend a party at Scarlet’s mansion and go missing the following morning. A missing person’s case, turns into a cold case, leaving Kim bereft, yet holding out hope for any information about her daughter.

A few years later, Sophie, a crime writer moves into a cottage of a nearby boarding school with her fiancé, a professor at the school. On a walk of the grounds, she finds a mysterious note to dig in the ground, where she unearths an engagement ring. The ring and a series of other mysterious notes clearly intended for Sophie, lead her to begin to pice together the puzzle of Zach and Talulah’s disappearance.

I’m a huge fan of Lisa Jewell and i’ve read most of her novels, so I was very excited to have the opportunity to read her latest. I enjoyed The Night She Disappeared and it was a quick read, but from a mystery stand-point, it wasn’t as strong as some of her other novels. The character of Sophie and her solving of the mystery was almost too convenient and therefore, the less interesting aspect of the story.

The strongest and most dynamic aspect of the story was the relationship between mother and daughter, Kim and Tallulah. Tallulah’s relationship woes and path of self-discovery as a young twenty-something were very relatable and made me connect to her character. I’m forty-four, but it brought me back to that time in my own life. Initially the intrigue and mystery surrounding Scarlett and her gothic mansion were engaging, but as more of her was revealed, it was less interesting.

Although this wasn’t my favorite of her novels, I’m still a huge fan of Jewell and recommend her books to anyone looking for a good mystery.