Twenties Girl

Before I review this book, I should clear something up first.

I love Sophie Kinsella and in my eyes, the woman can do no wrong. Her stories are so easy to get lost in and when I want to escape and be entertained, her books always do the trick.

Her newest novel, Twenties Girl, is a mystery/ghost story that unites 20-something-year-old Lara Lington and her recently deceased great aunt Sadie - as her 20-year-old self...and straight from the Roaring 20s. Sadie asks her great niece to fulfill a request that will let her rest in peace, but Lara's got enough problems as it is: her man just broke things off out of nowhere, her parents think she's thisclose to losing it, her bff up and left her to manage their new business by herself to go sunbathe with some new beau. Oh, and she hasn't a clue what's she doing.

It's a good thing Sadie has a flair for making things just...happen.

Kinsella has a talent for creating wonderful female characters that not only draw you in from the start (with their hilarious antics), but also wind you around their little finger. You get caught up in their highs and lows, root for them and then miss them once the last page is turned.

Sadie's highly spirited self is the star here. In between all the dancing, the screaming and nagging Lara to help her, she teaches Lara a few lessons about life and love. Some of my favorite Sadie-isms include:

"When I was your age, if a boy behaved badly, one simply scored his name out from one's dance card."

"Darling, when things go wrong in life, this is what you do. You lift your chin, put on a ravishing smile, mix yourself a little cocktail - and out you go."

"You say, 'Good riddance,' buy a new dress, and take another lover. Or several."

"The worst thing a girl can do is trail after a boy when a love affair is dead."

"It's not enough to believe! You could spend your whole life hoping and believing! If a love affair is one-sided, then it's only ever a question, never an answer. You can't live your life waiting for an answer...Because you can want and want and want. But if he doesn't want you back...you might as well wish the sky were red."

But beneath all that pride, we learn there's much more to her than glam flapper dresses, dancing the Charleston and flirtation. Although the plot resolves itself a bit too easily in the end, I didn't mind too much. I'd just become attached and wanted a little more time with dear Sadie.

Twenties Girl is both lighthearted and moving and makes you think about the time we have with those we love. Shoot, I was laughing one minute and choking up the next - in the park no less!

Image: cbsnews.com