The Girls

by Lisa Jewell

[Leah]

I've been a long time reader of Lisa Jewell, ever since Ralph's Party, and while I haven't read every single one of her books, I've read the vast majority and I love how her writing style has evolved over the years. Gone are the fun times of Ralph's Party, to the more serious thriller-esque novels of The Third Wife and The Girls. My particular favourite, however, is Before I Met You, which was a super compelling read, completely superior women's fiction. The Girls was SUCH a good read, I stayed up til past midnight finishing it, I didn't intend to, but I was dead curious to know what had happened to Grace; and if I'm being completely honest, I think I'm still wondering? But that would be *SPOILERS* and I don't wish to mention them, but if you've read the book, hit me up and we'll chat!

We're thrown into The Girls at quite a pace, as young Pip finds her sister Grace, unconscious in the communal garden where they live. We then spool back in time to when Pip and Grace and their mother Clare first move to Virginia Terrace, and the big build up to the event. It was quite nice to go back in time and see it all build, see the friendships building and tensions building between all of the teenagers as Grace gets herself right in on the action, with Pip preferring to stay on the sidelines. It's very much a character driven novel, with so many people to keep up with, and so many kids (I kept confusing Dylan and Tyler) and forgetting who belonged with whom.

I actually really enjoyed The Girls. It was more of a sedate read than I expected, but it was still enthralling all the same, it still kept me hooked and the whole neighbourhood feel was amazing, except for the weird undertones that it actually wasn't all a bed of roses, especially with the freaky parallels to Grace's story and the story of a girl who died many years previous. I truly had no idea who had got Grace into the situation she ended up in, and still now I'm curious exactly what that final chapter told me. Because I feel like it was letting me into a little secret, but there wasn't enough evidence for a 100% conviction. And I still can't decide if that's a good thing, because I LOVE my neat, wrapped-in-a-bow endings. I don't like questions hanging over a novel, it drives me crazy!

But the book is super compelling. Lisa Jewell is a brilliant storyteller, so, so good at building tension and creating a story that keeps you reading into the small, wee hours. I can't wait for Lisa's next read, she's one of my favourite authors and The Girls was yet another hit; so well written, with some compelling characters and a cracking setting.