Certain Girls by Jennifer WeinerMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
2.5 stars
Because JW is good writer. She hooked me up right when I read Good in Bed. I read novels for entertainment, and I do enjoy GiB. It was as if read a story about my friend and laughed and i cried for and I'm happy for Cannie throughout that book. That was why once I've heard about the sequel i was quite excited.
But then, things started to go downhill.
I won't say this book is bad written. It was well-written, so well so that (view spoiler). It was sad, really. And I know JW want to give us a message that anyone (Cannie, in this case) could be strong whenever an unexpected tragedy happen in life. And because life is a bitch. So you must be strong for yourself and people around you.
Well, if that was the case then I think it would be much comfortable if THAT twist happened at the beginning part of the book so we could follow Cannie's struggle from drowning in sorrow untill she reach a point where hope was in reach. The fact that the twist happend just in a few last pages just didn't feel right for me.
Besides, (view spoiler) , I feel like being cheated. You know, in Q&A section with JW on GiB (I bought the translation version from local publisher) there was this question whether reader would see Cainne again, and she (JW) said maybe not in her own book, but in other book with different main characters and storys that was also take place in Philadelphia, because Cannie was not an interesting character anymore for her as a writer because JW prefer a character that was still struggling in her life and Cannie has had her happy ending and was right where she was belong. That was why, after I read Certain Girl , I was like, "wtf Jen you was saying this things then you did different thing entirely". And that was the thing that dissappointed me the most.
But then again I wouldn't say this not a good book--It is a good book. I would give it 1 star if it is not. So, instead I gave 2,5 stars for it. But I would not recommend this book if:
1. You already read the first book, kind of ruined the mood you've got after finished GiB, it did
2. You looking for a happy ending (this book did not end with entirely tragedy, there is some happines in it, but it was kind of wiped out by one depressing twist)
I'm not quite excited anymore for her book after read this one because I'm a HEA fan myself and this book let me down. But JW is a good writer, so it was possible that some time in the future I'd like to read her other books. Well, preferably a HEA one.
Oh, one more thing, I will be grateful if anyone would kindly recommend writers with writing style like her but HEA-oriented for me. It was like thousand books out there and I just doesn't have any idea where to begin.
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