An immersive mystery, The Girls is a book about long buried secrets, friendship and forgiveness.
The Girls by Lisa Jewell
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery
Published: 2nd July, 2015
Goodreads | Bookdepository | Amazon UK
Series: N/A
Rating: 4
You live on a picturesque communal garden square, an oasis in urban London where your children run free, in and out of other people’s houses.
You’ve known your neighbours for years and you trust them. Implicitly.
You think your children are safe.
But are they really?
Midsummer night: a thirteen-year-old girl is found unconscious in a dark corner of the garden square. What really happened to her? And who is responsible?
Secrets have a way to find their way into the open, and once they are out, the consequences are often devastating. A stupid rumour can take a sudden and sinister turn if it involves someone you know well. Things your husband, sister or best friend does all the time suddenly take on a dark undertone, and you wonder if you ever knew them at all.
Is your husband just a touchy-feely dude, or you should be worried about him straying? Does grandpa has a wandering eye? What is the old lady doing in the garden with a rabbit?
Grace and Pip are two average teenage sisters whose life takes a dramatic turn when their father has a psychotic breakdown and is institutionalized as a result and they are forced to move to a tiny flat with their mum. They quickly become friends with three other girls from their new neighbourhood and it seems everything will turn out just fine. Willow, Fern and Catkin are sort of hippies, they don’t even go to school, but their parents welcome Pip and Grace into their family where they soon become a permanent fixture. When Grace falls in love with Dylan, one of the boys from the garden community, some teenage drama ensues.
There’s quite a lot going on even without the mystery of what happened to Grace. Some of the residents have been sharing the garden for decades, and the events bring up dark memories from the past. The events are told from multiple perspectives that overlap to give us the full picture. An especially cute part of the story is twelve-year-old Pip’s letters to her dad.
Even though that tragic night overshadows the whole story, not everything is all doom and gloom, there are some hilarious moments, like there would be in real life. Like when Adele, the mum of Willow, Fern and Catkin has a freak out about offering hummus to the police officer with the Greek surname, because what if it’s culturally insensitive.
The Girls is not a fast paced, edge of the seat thriller, but there’s just enough mystery to keep you entertained on the way to find out just what exactly happened that night.
Sounds like a cosy, easy-going mystery for a wet Sunday afternoon! 😀
LikeLiked by 2 people
Would be a good choice cuz of its summer vibes 😃
LikeLiked by 1 person
I added it to my list! ☺️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fantastic review Norrie. And yes secrets have a way to get unearthed one day …
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you 🤗
LikeLike
This sounds like a book I would enjoy. Great review. ☺️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, i hope you give it a try 😃
Thank you 🤗
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wonderful review, Norrie! I have a couple Lisa Jewell books on my shelves and have not read any of them. I need to fix that, and I think I have this one.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooh, nice!
I got two more of her books after this one. I think i found another go to author.
Hope you’ll like this and the other ones you have too! 😃
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pretty cover. This sounds like a brilliant read. I love the fact that its not fast-paced but its still an entertaining read. Adding this one to my TBR. Great review Norrie.
Now about that old lady with the rabbits…um, what?haha. Your reviews make my day!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are so sweet, thank you 🤗.
One day, when I’m old, i wish to be an old lady with rabbits too 😁
Hope you’ll enjoy this one when you get to read it!
LikeLike
This sounds soo wonderful. Absolutely wonderful review, Norrie. I hear really great things about Lisa Jewell’s books and when you give your seal of approval for them, it definitely has to mean they are worth our time!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! 🤗
I actually bought two more of her books because of her writing. One of them is supposed to be darker than this one, so I’m really curious.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love Lisa Jewell- her books are the perfect summer reads I find 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
This was my first Lisa Jewell book, but it was a great summer read for sure. Got two more of her books, so i think i’m all set 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooh, enjoy! I’ve read two by her I think, but that was a couple of years ago now. Before I Met You was by far the best 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, nice, thanks for the recommendation. I don’t have that one, but i should buy that next 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Let me know how you go with the ones your have 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great review! ♥️ Sounds like just the right book to get out of the heat with!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you 🙂
LikeLike