To start us up is a very funny chick-lit novel published by Penguin Books which I was very pleased to receive. Jenny Sparrow Knows the Future is by Melissa Pimentel, an American living in the UK who has written a book which is the perfect blend of British and American chick-lit. I'm someone who has been reading chick-lit for many years and I love both British and American chick-lit and how each feels so when I come across another that would fit in both markets, it kind of makes me feel all warm inside.
Jenny Sparrow Knows the Future is about an American woman who had been trying to live her life off of a list due to hard events in her past. When her boyfriend doesn't propose to her and suggests a break it throws Jenny off of her list and she spirals. One drunken night in Vegas meant she married someone who wasn't her boyfriend. She goes back to London thinking everything is normal and even sorts things out with her boyfriend but chaos breaks loose when her new husband visits her in London.
What I Like
I mentioned before about this being a perfect blend of British and American chick-lit so I want to explain what I mean. To me, American chick-lit has always had bigger characters and sometimes presses on themes that the British won't in their books. British chick-lit, on the other hand, tends to specialise in those fluffy, Tony Curtis moments that you won't find elsewhere and are adorable to read. One of my favourite book series ever is the I Heart books by Lindsey Kelk which I adore because they introduce me to these American characters and settings but allows me to explore them with a character who is as British as me. Jenny Sparrow Knows The Future is the opposite and yes, it still has the big characters but this time it allows me to explore unfamiliar themes in a setting familiar to me that maybe I get in the way the character doesn't. Small things like the caterpillar cake made me grin like a loon.
As well as this I just generally loved the characters. I liked reading about their issues and struggles, I loved Ben and I loved Isla and I was fascinated by Jenny's work mystery. I was even happy with the way Jenny and Jackson's relationship went. They might have been sneaking around to hang out but they weren't really cheating. The romance didn't happen until the end and by then things were sorted out. It was a relief, actually, I really liked the characters but I was prepared to be disappointed and frustrated when the inevitable cheating happened. And then it didn't and now I'm really glad I gave the book a chance.
What I Didn't Like
The only thing I didn't like was that we didn't hear from Ben at the end. I know it would have been unlikely for him to be there but maybe an email or something... I just really liked Jenny and Ben's friendship.
This was a really good book and I most definitely recommend that you all pick this book up now!
5/5 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment