Book Review: Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Release Date: May 12th 2015

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Adult

Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads Blurb:

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 Aliveexplores 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?

My Review

To say that this book is intense would be to put it mildly. It deals with a ton of issues (anxiety, bullying, eating disorders, depression, and sexual assault) and at times I felt rather uncomfortable. But the fact was that I was simultaneously wishing I wasn’t reading the book and wishing I had more time to read it! I know..that makes no sense but that’s the point! That and you will have multiple what the fuck reactions while reading this book! Everything about this book grabs your attention and holds it. Even the main character has an unusual name: TifAni.

TifAni, the protagonist, has the “perfect life” in New York. She’s rich, has a fiance and even works at a women’s magazine. She’s obsessed with everything being “just right” – as in the right weight, hair color, purse, vacation, and fiance. But there’s a lot more going on underneath that facade and she clearly has a “past” she’ll be discussing in an upcoming documentary.  

There is a lot of switching between the past and the present and I personally enjoyed it like that. The author successfully manages use these switches to up the tension and suspense. AND it means we get a nice mix of dark/edgy memories and lighter/fluffy stuff. To be honest, the chapters surrounding her HS life could be a lot more interesting at times but when combined together it made for an addictive read.

Ani’s relationship with basically everyone is…weird. (Of-course there’s a reason for the weirdness..) And even Ani, herself, is hard to describe. So yes, I didn’t really like the protagonist but for once, that didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book. I would totally recommend this and don’t be put off by the cover (or the comparison to Gone Girl if you didn’t like Gone Girl).