Here I Go Again by Jen Lancaster

I was a mixture of excitement and nervousness to see that Here I Go Again, Jen Lancaster’s new book, was this month’s BlogHer Book Club pick. I have been in a bit of a book slump  — I didn’t finish ANY other books in January despite starting a few — and had been feeling down about reading in general. (UGH. Hate that!)

In the past when I wanted a go-to book that would keep me flipping the pages, laughing out loud and following Garrett around reading hysterical passages, Jen Lancaster is who I would turn to.

(Fun fact: My favorite book of hers is hands down Such A Pretty Fat.)

She’s sharp tongued, witty, full of pop culture references that make me feel like she lives in the attic space in my brain. Plus she writes great memoirs – which, despite always getting made fun of, are my favorite genre of books to read! Then she started to write fiction. And I will freely admit, there was trepidation.

Prior to this, I hadn’t read any of her fiction because I had heard some mixed reviews. That didn’t stop me from picking it up though! But after reading Here I Go Again I sort of understand the mixed reviews. Overall the book was a very fun read, and one that definitely got me out of my slump! It was quick, funny, and I actually really enjoyed the ridiculous plot (former bitchy high school girl gets to go back in time and remedy some of that bad karma) which I was VERY unsure of when the I read the book jacket.

Luckily it delivered with Lancaster’s trademark laughs, and I had no probably breezing through it. But I guess when you are used to reading about an author’s life and hijinks though, there is a bit of built in disappointment when they start creating other characters. It would be like going to the blog of a super great writer that you’ve been reading for years and having her start to only write about other people. Certainly still enjoyable in a way, but not the same. If you love smartly written cotton candy for the brain, you will probably love this. If you are a die hard Jen Lancaster fan, you will probably like this. And if neither are your bag, skip it.

I’m hoping February with be full of MORE book reading!

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I read Jen Lancaster’s book as part of BlogHer Book Club and while I was compensated for my time to review and provided a free copy of the book, as usual all opinions are my own.