Recently Read: Here I Go Again by Jen Lancaster

The most recent BlogHer Book Club pick - Here I Go Again, by Jen Lancaster - was like delicious candy. Wait... it was also cheesy. Can candy be cheesy? If it can - this book is it.

Here I Go Again starts off with 30-something Lissy Ryder, teenager of the 90's, prepping for her High School reunion. Lissy was the “Mean Girl” in her high school, and when her life falls apart, she realizes she should have done a few things differently.

I had high hopes for this novel - that it might go off in a Young Adult - type direction (the recent indie film), with the main character driven to therapy by her social instability in adult life. Unfortunately, it doesn’t get dark, but it does get campily fun and paranormal, which is a-ok by me. 

As Lissy travels back to high school, thanks to what is basically a mystical potion, she gets to revisit her past sins, her cheerleading uniform, and past boyfriends. She learns a few lessons, and her’s is a pretty general high school story. But some of the peripheral characters are more colorful, and change throughout the book, making for an engaging and relatable read. I couldn’t stop thinking about the characters I went to high school with, and where they might be today. 

What really makes this book different than others is the goofy tone. The parentheticals! Who knew you could pile one on top of the other? But it just added to the light, conversational tone of the book, and made for an easy read. I think I breezed through it in about three days. If you’re in the mood for a light, fun novel, this is it. 

This post is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club, but the opinions expressed are my own. Past book reviews are here.