Welcome to a new post!
The people of you that follow Zoella aka Zoe Sugg will probably know that she has recently published the sequel to her bestselling book Girl Online, called Girl Online On Tour.
I finished Girl Online the day that I got it in November last year, and if I wouldn't have had to study I would've probably done the same this year. To sum up my review about the first book in one sentence - I LOVED it!
(Disclamer: If you don't want any spoilers, you should probably stop reading righ now!)
I didn't completely know what to expect from the second book, but I could tell that it would include a bigger conflict, since otherwise it would've gotten boring at some point throughout the story.
It did end up as I expected it in that case, but I feel like it could've been 'bigger', if you know what I mean. I feel like it is the kind of conflict that I would write in one of my fanfictions, not technically in a book like Zoe's even though it is a very fanficiton inspired story, in my opinion. It is this typical fanfiction conflict, where the character(s) overreact about something smaller, where there really isn't much reason to react that way (not that that would never happen in a 'normal' novel). I think that could have been made a bit different and more like an adulty type of conflict, because it makes Penny and Noah sound even younger than they actually are.
That doesn't mean I hated the story though, just to clarify that. Maybe it was written that way, so that it will also appeal to younger girls. That is my theory anyway.
I've been feeling like mine and Zoe's writing style are quite similar at some points ever since I read the first book. I'm obviously not saying that I could write a bestselling novel (though I would love to haha), but I feel like I would have made a lot of choices about the story line and what sentences to write at particular points, nearly the same as Zoe did. But that is just my opinion, I don't know if that is true.
I am not really sure either, wether parents would let their 16 year old daughter, who also suffers from panic attacks, go on a Europe tour with her boyfriend on her own. That's another point that kind of reminds me of fanfiction, but it's not technically a bad choice to write, since in a few cases this actually could happen, who knows.
A huge point that I've been loving about the whole Girl Online story, is that Zoe talks about a lot of things that happen or could happen to teenage girls and boys nowadays.
For example how her best friend Elliot is gay, but especially his fathter won't accept it (until book 2). Then he gets a boyfriend who hasn't come out to his family and friends yet, which also leads to a lot of problems, because Elliot obviously wants the world to know that he is in a happy relationship. I don't think that in this century this is only a problem that a book character expierences.
Another point that Zoe talks about is that Penny is suffering from panic attacks. The best example for that in todays society is Zoe herself, who has been talking about her anxiety a lot!
Also growing out friends, going through a heartbreak or finding out who you really are and what you want to do with your life, are all things that teenagers nowadays expierence. With points like that she also put in a lot of inspirational sentences, which I always love to read, and I find really helpful even if I'm not in the same position as the character.
To sum it all up, my conclusion is, that Girl Online On Tour is an beautifully written book which includes a lot of things that nowadays teenagers will be able to indentify themselves with, but I feel like the plot is a bit to fanfiction like at some points, and people that are a bit older might not be able to love it as much as someone my age would, for example.
Congrats to Zoe though, for creating and writing an amazing story! You did an amazing job, and I'm very proud of you (not that I think she'll ever read this, but a girl can dream, you know *hiding monkey smiley*)!
Have you read Girl Online and Girl Online On Tour yet? If so, what did you think of it? :)
Love, Jacqueline Xx
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