The Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll

Well, I don’t think you’re going to like what I have to say about this book.  I was disappointed.  After so many positive and rave reviews of this book, I bumped it up in my queue so that I could get to this “awesome” book faster.  But to my surprise, it was not what I thought.

I will begin by saying that the majority of the book was pretty good…entertaining and captivating. I found the feeling of peer pressure and longing to fit in a relatable subject.  The drama of being a teenager was well conveyed and revealed what happens to people when they succumb to the peer pressures of high school. Sadly, I think these types of sexual situations happen more than we know.  There are things that teenagers do that don’t always come to light.  But, I also think that the spreading of rumors and the “mean girl” effect is a universal dreaded feeling.  The author did a great job of describing this point of view from a teenager’s perspective.

The issue I have with this story is that the adult version of the protagonist was a total jerk!  Even though she had some episodes of empathy, she was truly a snob.  She was a terrible, daughter, fiancé, employee and overall person.  She was even still trying to have an affair with her former teacher who was also married!  I get it.  She went through something traumatic.  But just because she is mentally damaged doesn’t give her the right to be a bad person.

The other issue I have with this story is the improbability of the end.  Really?  Not only did you survive a gang rape but you also survived a high school mass shooting?  Really?

My disappointment stems from the fact that the author revealed that she had been raped in real life as well. I think she really demeaned the openness and honesty that she conveyed during the rape ordeal.  She diminished my compassion for her story.  It just completely changed my perspective of the character and the author.

What was your initial reaction to this story?

If you had been the main character, what would you have done differently?

Why do you think she succumbed to the peer pressure so willingly and easily?

Did you feel sorry for her or did she make you mad?

What did you think about the school shooting scenario?

Did you like this book?

How do you feel about the author?