Book Giveaway: The Girls by Lisa Jewell

I was picked by MNHQ to review this book, which I received for free. This review is in my own words and reflects my true opinion.

This is definitely my favourite Lisa Jewel book so far! It was so gripping, I couldn't wait until my next train journey to continue reading it. I found it leaves you guessing til the very end whodunnit. Excellent!

Gah, yes and I know I used insubstantial and little of substance in the first sentence, but I don't claim to be a writer

Am I allowed to review this book even though I bought my own copy at Heathrow airport, intending it to be my summer holiday read?

If so, I would say I was completely underwhelmed by The Girls. I read The House We Grew Up In recently and loved it, found it completely unputdownable, which is why I was keen to buy another Lisa Jewell for my holiday.

I found this a very insubstantial novel, with little of substance in it, a tiny world of one street and a communal garden with nothing outside of this setting AT ALL, some extremely clunky characterisation (the "dirty old man" grandfather, even lots of nods and winks in the direction of Leo as a potential paedophile) and many completely unbelievable sequences of events. For instance, Adele going round and visiting all the neighbours and tying up loads of loose plot lines in one afternoon between visits from the Police. Also, Pip's letters to her father, just didn't read like the words of an 11/12 year old and served mainly to shoe horn lots of exposition in to the story in a rather unimaginative way.

I wasn't entertained by it, didn't like the titivation of the teenage sexuality, infact I was intensely irritated, skim-read most of it and it will be going straight to the charity shop when I get home.

An enormous disappointment.

I was picked by MNHQ to review this book, which I received for free. This review is in my own words and reflects my true opinion.
I did enjoy this book but I was slightly confused by something that happened in the ending, I won't say so I don't type a spoiler but I'm looking forward to discussing it with my mom when she has read it. I found the descriptions of the garden great and found the author captured the atmosphere very well, I could just imagine those long summer nights spent out there. Overall I found this enjoyable

I was picked by MNHQ to review this book, which I received for free. This review is in my own words and reflects my true opinion.

Great summer read. Interesting plot, believable characters and good writing style made it a page turner. Dark enough to keep you intrigued and make you think but not so dark to become an emotionally challenging read.

I've not read any of Lisa Jewell's books before but I am tempted to now.

I was picked my MNHQ to review this book, which I received for free. This review is in my own words and reflects my true opinion.

I've not read any of Lisa Jewell's earlier works so can't compare it to those but I did enjoy this book.

On the whole the characters were engaging and realistic and the story fast paced and gripping. It's not heavy going at all, but was definitely a page-turner, much more than I expected it to be. I read it in a couple of days (which with two pre-schoolers is pretty impressive for me!). I really wanted to know what had happened and got sucked into the story.

I did find the ending a a bit unsatisfactory. Not the "who done it" aspect, that was to some extent predictable and made sense, but the decisions which some of the adults took didn't sit right with me. I don't want to give the plot away for those who have not read it, but I did find myself thinking "no way would a parent make that decision/allow their teenage child to make that decision" about two of the characters. So that was a bit annoying.

I'd recommend it as a "holiday read", a bit of absorbing escapism.

I was picked my MNHQ to review this book, which I received for free. This review is in my own words and reflects my true opinion.

I have read previous books by Lisa Jewell and enjoyed them. Her writing has matured since her early books and this book was darker than her previous work. The book started with a girl finding her sister unconscious in the communal garden that backs on to the flat they live in. It then rewinds a few months too when the sisters and their mum first move to the flat. You get to know the characters that live around the garden and slowly the skeletons come up. The second part of the book is after the attack with the police and the garden residents trying to find out what happened. It was a mystery and thought the resolution was good. Overall an enjoyable read.

Thanks very much to MNHQ for my free copy. I'd never read any other books by the author before and was impressed at how much of a page turner it was. Once I'd started "The Girls", it only took a few hours to read and while the language was light, most of the themes were dark and unsettling.

