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Book Review

Publisher's Note:

Family secrets may shape us all, but it’s the rich, complicated layers of friendship that can save us. Cate, Renee, and Abby have come to New York for very different reasons, and in a bustling city of millions, they are linked together through circumstance and chance. Cate has just been named the features editor of Gloss, a high-end lifestyle magazine. It’s a professional coup, but her new job comes with more complications than Cate ever anticipated. Her roommate Renee will do anything to nab the plum job of beauty editor at Gloss. But snide comments about Renee’s weight send her into an emotional tailspin. Soon she is taking black market diet pills—despite the racing heartbeat and trembling hands that signal she’s heading for real danger. Then there’s Abby, whom they take in as a third roommate. Once a joyful graduate student working as a nanny part time, she abruptly fled a seemingly happy life in the D.C. suburbs. No one knows what shattered Abby—or why she left everything she once loved behind. Pekkanen’s most compelling, true-to-life novel yet tells the story of three very different women as they navigate the complications of careers and love—and find the lifeline they need in each other.…

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These Girls

by Sarah Pekkanen

Overall Book Review:

This book tells the stories of three women who are each searching for acceptance and compassion. All three have recently moved to New York City to pursue a new career, or life. They each discover that New York can be a wonderful place to live, and also a city that is dark and lonely. The women in this book are all caught up in a part of themselves that they despise; whether it be their appearance, a memory of their past, or a relationship gone wrong. Slowly they all come to the understanding that to come to terms with their circumstances, they must first learn to let go of some of the things they hold onto so tightly.

I liked how this novel was fast-paced, and had a little bit of meat to it–making me pause and think about what I was reading many times. I saw a little bit of myself in each of the women, and the characters were all very relatable in many ways. I think any woman looking for a little bit of romance, and a big bite of drama will enjoy this book.

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  6 religious exclamations; 7 mild obscenities; 2 derogatory names; 2 anatomical terms

Violence/Gore:  A child is mentioned to have been run over by a vehicle and killed.

Sex/Nudity:  A one night stand is referred to briefly; a professor and student are in love and there is one brief scene of them kissing; a rape is mentioned in passing, no details are given; adults kiss; a man and woman who are not married sleep over at each other’s houses.

Mature Subject Matter:

Adult relationships, self-esteem

Alcohol / Drug Use:

A woman abuses diet pills in an attempt to lose weight; adults drink alcoholic beverages frequently.

Overall Book Rating
Profanity/Language
Rating:
4
10
Violence/Gore
Rating:
1
10
Sex/Nudity
Rating:
4
10

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About the Reviewer

Books and reading have always been an important part of my life. When I was very young, my grandma was the library director at our local public library. Years later, after she had retired, I became a librarian at the same library and worked there for several years before taking a part-time job at a local coffee shop, which gives me more time to do what I love, to read and to review books! A few of my favorite authors are Aimee Bender, Diane Chamberlain, and Curtis Sittenfeld however, I will read almost any book I come across! In my spare time you can find me reading (of course), volunteering at a wildlife animal rehab, or hanging out with my three house rabbits.