When my gal pals Heather, Staci, and Sandy have loved a book, it’s altogether likely I will too – I just didn’t realize how much! I think These Girls by Sarah Pekkanen would most likely be classed as chick lit but you know I got so much more out of it. It was about three women finding themselves and each other and it really touched me. It’s a novel of friendship and the power that friendship can have towards healing hearts and lives.
Both Cate and Renee work for Gloss, a fashion magazine in New York and are roommates. Cate just landed a promotion as a Chief Features Editor while Renee is still in a low level job but has her eye on a promotion to Beauty Editor. Abby, the third in their circle comes to the story a little later on but with issues of her own.
Cate is young and most in the office believe she’s slept her way to the top. Truthfully even she’s surprised she landed the job but she’s good at what she does and she’s determined to prove it. She is struggling with her feelings towards her mother as well. Her father left her mother for another woman and without her kids at home, Cate’s mom has lost her way. While Cate loves her mom it’s difficult to find a balance when her mom wants more of her time than she can give. Yet as Cate thinks back on the past she remembers just how much her mom has done for her and her brother…
Renee was an easy woman to like. She’s one of those girls that’s warm and friendly and everyone loves her and gravitates towards her. She has one big problem though; she has huge issues with her weight. The thing is Renee isn’t really big – she’s a size 12 and looks good but in the beauty industry she’s too big and when the girls in the running for the promotion have to set up blogs to promote themselves, the issue of her weight really hits home for her. Will Renee take things to the extreme in order to lose weight?
Abby is really the woman who brings the whole group closer together. When Abby’s job as a nanny falls through for personal reasons she’s devastated. She runs to New York, to her brother Trey who just happens to work with both Cate and Renee. Renee for one has a huge crush on him and Cate needs him for a story. When the girls need a roommate it works out great for all of them. In trying to help Abby, both Renee and Cate’s friendship becomes stronger and soon the women are inseparable.
What I really loved about this novel is how real it was. You didn’t open it to find these perfect women who worked for a fashion magazine. Cate didn’t even like to wear makeup and Renee didn’t fit size wise into the pre-conceived notion of what a woman who works there should look like. These were all real women with real issues with themselves and their families. Did I have a favorite? No I really don’t think so – each woman brought something different to the story that I could relate to and I found myself hoping for the best for all of them. What I loved the most is that all three of them put their friendship first. I loved this book and can’t wait to read more of Sarah’s work!
Be sure to pop back tomorrow when Sarah joins us here at Peeking Between the Pages with a great guest post on her working space!
Source: Review copy provided by the Publicist. No compensation was received for this review and all opinions are my own.
I loved this book and I love Sarah. I’ll pretty much read anything she writes now after my month of “Pekkanen Until You Puke”. She has a wonderful style, and really understands women’s relationships.
Sandy, she really does have a wonderful style and yes she understands women’s relationships. What I appreciate the most is that she writes about them realistically.
Sarah writes characters and emotions so well. She has quickly become one of my favorite authors. I can’t wait to read this book!
Kathy, I agree. I have the feeling she is going to quickly become one of my favorite authors as well!
I loved this book, and thought that the characters were really three dimensional and real, which is something that you don’t often get in women’s fiction. I felt the most in common with Renee, and loved her sense of freedom, but also felt for her regarding her issues with her weight. This was a great review today, Dar, and I am so glad that you loved the book! I need to read more by this author!
Heather, that’s what I liked the most about this book I think. The women all seemed so real to me – they weren’t just perfect women and I appreciated that. I felt connected to all of them but I think I have the most in common with Renee as well.
Terrific review, Darlene! I’ve read other glowing reviews about this book, and it this point, it seems like a must-read! 🙂
Susan, I’m so glad I finally read one of her books and glad my first experience was a good one. I hope you get a chance to read it!
I think that if I were to read a book by her then it would def. be this one 🙂
Linda, yeah I think this book would be the one to really appeal to women.
I’m thinking I really need to read something by this author. Great review!
Anna, I was the same as you. I kept saying I needed to read one of her books. I’m so glad I did and now I want to go and read all the others too. lol.
This author is developing quite a fan club in the book blogging community!
Jenners, she sure is and she has another new one in me. I do like her writing style and the type of stories she writes. I’m looking forward to reading more of her books.
I’ve read the other reviews and after reading yours want to run out and get this book right now!
Nise, I hope you get a chance to read it. It’s really good.
I’m so glad this book is good. I hope to read it someday. I have not read any of her books, but she was kind enough to share a poem from her father for my National Poetry Month blog tour. How cool is that?!
Serena, I hope you get a chance to read it. That was a great piece from Sarah’s father on your blog.
I would love to read this book. Thanks for the giveaway. I’m a follower, a Networked Blogs follower.https://twitter.com/#!/Dyniy/status/193345526979235841
I thought it was pretty realistic too….and for the most part I enjoyed it. I would read more from her in the future.
Staci, I have to go back to your review again. I’m sure I skimmed it before I had read the book. I’ll definitely be reading more of her books.
Pekkanen does such a wonderful job of capturing the voices of women. It so makes her books wonderful to read!
Lisa, I agree. She really does capture the voice of women and very realistically. That’s what I love.
Yay! I’m super excited to read this author after seeing so many of my favorite bloggers enjoying her books. I’m adding this one to my TBR list as well as her other books. Great review Darlene!
Sam, she is really well liked. That’s why I knew I wanted to read her books too!