She's the Worst by Lauren Spieller Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
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Synopsis:
Sisters April and Jenn haven’t been close in years. Jenn’s toobusy with school, the family antique shop, and her boyfriend, and April would rather play soccer and hang out with the boy next door.But when April notices her older sister is sad about staying home for college, she decides to do something about it. The girls set off to revive a pact they made as kids: spend an epic day exploring the greatest hits of their childhood and all that Los Angeles has to offer.Then April learns that Jenn has been keeping a secret that could rip their family—and their feuding parents—apart. With only one day to set things right, the sisters must decide if their relationship is worth saving, or if the truth will tear them apart for good.
Review:
Thank you to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
As someone who has just one younger brother (who I get along with great, just FYI), I have always wondered what life would have been like if I had a sister. I had friends who had various levels of closeness with their sisters and have always been fascinated by the sisterly dynamic. I guess that’s why I also enjoy reading books/watching shows (or movies) that also focus on this unique sibling bond and was really excited for She’s the Worst.
She’s the Worst takes place over the course of a few days, from the perspectives of sisters April and Jenn. April plans a day of touring their hometown (Los Angeles) in hopes of rehabbing their relationship before Jenn leaves for college elsewhere in their state. There’s a few side characters (being a few boys and Jenn’s friends, Katie and Shruthi), but for the most part, the focus is on April and Jenn (and their parents).
This is a really cute and quick read and overall, I really enjoyed it. Both April and Jenn felt real and their struggles were both personal and easily relatable. A lot of both girls’ personalities and decisions are influenced by the toxic relationship between their still married parents. Their parents are constantly arguing, in front of Jenn and April, as well as their antique store customers, which causes April and Jenn to react in different ways. This leads to resentment between the sisters that I feel would have not been between the sisters otherwise.
Unfortunately, their broken relationship is based on a lot of external forces and lack of communication between them. They have separate interests, but as April attempts to pick landmarks throughout LA, she hopes to show Jenn how much they had in common and repair years of damage.
I’m certainly not from LA, but considering I vacation there just a few months ago, I definitely knew a few of the landmarks, which was enjoyable. I’m sure it’s even better for those more local to the area.
The reasons I took away a star are fairly mild: 1.) As much as I liked both girls, I did find both of them to be a bit immature, which was frustrating at various points of the story. There’s a lot miscommunication, which just continues to make things worse. And while I understand the family dynamics were so royally messed up, I still would have liked a bit more growth and maturity from each sister, considering there are some other heavy topics mentioned in the book. And 2.) The romance angle for April felt a bit jammed in. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked the boy April ends up with and enjoyed what he added, but for a book that was very much focused on a sisterly relationship taking place over a very short time frame, I’m just not sure a big romance for April was needed in the book. I would have liked it to take a little more a backburner approach to this plotline.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It has a lot of great themes about the unique bond between sisters, dealing with negative family dynamics, shouldering expectations from those closest to us, and the importance of communicating intentionally and honestly with those you love. It was perfectly wrapped up and I was satisfied with the book overall. This was my first Lauren Spieller novel and I look forward to what she writes next!
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Favorite Quotes:
Whatever this moment is, we need to get out of it and back to neutral territory. Because the urge I have to take his and also run in the opposite direction at the same time? It is not working for me.
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The only thing I never prepared for was the one thing I should have seen coming: that in the end, my parents would do what they always do. They’d put themselves first.
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“Say it again.”
“I want to be with you,” he says.
My breath catches in my chest. “Again, please.”
He laughs. “April, I want to be with you. I want to be with—”
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“You can’t just expect people to read your mind. You have to talk to them. You also have to give them a chance to be there for you.”
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I wanted her to stay because I needed her, and I wanted that to matter. I wanted to be reason enough.
Giveaway:
✮ Enter to win 1 of 2 finished copies of She’s the Worst by Lauren Spieller (US ONLY)
August 28, 2019 – September 16, 2019
About Lauren Spieller:
Lauren Spieller is an author and literary agent who lives in New York with her husband. When she isn’t writing, she can be found drinking lattes, pining for every dog she sees, or visiting her native California. She is the author of Your Destination is on the Left and She’s the Worst. Follow her on Twitter @laurenspieller and Instagram @laurenspieller. You can also visit her website at www.laurenspieller.com
Photo Cred: Dave Cross Photography
