I'm surprised that it's taken me this long to review this book. Really. I'm a huge fan of Sophie Kinsella's novels - Can You Keep a Secret especially, as well as the beloved Shopaholic series - and couldn't wait to get hold of her latest offering, Twenties Girl.
And I have to admit, it was a brilliant read, leaving me unable to put it down until I had finished it. Kinsella's stand-alone novels have never failed to please, and neither does this one.
Lara Lington's life isn't particularly fabulous. With her boyfriend Josh having recently broken up with her without giving a genuine reason, burgeoning financial problems and having to co-run a company when her business partner takes an extended holiday, the last thing Lara needs is to attend the funeral of some 105-year-old relative she didn't even know, especially when there will be family and guaranteed awkward Josh-related questions.
However, Lara has no idea just how much more complicated her life is going to become.
Because she's about to make a new acquaintance - the ghost of her dead great-aunt Sadie. Who isn't going to go away until she gets what she's looking for.
Sadie, though in the form of her previous 20s flapper-style self, appears before Lara at her own funeral, causing Lara to freak out and make things even MORE awkward in front of her family (who already think she's emotionally unstable after the break-up). To make matters worse, Sadie blatantly refuses to leave (or even shut up, for that matter), until she gets what's she's obviously come back for - her dragonfly necklace. And she needs Lara to help her find it.
Reluctantly, Lara agrees - she'll do anything to make the ghost go away. After all, it's annoying, talking to someone who nobody else can see (and now her family think she's crazy). Sadie never took off her dragonfly necklace in life, and she can't move on without it. But where can it be? And with all of her other problems to deal with, how on earth is Lara going to find it?
And what can she do about the bossy ghost of her dead aunt who's constantly intruding on her everyday life?
However, Lara soon discovers that having Great Aunt Sadie around isn't that bad. Sadie's feisty attitude, although annoying at times, helps Lara realise that there was much more to Sadie than a wrinkled old lady at a retirement home who nobody bothered to visit. Sadie was once in her twenties, too - and cherished every minute of it. So it's no wonder that she wants to experience it one more time. (Even if it DOES mean Lara going on a date for her - just one more date before the time comes to pass on.)
Meanwhile, Lara is intent on getting Josh back - but is it really for the best? And will Lara be able to retrieve the missing necklace?
Twenties Girl is a beautiful story. Not only is is packed with the witty writing style and hilarious moments that make Kinsella's novels so great, but there are also elements of sadness and discovery.
Sadie may be the ghost of an elderly woman in her twenty-something body, but she's about to teach Lara, and the reader, a lot about how precious life is...and how we shouldn't waste a moment.
Rating: 5/5
