Single Girl Lit- Reviewed August 2009

I enjoyed this tale of single girl lit although I’m not sure exactly if I can put my finger on what it was that I liked or disliked so we’ll see if I can come to a conclusion by the end of my review.

At first I thought that the characters were a bit loose and I was a bit frustrated that none of the main voice’s friends new each other. She had several single friends but none of them were part of the same group. I suppose that this was a good thing, in the end they do become closer, and it did mean that we weren’t immediately thrown into a typical group dynamic.

I thought that each friend was interesting as they all had completely different personalities and stories, but I think I would have liked there to be more history about her friendship with each one. I was pleased though that the author was clear about who was speaking otherwise it could have become quite confusing as the friends at home come to join the main character occasionally.

Julie, the main storyteller, decides to travel the world talking to single women about what it’s like to be single in their own country and culture which I found interesting. However, I didn’t really like that she fell for someone on her travels as I never really believed their attraction so it seemed a bit of a waste of storyline for me.

From the above it sounds as if I’m still not sure if I liked it! But as I finished it I definitely thought it was worth reading and would certainly try out Liz Tuccillo's next novel!

This seemed like Sex in the City meets Eat Pray Love to me and even though I loved the former and wasn’t a fan of the latter, I found this novel fun, laugh out loud funny and thought-provoking at times. Even though I've been married for several years now I haven’t forgotten the single years and although the women in this book are in their late thirties, their stories are still relatable and downright hilarious at times.

I found this book well written and incredibly well researched with interesting tid-bits about each city and/or culture Julie ran into on her quest. I was interested in the characters and I liked them, but didn’t fall in love with any of them, which might be the only negative thing I have to say about the book. They did seem a little one dimensional at times and the way these girls comes together was unusual and I’m not too sure it was believable and at times wondered where their other friends were. .

If you loved Sex in the City, you should enjoy this book, but anyone looking for serious answers about ‘How to Be Single’ could be disappointed as there are a lot of insights, but no earth shattering revelations.

4 Stars for Liz Tuccillo’s debut novel!