Louise Pentland is one of my favorite YouTube personalities and whom I've followed for many years. I was so excited when she came out with a novel and pre-ordered.
There are many ways in which you can tell this is a first time novel and something heavily edited by a team. There are some paragraphs that feel too succinct and like someone said "tweens are reading this too, so sum it up." She can't help that she has a younger demographic than she may be writing to, and I can forgive that minor thing.
What I really enjoyed was the vulnerability of the main character Robin, and the way that she described her depression and negative self-talk. Most Bridget Jones-esque "every woman" books mention sadness, but in a different way. They talk about pounds gained or a drunken escapade- a sliver out of an otherwise pain-free mental life. Anyone who has experienced depression and self-doubt will tell you that it is an every day struggle and I loved how Louise not only had her character dealing with it, but in no way shamed that character for it. It was a part of her that didn't need to be eradicated, simply worked on.
Robin falls for a jerk and the moment she realizes it and tells him off is very satisfying! The other people in her inner circle seem great, I would love more from her best friends and the flower shop and more from her mommy friends at school. I think Louise has the potential to write some really powerful stuff if she's allowed, and I'd love Robin to have a different path than Louise's so we can really see where her imagination can go.
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