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Luckiest Girl Alive: A Novel
Luckiest Girl Alive: A Novel
Luckiest Girl Alive: A Novel
Audiobook11 hours

Luckiest Girl Alive: A Novel

Written by Jessica Knoll

Narrated by Madeleine Maby

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

*NOW A NETFLIX FILM STARRING MILA KUNIS*

Fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train will thrill at this “perfect page-turner” (People)—that Reese Witherspoon describes as “one of those reads you just can’t put down!” This “dark, twisty” (Entertainment Weekly), instant New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling novel follows an unforgettable young woman striving to create the perfect life—until a violent incident from her past threatens to unravel everything and expose her most shocking secret.

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 Alive explores 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?
LanguageEnglish
Release dateMay 12, 2015
ISBN9781442380516
Author

Jessica Knoll

Jessica Knoll is the New York Times bestselling author of The Favorite Sister and Luckiest Girl Alive—now a major motion picture from Netflix starring Mila Kunis. She has been a senior editor at Cosmopolitan and the articles editor at Self. She grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and graduated from the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their bulldog, Franklin.

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Reviews for Luckiest Girl Alive

Rating: 3.755312234385061 out of 5 stars
4/5

1,553 ratings120 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.

    First, let me admit that when I downloaded it from the library, I thought it was The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. I know, I know. The covers aren't that similar, but they were similar enough to mix me up. Once I realized that it wasn't what I thought it was, I looked it up, and upon seeing that the author writes for Cosmopolitan, I was a bit dubious. Very judgmental, I know. But my point is that I went into it not expecting to like the book, and by the end, I had completely changed my opinion.

    So, this book does not start off well. The first chapter is a mess, and the main character, Ani, is difficult to like. I read many descriptions of her as an anti-hero, and I suppose that's true. Still, I was impressed by her aggressiveness, her willingness to be a complete bitch in order to get what she wants. I guess it doesn't say good things about me, but yeah, I was impressed. I have a tendency to be a pushover, and Ani clearly isn't. I liked that about her.

    Once I was into the book, I was totally into it. I think I read it in two days, and both of those nights, I stayed up way too late reading. I totally did not see the twists coming. I assumed Ani was going to be sexually assaulted, because that was the direction things seemed to be heading in. Honestly, though, so much of the book talked about her guilt and the thing she did... my guess was that she killed her rapist or something.

    I was blown away by the school shooting. Didn't see it coming at all. I tend to pigeonhole books, I think, and I guess in my mind, I thought, "this is a book about rape." So obviously that's the big plot, and that's the focus of the book. I didn't expect a whole 'nother huge conflict. I feel odd about that, because I feel like, I don't know, does there come a point where you've just got too many conflicts going on? At the same time, though, it didn't seem to hurt the story. In fact, I thought that the shooting part was exceptionally well-written.

    I also believe that Knoll did a great job of portraying Ani's emotions after the shooting. The way she freaked out upon being touched, was jumpy when hearing loud noises... and the fact that all of these things were still an issue even once Ani was grown really stood out to me. One of my favorite scenes was the one when Ani and Andrew hid under the desk in the classroom at Bradley. Her sort-of flashback to hiding behind a table during the shooting was so well-written and natural, and again, something I didn't see coming.

    Some things I didn't like/wondered about:

    1. When she went by TifAni FaNelli, does the weird capitalization change the pronunciation? Is she just called Tiffany? Or are we supposed to read it as "Tiff-AHNI"? I ask because in my opinion, capitalization should mean something and have purpose. Also, when Ani talked to Dean and told him to call her Ani, he said "Like the end..." which I assume meant "the end of TifAni." Maybe I'm just dumb.

    2. In keeping with the "maybe I'm just dumb" theme... I actually had to look up who "the five" were when I finished the book. In retrospect, I should've picked up on it, but I don't think the author really made that clear.

    3. The ending... oh, the ending. I keep up with where I am, percentage-wise, as I read. The e-book version that I had included reading guides and a bunch of other supplemental stuff at the end. So when the book ended for me at 94%, it completely caught me off guard. It felt like the author had to rush to finish, and just threw the ending together. I want to know exactly what happened at the wedding. As Nell said, it was going to be a "shit show" - but we got to see none of it.

    4. So many characters that didn't matter. So many names to keep up with, then realize that you don't have to keep up with them at all.

    Overall, I really enjoyed this book. There are some major, important themes here, and I think Knoll handled them well.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I’m not sure how I feel about this book. Once I started it, I had to finish it, but I didn’t like or identify with any of the characters, and thought there were WAY too many CRAZY dramatic plot points to be anywhere near realistic. Yet…as I said, I had to finish once I started, and I’m not afraid to abandon a book I’ve started if it’s just no good. So maybe it’s like a bad reality show… you don’t care about the outcome and think the drama is all for show, but you’re sucked in and have to see it through.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Good Book. LOVED the ending. A bit jumpy from storyline to storyline. But worth a read.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Luckiest Girl Alive is a tough read, I found myself pacing how much I read because it's very heavy and emotional. Ani has worked toward her planned out perfect life as a sort of revenge for events that happened in high school. The story goes between modern Ani getting ready for her wedding and a documentary about what happened at Bradley, the private school she attended and didn't fit into, and the time while she was at school leading up the the event. The event is the mystery of the story and I didn't see it coming at all. This was a powerful book for me and I was very surprised to see the mediocre rating on here. I blame the title, cover, and the fact that it's pushed as another new Gone Girl. It's not that at all. I can see the comparisons of Jessica Knoll writing being similar to Gillian Flynn because it is sharp and raw, but story wise, it's way different. Luckiest Girl Alive takes on two big topics, rape culture and school shootings. I felt they were handled very well and showed the emotional rawness Ani experienced during the events and after trying to keep her perfect life together so she can prove her innocence and worth. The ending was a little jumpy and skipped over details, but nothing so major where you couldn't make the obvious conclusion on your own. Highly recommend, just expect it to be dark and upsetting at times.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I couldn't put this book down. It is so well written and entertaining, while dealing with subjects that are so difficult. It brought me back to those awkward days of youth, when popularity and social standing seemed much more important than listening to one's own instincts.

