Girl Online: My First Impressions!

Just a disclaimer - this post does not contain any spoilers!

Image Source: Goodreads

I'm sure many of you will know Internet star Zoe Sugg recently released her debut novel Girl Online. I never intended to read it as I thought it would appeal to tweenagers / younger teenagers and so I may not enjoy it as much as they would. But just out of curiosity, I decided to order it online, I've been watching Zoe since she started in 2009 when she had under 100,000 subscribers and to see what she has achieved over the years is amazing! I wouldn't class myself as a fangirl (i.e 12 year olds who have twitter pages dedicated to their idols) but I do enjoy watching Zoe's videos. I'm not saying fangirling over Zoe is a bad thing but I know she is a massive influence and inspiration for young girls across the world. 

On to the book

I received it yesterday evening, started reading it the same evening and finished it today! Even though it is around 350 pages long it is quite quick to get through. 

First thing I noticed and pretty much everyone always notices on a book is the cover and the way it feels. It is nice aesthetically and it feels nice & smooth so that's a bonus. 

I started reading and I realised that this book is not aimed for someone my age (almost 18). The book although it is written quite well, there is no extensive use of vocabulary and I thought places, items and feelings could have been described in a more 'sophisticated manner' but at the same time I think that the book is probably targeted at 15 year olds and under so it would have to be written in this way. 

Nonetheless the plot line is intriguing and it was hard to put down I must admit, but at times it felt very unrealistic and I was left thinking that's so cliche and not realistic at all. The romantic in me did enjoy it, especially the character Noah, some of the things he does are pretty cute - not gonna lie! 

The book also deals with issues such as bullying and panic / anxiety attacks and I think it is great that Zoe included these because the book touched on them quite frequently so for anyone dealing with panic attacks / anxiety the book may be relatable for some. 

My favourite character is definitely Elliot!

I know this review doesn't go in to great detail but I just thought I would give you my initial impression and seeing as I am not an actual critic, I think I will leave that to the professionals! 

Overall:

Pros:

• Good storyline and plot twist
• Represents issues such as panic attacks, bullying, losing friends
• Aesthetically pleasing

Cons:

• At times it was cliche and unrealistic (but it is fiction so I can't argue with that!)
• There was nothing that stood out to me - I can imagine myself really enjoying this book if I was 13 years old but 5 years later I crave something more complex and challenging

I would recommend this if you are 15 or under or want to buy a gift for someone of that age range. If you are around my age I think you would much prefer John Green's style of writing. I just felt Girl Online was a little too kid-ish for me, I have outgrown those kind of novels.

Thanks for reading!