Book Review | Girl In Between
5:30 AM
Title // Girl In Between
Author // Anna Daniels
Publication Date // May 2017
Publisher // Allen and Unwin (Arena)
Genre // Popular Fiction
Price // AUD $29.99
Rating // ✭✭✭⭐︎
synopsis.
Lucy Crighton has just moved in with some gregarious housemates called Brian and Denise . . . who are her parents. She's also the proud mother of Glenda, her beloved 10-year-old . . . kelpie. And she has absolutely no interest in the dashing son of her parents' new next-door neighbour . . . well, maybe just a little.
When you're the girl in between relationships, careers and cities, you sometimes have to face some uncomfortable truths . . . like your Mum's obsession with Cher, your father's unsolicited advice, and the fact there's probably more cash on the floor of your parents' car than in your own bank account.
Thank goodness Lucy's crazy but wonderful best friend, Rosie, is around to cushion reality, with wild nights at the local Whipcrack hotel, escapades in Japanese mud baths, and double dating under the Christmas lights in London.
But will Lucy work out what she really wants to do in life and who she wants to share it with?
Girl in Between is a warm, upbeat and often hilarious story about life at the crossroads. Featuring an endearing and irrepressible cast of characters, it will have you chuckling from start to finish.
review.
Girl in Between is a light, fun look at the life of a thirty-something woman at a crossroads in her life. Set against a backdrop in Rockhampton, then Japan and England, it’s the story of a woman trying to find herself and her purpose, making mistakes and learning about life along the way.
The debut novel by Australian author, Anna Daniels, has a very distinct Aussie voice - the slang and mannerisms of the people are instantly recognisable and it is both memorable and funny. As a thirty-something year old myself, there are aspects of Lucy Crichton’s life that I fully sympathise with, and that personal connection made the story seem all the more real and life-like. Lucy, as a character is warm and funny and totally out of her depth as she searches for her true purpose in life, beyond finishing her book. Does she need a job? A boyfriend? A place to call her own? What does it cost to have any of those things?
She’s clearly wrestling with a lot of big changes.
Daniels has included a great range of side-characters. From Lucy’s hilarious parents, Brian and Denise, to her long-time best friend and all the characters in between, we’re never short of an interesting time. All of them are trying to help Lucy become more decisive, to help her pick up the pieces of her life and find what it is she’s looking for - whether it be through sage advice, Cher-isms, or getting out of the country.
The story itself is very much a journey - the complications, as they come along, fit neatly into the story without over-powering it. We, as readers, are taken along for the ride as Lucy tries first to remake her life in Rockhampton, then again in London, with all the trials that come along the way.
Overall, this was a fun, light-hearted read that is perfect for curling up on the couch with a good cup of tea. (Or coffee, whatever your preference!)
3.5 out of 5 stars.
(Thank you to Allen and Unwin for providing me with a copy of Girl in Between in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)
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