Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Blog Tour: She's the Worst - Lauren Spieller


She's the Worst
Lauren Spieller
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Sisters April and Jenn haven’t been close in years. Jenn’s too busy 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

In an effort to reconnect with her older sister, April plans a little walk down memory lane filled with various L.A. locations, which she thought were meaningful in their shared history. April may have missed the mark, but the outing resulted in something positive for these two after all.

I love a good sister story, and this one delighted me.

Jenn and April were like night and day, but once upon a time, they were thick as thieves. I was really rooting for these two to mend those fences and renew the bond they once had, because with the way their parents were, they sort of only had each other to rely on. Like with most relationships, this one was messy, but it was salvageable. I didn't feel as though either sister did anything bridge-burning to the other. They just sort of grew apart as their interests diverged, and they developed other meaningful relationships outside of their family.

I thought the the all-in-one-day adventure the girls embarked on was great. Spieller not only made each stop on the itinerary fun and interesting, but she also used it as an opportunity for these young women to examine their relationship and themselves.

There are definitely going to be people, who will declare, that all of this could have been avoided had they communicated better, but this happens in the real world. People let those important to them drift out of their lives, because they don't like to confront uncomfortable realties, and those people can fade from their lives, permanently. Spieller did a great job helping me understand all the emotions involved in this situation. She explained how and when the breakdown occurred, and why they hadn't done anything previously to remedy the situation. Because of all those things, I understood and therefore, accepted the situation.

Though, I am not going to pretend like I didn't enjoy the romantic drama (there was one romance I was all in on), I wish, perhaps that that time was used differently. I would have liked a little more closure/attention regarding the parental situation. Their troubled marriage played a big role in the story, yet, I am left worrying about their future together.

Regardless, I enjoyed seeing these two sisters try and heal their broken bond. It was fantastic seeing the sights with them, and I was extremely pleased with the resolutions they reached, both with respect to their relationship with each other and their individual issues.

* ARC received in exchange for an honest review.


 


GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


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 Credit: Dave Cross Photography











Favorite ice cream flavor?
Let us know in the comments!

28 comments:

  1. Glad this was good. Sounds like she addressed the issue of people kinda drifting apart well, and also made the itinerary stops meaningful as well. Sounds like a good one!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The places Spieller chose to visit in LA were fun. I especially loved the Venice Canals. I never even knew about those.

      Delete
  2. Aww this sounds wonderful! I don't think I've ever read a sister-focused novel. I'm glad this one hit all the marks, even if it missed some points. Lovely review!
    Genesis @ Whispering Chapters

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am all for sibling books. I will not even think twice about starting a companion romance series, if the focus is on finding an HEA for each member of the family.

      Delete
  3. Oh a story about siblings! I love the sound of that. All the spots they visit sound really great too. I can understand wanting the focus on the parents' marriage instead of the romance drama.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They went to some interesting places in LA, and each brought out some conflict and feelings they hadn't acknowledged. I love romance, but the parents were too wound up in the plot to not deal with, if you ask me.

      Delete
  4. I love when you become invested in the story and are rooting for the characters. This sounds like something I would enjoy as well. Great review and thanks for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wanted these two to rebuild that bridge, because each were moving in a direction, where a little supported would be needed. Why not support each other?

      Delete
  5. I love a good sibling story now and again. A lack of communication as the main conflict can sometimes bug me, but if it's done well it can definitely work (a lot of it depends on WHY the characters don't communicate and whether or not I can believe it).

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't know if it was a lack of communication or rather, more a case of the grass is greener syndrome. If they spoke to each other, they would have discovered, that both were unhappy about their situation.

      Delete
  6. i enjoyed your review and i think it's great when they don't communicate, yet it reads like real life
    sherry @ fundinmental

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was all plausible to me, and there were lots of fun parts to distract me from any of that drama too.

      Delete
  7. I really want to read either this book or one of Lauren Spieler's other books at some point. They all sound good. Thanks for the review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I liked both of her books, and I look forward to reading more of her work.

      Delete
  8. This sounds really cute! I haven't read anything by this author, but I do love the idea of two sisters trying to reconnect. I'm sorry the romance detracted a bit from the other relationships, but I'm glad you enjoyed it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am trash for a sister's story, and she did some interesting things there to push the conflict along. The romance didn't detract, per se, but I feel like the parents' issues needed to be dealt with more.

      Delete
  9. This one is new to me. I love a good sister story and it sounds like this one was handled well. Communication is often the big problem in real life so it makes sense to see it in the story.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I find it odd, when people lament about communication issues, because that stuff is real life.

      Delete
  10. This sounds really good. I'm always up for a great sibling story.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I liked seeing bits of their past and how they were trying to get back to that

      Delete
  11. I enjoy a good sister story too. I wonder what the secret is.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The secret was interesting, and more surprising, when you learn more about the character. It's not CRAZY, but it says a lot about the family dysfunction.

      Delete
  12. I'm sorry you didn't get that parental closure. That's a bummer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's didn't ruin the book, but it was something I thought it needed, since their conflict was such a big part of the story.

      Delete
  13. Being one of three sisters I find myself drawn to stories about sisters. Even with the lack of closure about the parents, this one sounds like a good, solid story. Great review, Sam!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I enjoyed this book, and there were some very nice moments between the sisters, that I loved.

      Delete
  14. I do love books where sisters are at the forefront and the focus of the story. And I feel like this could be something I would do for my sisters as well, so it seems believable to me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You and your sisters are epic! I love reading about what you all do together.

      Delete