Luckiest Girl Alive

“By the end of it all I just assumed no one ever told the truth, and that was when I started lying too.” ― Jessica Knoll, Luckiest Girl Alive

4****

** spoiler alert ** A lot of fuss has been made over this debut, and I was very excited when I won it in a Goodreads giveaway to see for myself what it was all about. While it is compared to Gone Girl, I did not get that vibe, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It is dark and clever, but I stared to care about TifAni far more than I was ever bothered about Amy or Nick in Gone Girl. Her character was complex, difficult to like but somehow fascinating as well. The story unfolds slowly, and yet the pace of the writing is quick and very fluid. I am surprised this is a debut, because the style of writing is so confident, but then again, Knoll writes for magazines so she's certainly no rookie when it comes to publishing. I wasn't sure what to expect of the plot, the summary in the book's jacket doesn't give much away, and while I wasn't really shocked by the plot turns (except by one event near the end, which you will recognize when you read this for yourself), I still found it very satisfying. I sped through this in two days, and that's pretty fast for me, so that tells you what a quick, engaging read this is. I would recommend it to fans of clever thrillers with a memorable female protagonist. For me it was more a darker Liane Moriarty than Gillian Flynn, but as I said above, that's not necessarily a bad thing. I received this copy in a Goodreads giveaway and have written what I think is a fair and fitting review. Thanks!

This review would be complete if I did not address that I recently read that the truly sad part of this book, the violent sexual abuse, is based on the author's real experiences. This makes me view Luckiest Girl Alive in an even more serious light. I hope the author, Jessica Knoll, can raise greater awareness by coming forward with this, and that she and other victims of sexual assault can find some comfort and hopefully stop blaming themselves, should that be the case. It is never your fault.