"Luckiest Girl Alive" by Jessica Knoll

Luckiest Girl Alive is Jessica Knoll's début novel, which was released on May 12th, and Lionsgate has already secured the rights for a movie-adaption. While I am sure that the story will make a great movie, the book itself and I have had sort of a love-hate-relationship...

The main character, TifAni, was one of the least likable characters I have ever encountered.
In the beginning, it was really hard for me to get into the story, and even later on I didn't fully understand (Tif)Ani and her actions, which made it hard for me to connect to her and the story on an emotional basis. You could say that she is someone who always tries just a little (or even a lottle) bit too much, which makes her rather antipathetic - and a bit annoying - to me. At the same time, it however has to be pointed out that she is very troubled and has had a hard, traumatizing time growing up, which may or may not be at fault of who she is... I wish we would have gotten to see her actually resolving any of her 'problems', for a lack of better words.
[For the sake of no-spoilers, I won't pinpoint what happens to her throughout the story, but please be aware that this book's blurb should, in my opinion, include trigger warnings - bullying, rape and murder are no strangers to the story, and some of it comes in ways that could be disturbing and 'too much' to some readers.]

What I really liked was the plot behind Luckiest Girl Alive, but my lack of sympathy for the protagonist made it hard to enjoy the storyline to the full. I loved Knoll's style of writing, and the alternating narratives, varying between past (early teenage years) and present (adult) (Tif)Ani, were a refreshing addition to the story itself - as were the mind-blowing plot-twists, which made up for the somewhat slow beginnings.

I liked and disliked the book to almost the same extents, which made for a bumpy, yet interesting reading experience. Due to the great writing, the likes did end up outweighing the dislikes, but this book is not for everyone - I'd be carefully selecting the people I'm recommending it to.

3.5 / 5! 

HER PERFECT LIFE
IS A PERFECT LIE.

As a teenager at the prestigious Bradley School, Ani FaNelli endured a shocking, public humiliation that left her desperate to reinvent herself. Now, with a glamorous job, expensive wardrobe, and handsome blue blood fiancé, she’s this close to living the perfect life she’s worked so hard to achieve.

But Ani has a secret.

There’s something else buried in her past that still haunts her, something private and painful that threatens to bubble to the surface and destroy everything.

With a singular voice and twists you won’t see coming, Luckiest Girl Aliveexplores the unbearable pressure that so many women feel to “have it all” and introduces a heroine whose sharp edges and cutthroat ambition have been protecting a scandalous truth, and a heart that's bigger than it first appears. 

The question remains: will breaking her silence destroy all that she has worked for—or, will it at long last, set Ani free?

Jessica Knoll has been a senior editor at Cosmopolitan, where her byline appeared more than two hundred times in five years. Now the articles editor at Self, her writing and editing covers relationships, sex, and psychological well-being. Jessica grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and graduated from The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, PA, and from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. She lives in New York City with her husband and her imaginary bulldog puppy, Bernard. 

Luckiest Girl Alive on goodreads || amazon || itunes || googleplay || B&N || indiebound || audiobook 

Jessica Knoll's website || goodreads 

Jessica Knoll on her novel Luckiest Girl Alive (youtube)

*** I was generously provided with an ARC through NetGalley ***