Hi there! :)
So, as one of my New Year’s Resolutions I'm determined to get back into reading again, as I used to be quite the bookworm!
I'm a fan of all literary genres - romance, fantasy, crime, fiction, non-fiction, biographies...however in order to ease myself back into reading I've decided to stick to mostly fictitious Young Adult (YA) type novels, for the time-being. Normally aimed at teenagers, YA plots are usually pretty straight-forward and deal with typical stories of teenage angst, family-life, friendships and self-discovery. The great thing about starting out with YA books is that they are usually pretty short (around 200 pages) which means they shouldn't take up too much of your free time BUT you still gain a sense of accomplishment with each one you finish! :)
As an added bonus for me personally, I find it is a great way to bond with my younger, teenage sister (and even better that I can "borrow" her books instead of having to wait for the ONLY copy to be returned to the library in order for me to get my hands on it! fml)
Recently, I managed to snag a copy of the best-selling novel "Girl Online" by fellow blogger and YouTube sensation Zoe Suggs, aka Zoella, who my sister claims is "like, OMG, SO cool!!" ;)
Now, some of you may be aware that there has been some controversy surrounding the release of this particular novel. The media had a hay-day when it was revealed that Zoella did NOT in fact write the book by herself but had the help of a "ghost-writer", i.e. someone who writes all or part of a book but who agrees not to take credit for doing so. This kind of scandal is nothing new, in fact many famous authors have used ghost-writers in the past, and let's be honest, Zoella started out as a YouTube star and has no real experience in writing, so did anyone really expect her to do it alone? Other celebrities, e.g. Katie Price, also use ghost-writers and don't seem to face as much backlash from fans, so is it really that big a deal?!
We could debate the ethics of employing ghost-writers all day, but instead I'd like to give my view on the novel itself, and what it was like to read.
Summary:
The plot centres on a teenage girl, Penny, who lives in Brighton with her parents and her older brother. She was recently in a car accident and as a result has started to suffer from anxiety attacks. After a series of unfortunate events at her local school, her attacks become much worse and she just wants to escape from it all. And as luck would have it, her family decide to take a trip to New York, and she even gets to take her best friend along with her on this exciting adventure! While there, she meets and falls head-over-heels for a young man, Noah, who is also struggling with his own demons and trying to escape from reality. He too falls head-over-heels in love with her, but will what they are both running from eventually catch up with them? Can they live happily ever-after or are they just living on borrowed time together?
Analysis:
While it may not be on par with Romeo and Juliet, the love-story is endearing. It definitely draws on the whole idea of a "summer fling" (albeit not in the summer. Is there such thing as a "winter fling?") and the excitement and innocence that comes with being in love for the first time. Penny is your typical awkward teenager just trying to fit in, and Noah is the mysterious artistic type, who also happens to have an AWESOME surname! ;) (is it just me, or is Flynn becoming more and more popular for both guys names and surnames?! Ever since Disney’s “Tangled” featured Flynn Rider, I keep seeing the name popping up everywhere!).
The story is written from Penny’s point of view, and each
chapter starts with an entry to her personal blog, where she uses her online
persona “Girl Online” (hence the title of the book!). Through this we see how
the internet can provide a medium for emotional release, as Penny blogs about
her problems /fears and consequently helps others to confront their own. However
we also witness the darker side of the internet, as Penny is subjected to
cyber-bullying on various occasions, which aggravates her anxiety issues even
further.
It’s interesting to see someone tackle an issue which is
becoming more and more prevalent in our society, and even more so when you
learn that Zoella is drawing upon her own personal experiences. I think in many
ways, while this book may not win a Pulitzer, it still contains a lot of
important messages that all of us can learn from and is helping to tear down
stigma surrounding certain issues, e.g. social anxiety.
The story also focuses in part on the life of Penny’s best
friend, Elliot, whose parents refuse to accept his homosexuality, believing it to be a phase
he will eventually grow out of and forcing archaic notions of masculinity upon
him as a result. While I praise the author for bringing this issue to light, I
can’t help but feel that she herself relied on stereotypical representations in
order to bring this character to life, e.g. he is obsessed with fashion and can
be somewhat overly dramatic. However, as I mentioned above, this is nothing
major if this story helps others to gain more understanding of the issues homosexuals
(both male and female) face in their day to day lives and leads to greater
acceptance and tolerability in our society as a result.
The Verdict:
Overall, while the book was somewhat predictable and soppy in parts, I enjoyed reading it. I liked how both Penny and Noah were both equally tormented by things that had happened in their pasts, so that neither one was too reliant on the other to “save” them, portraying a somewhat healthy relationship to younger audiences for a change (unlike, let’s see, "Twilight" for example!). I found the characters to be interesting and the challenges they faced to be reflective of the challenges many people face at that age. I’d probably rate this book 3/5, but don’t worry if you don’t intend to read it – I’m sure there’ll be a movie adaptation sometime in the near future! :P