It flowed really well, I liked the descriptions of the garden and houses and felt that the characters interacted in a convincing way. I particularly liked Pip's letters to her father as they seemed to balance her yearning to see him and the awareness of the house fire and it's implications without being heavy handed. Rhea and the enormous rabbit had an unsettling edge to it as she seemed to be a key witness linking the two stories.

The final scenes near the Thames were really interesting and I've thought about them several times. I completely understood why Clare wanted a fresh start, but was puzzled by Adele's decision, especially due to its ramifications for her family. (Trying very hard not to include spoilers, so am being a bit vague)

There was definitely a lot to think about once you'd finished reading the story, I'll look out for other books by Lisa Jewell and would recommend this one to friends.

I wasn't too sure on this book at first. It started off with a chilling description of one of the girls being found injured and having obviously been attacked. As I have read some of the author's previous books it was not quite what I was expecting. However I was soon caught up in the story and ended up reading it very quickly so a real page turner. I did not feel that I got to know any of the characters very well or that any were that likeable and the ending seemed very sudden to me. It did make me want to read the book quickly as I was interested and did think of it when I'd finished reading.

I was picked my MNHQ to review this book, which I received for free. This review is in my own words and reflects my true opinion."
This was the first book by Lisa Jewell I have ever read and I thought it was a good read. The story starts with a girl Pip who finds her sister Grace unconscious in a garden. The story then jumps back in time and works slowly but capturing to the how, why and who has done this to the girl, leaving you uncertain through the whole book about the person who could have done this. The story is told through different people's eyes. I thought it was a very good and easy to read book. If any of the other books by Lisa Jewell are like this then I will definitely read one written by her again.

thank you for my copy, I've not had chance to read it yet, things have been a bit hectic but I am hoping to pick it up tonight and leave my review soon!

A great book overall - good story, credible characters and settings. I finished it too quickly!

Agree with previous comments about the ending - all of a sudden it was over and I felt a bit let down by it all really.

Nevertheless this was an enjoyable if sometimes unsettling read.

Thank you for my free copy. I raced through this book in just a couple of days as I couldn't put it down. Cleverly depicted characters and relationships of very different families sharing the communal garden and the dark side of adolescence.

I agree with the previous posters about the ending though. It felt as though the author had run out of time and just had time to scribble so they all lived happily after! That was a shame.

Would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a holiday read though. A real page turner.

Received a copy from MN but these comments are my own opinion.

Enjoyed this. Interesting characters and to see the dynamic between all of the children/teenagers in the garden. Lots of different families and experiences and warmed to most characters.

The ending felt rushed and not fully resolved. Would have liked to know what happened next and it went from a big build up with Chris coming back into it and then no real ending. Think a lot more could have come out of it though as it just seemed to drop off.

A good summer holiday read though.

I've never read any Lisa Jewell books before as I have always associated her with 'chick lit' and I prefer grittier books. I was really happy to receive 'The Girls' from MNHQ though as it promised to be a bit darker than her usual style.
The book starts with Claire moving into a flat in London with her 2 daughters, Pip and Grace. There is a communal garden for the children to play in, and the 2 girls try to ingratiate themselves into the group that already play there which, in turn, creates 'friendships' between the different parents. It all goes wrong when Grace is found seriously hurt on her 13th birthday night.........
I found that all the characters were well-rounded, if not all that likeable, but I think that's often realistic! I enjoyed the way, as we found out more about each character it was easy to change opinion of them, back and forth in many cases, and it kept you intrigued as to who hurt Grace, and why......
Unfortunately the end was a disappointment after all of the build-up, but, in reality life often is, and I always feel disappointed after reading a good book and it finishes!

read this. loved it but agree about the ending. it was too quick. i wanted more of Pip and her family. ending wasn't quite believable either whilst at the same time quite predictable.

loved it though.