    Jessica is a star. And the bright light she has shone on rape, by bravely coming forward herself, will help countless others, young and old. I am a young 64, and she has helped me. Bravo Jessica. It can't be easy to make such profound social statements in such an entertaining and thoroughly savvy way.

    You are brave and talented. Keep shining your light.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Me gustó. Entretenido e interesante pero no es nada del otro mundo. Recomiendo mucho leerlo antes de ver la película
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    If you want to love the main character , watch the TV series. If you want to feel conflicted, read the book. Either way? Read it! Very good .
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Had my attention the entire time. I thought it was I really good an suspenseful book and the writing was perfect at painting a picture in my head. (I struggle with that with a lot of books). There are some difficult chapters that some may find uncomfortable as it deals with certain traumas, but if you can get past that it is certainly a good read.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    The book is ok. It’s hard to tell when things have shifted to another setting sometimes, but the biggest problem is that there is something wrong with the file for this audio book. It cuts off mid-word, mid-chapter and just jumps ahead to the middle of a whole other chapter multiple times. I missed while parts.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It was a pretty good story but it drug out the little details out just a little to much and it would have been nice for them to have given a little more detail in how it all ended. It had a lot of potential to be a really good read. I would give it a 7 out of 10. Over all it was a good read and I would probably recommend this story to others.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Just wow, did not expect this to be so.. good. Didn’t read the synopsis so I went pretty blind into this story, but I’m glad i chose it
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The beginning was a little slow. It took me a while to get into it. The last 3/4 was great! I loved it.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The story takes place in the suburbs of Philadelphia. I’m from Philly so it was fun to recognize the street names and places the author mentioned (I.e. Minella’s Diner). They have the Best diner waffles. Anyways, 3 stars. The main character was unlikeable but she had her reasons. She had PTSD and issues due to the traumatic events that happened in her life and the horrible, if not zero, support from her mother and father.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I liked this story. I liked the jumping from different time lines. However, I do wish the ending was a little more conclusive. I expected a plot twist that never seemed to come.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Fantastic book! I loved pretty much everything about it. Was not expecting a lot of what happened so I was pleasantly surprised throughout most of it. Didn’t too much like the ending tho. Would definitely recommend.????
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Great story of growth and determination. Good character development as well.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Just got off watching the movie. Prefer it over the book. Definitely has an aged feel to it, and there are many parts that deeply resonated and others that seem dated.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Parts of this book are a hard read, but the trauma is handled with sensitivity and not gratuitous. Ani is an interesting narrator- not always completely sympathetic, until you understand her full struggle. I kept wondering how her story would end; I love a book that builds suspense.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    This book was strange. Didn’t like the twist or think it’s appropriate given the climate of the world. I also thought the plot was boring and awkward. Could’ve saved my time
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This book made me feel icky inside :( but I did finish it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The story and the backgrounds of all the characters coming out ..very good read
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Powrfull and compelling. You either love or hate the protagonist.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    A little too on the nose. Felt more like a YA read. No one deserves to have to go thru what she did but the lesson here is 14 year olds are CHILDREN and should be treated as such!!! All her trouble came from bad parents. Her and the other kids. Yes yes, it's just a FICTIONAL story but it happens so much more than people realize...Didn't like it, didn't really think the twist were mind blowing. It felt disjointed in parts and her attitude change once she had the ring on her finger was cliche and bratty and completely unnecessary. Overall didnt care for this book
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The voice of the character felt very real and developed. At first you think she’s a bitch honestly, then you start to reveal the folds of truth and damage underneath that created her to be this way. Then you see her progress And suddenly you cheer her on!
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Meh, I only finished out of habit… could have been better.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Unpredictable. Touches a lot of issues. The timelime is great.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I thought It was ok. The narrator was good tho.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Audiobook/narrator did a great job but the story is very meh. Just go read Gone Girl instead
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I finished it, and unlike some reviewers, I found the ending hopeful and at least as plausible as the rest of the book. I can also see how the whole series of events shaped her into someone who needed to build an elaborate mask to feel valuable. SPOILER Having faced up to her past, and having her version confirmed, I can see that the mutually coercive relationship with her fiancee would seem undesirable, and she might have enough self confidence to face life as herself. I hope she can turn herself around. None of this makes her any more attractive.Bottom line is that she spends most of the book OCDing about things that I can't imagine caring about at all. I know I missed a lot of references to things. But, then, even as a young woman I wasn't trying to convince everyone that I was something I'm not. I was irritated at how long it took to finally find out what her issues with the past were. I can see why the author did it that way, but the whole thing is refered to too often.I won't be reading other books by this author anytime soon.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Enjoyable! It’s sucks you in! Every twist is completely unexpected and you don’t see them coming