Search This Blog

Brooklyn Girls by Gemma Burgess

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Fantastically funny, fresh and utterly relatable, Brooklyn Girls by Gemma Burgess is the first novel in her brand new series about five twenty-something friends—Pia, Angie, Julia, Coco and Madeleine—sharing a brownstone in hip, downtown Brooklyn, and discovering the ups and downs and ins and outs of  their “semi-adult” lives. The first story belongs to sophisticated, spoiled, and stylish Pia, who finds herself completely unemployed, unemployable, and broke. So what is a recent grad with an art history degree and an unfortunate history of Facebook topless photos to do? Start a food truck business of course! Pia takes on the surprisingly cutthroat Brooklyn world of hybrid lettuce growers, artisanal yogurt makers and homemade butter producers to startSkinnyWheels—all while dealing with hipster bees, one-night-stands, heartbreak, parental fury, wild parties, revenge, jail, loan sharks, playboys, karaoke, true love, and one adorable pink food truck. And that's without counting her roommates' problems, too. Gemma Burgess has captured the confusion, hilarity and excitement of the post-graduate years against a backdrop of the pressures and chaos of New York City life, with heartfelt empathy, fast humor and sharp honesty.

A charming debut series about five twenty-something girls and the humor, heartbreak, and drama that bring them together.

Goodreads Summary

This book reminded me a little of The Gossip Girls...something that I thought was awesome because I think that show is fascinating.  I liked how the author offered five different perspectives to read from and get used to.  I did prefer some of the girls over the others, but I liked them all to some extent.  The main character is Pia and the book is told from her point of view.  There is literally a character to love for every reader and many of the characters' problems were easy to relate to.   It was funny how the girls bickered and made up in the span of a few minutes (it felt like).  The friendships felt real to me; I think I can honestly say the author did a terrific job of building the characters to be as "real" as characters in a book can be. 

The plot wasn't exactly anything new, but I still found myself enjoying it.  I think the author injected extra doses of humor in this story; I literally laughed most of the book.  Pia's relationship wasn't ridiculous.  I liked how the author built up to it and kept the reality in the relationship, as well.  I can understand why she still felt connected in some way to her ex and how she let that interfere a little with her relationship with Aiden.  I think that this book is perfect for a beach or airplane read and good for young adult/adult readers.

3 Stars

Find this book:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
The Book Depository

This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews.

7 comments:

  1. fhms97 said...:

    Seems interesting - maybe Ill pick this one up from the library! :D

  1. Unknown said...:

    I think I would like this book despite, like you said, it's not anything new. I think these kinds of stories never get old though :)

  1. Chelsea B. said...:

    This book sounds like a blast! I'm loving the sound of it. Also, I'm a gossip Girl lover :-)

  1. Unknown said...:

    there is a lot of these plots out there but I never get tired of them.

  1. I have never seen The Gossip Girls, but I can see how this book would be interesting. I do like books that make me laugh. Thanks for the review! Maybe I'll read that when I feel like I need a break from my usual kinds of books(:

  1. Hakime said...:

    I am not so much into this kind of books which focuses on *city girl life* However, reading criminals and fantastic books doesnt give you so much clue about real life! So as a twenty-something, it could be nice to give this book a try!

  1. Berenice said...:

    Oooohh, this one sounds like fun. Although, I must admit that I don't read these types of books often. Maybe I'll check it out. Great review! =)