I've loved Lisa Jewell books since first discovering ''The truth about Melody Browne' and this one is no exception.
The characters (mostly unlikeable, imo!) and garden are all described vividly and although at the beginning I was envious of the wonderful sounding garden, I wasn't for long.
I agree with previous posters who mentioned that it's a dark book, I felt quite unnerved at times.

If I'm completely honest, the ending came a bit too quickly for me, and I'd have liked a bit 'more' (although of what, I don't know!)

All in all though, a really great book, enjoyed it a lot.

Thank you for my copy :)

I love Lisa Jewell so was thrilled to receive a copy to review.

The characters were really well written and believable. She captured that time between childhood and adolescence brilliantly. It reminded me of becoming a teenager, and knowing that actually our parents didn't know what we got up to. The book was quite dark in places which is what sets Lisa Jewell apart from other 'chick lit' authors.

Not all the characters were likeable and the story was resolved but I found the ending a little unsatisfactory. Overall though this is a great summer read. Not at all predictable and a bit of a page turner.

I was picked by MNHQ to review this book which I received for free. This review reflects my own opinion.

I was picked my MNHQ to review this book, which I received for free. This review is in my own words and reflects my true opinion.

I didn't get much done this weekend but I did enjoy this book. I kind of discounted Lisa Jewel as being a bit chick-litty and samey but this was really not what I expected. I will probably have a crack at some of her other books after reading this.

It was a gripping read with well written characters. It really makes you wonder how well you know yours DD's friends and their families (well it did for me anyway).

I almost wish I hadn't read it so I could put it in my holiday reading pile-it's a must for your beach bag.

A gripping and, at times, unsettling read. The characters are mostly believable, but are not terribly likeable. I didn't expect such darkness from an author who is more well known for chick lit. I wonder what type of novel Jewell will write next time?

I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Girls'. Pip and Grace have moved with their Mum to a new home with a communal garden . They gradually become acquainted with the other families sharing the garden and Grace falls into close friendships with the teenagers who spend their time there.

Lisa Jewell has always stuck out to me as one of those authors who has been stuck under the chick lit label, but who is so much more than that.

Her writing and depths of characterisation is fantastic in 'The Girls', drawing the reader into the story immediately and not letting them go. A thriller based story, it questions family, friends, and how well we all know each other's hearts and minds.

Like many popular thrillers of late, Jewell's character base is mainly full of characters with few redeeming features, but their failings are still very human.

The one flaw of the story was perhaps the ending, where the reality became, for me, more unravelled and the actions of one character just went a step too far in their methodology.

All round a brilliant, easy read. I look forward to the next Lisa Jewell!

I enjoyed this book and found it easy to read. I haven't read a Lisa Jewell for years but remembered her as writing enjoyable but pretty fluffy chick-lit. This was a bit darker as it revolves around the attack of a teenage girl during a garden party. Found the plot kept me guessing and was keen to get to the end to find out how it resolved. Had to suspend disbelief a little but on the whole it was an enjoyable, easy read.

I was picked my MNHQ to review this book, which I received for free. This review is in my own words and reflects my true opinion.

I absolutely loved this book and couldn't put it down! I received it on Friday, started reading it immediately and finished it last night.

The characters were beautifully written. 'The girls' were all completely believable and the diverse backgrounds were reflected in the personalities of 'the gang'.

I thought that the mothers were all interesting characters, with the exception of Clare, who I felt very unsympathetic towards. She seemed to be unsympathetic towards Chris who had had a massive breakdown and seemed very self-involved, to the point of never knowing where her children were! Even so, I think this was how she was written as not all women are independent and capable (it is mentioned in the book that she has always had somebody looking after her).

This was the first Lisa Jewell book I have ever read but will certainly be reading more. The writing was superb and the story was compelling.

Thank you so much for sending me this book!

Thank you so much, just got a copy in the post today.
Looking forward to reading this.

Received mine this morning - thanks MN and Century!