Review: Novelista Girl

I've been waiting for the follow up to Meredith Schorr's Blogger Girl basically since the moment I finished the book (review is here). Needless to say, I was thrilled (THRILLED) when Meredith told me she was finally writing the sequel. Even though I love love love everything Meredith writes, there was still that niggling doubt in my mind...what if I don't like it as much as the first book about Kim? (And I'm sure she's worried about the same thing!) That feeling was completely unwarranted. I adored Novelista Girl. I read it last year (on vacation...best idea ever) so it's one of my favourites of 2015 even though it's just being published today. Congrats (and thank you) to Meredith for writing and publishing another of my favourite chick lit books!

Here's the synopsis:

Readers first met sassy Kimberly Long in Blogger Girl, and now the feisty New Yorker is back in a sequel packed with quick wit, friendship, heartache, and, of course, romance.
Kim runs the most popular chick lit book blog on the web, loves playing house with her sexy lawyer boyfriend, Nicholas, and is finally pursuing her lifelong dream to become a published author. At first glance, her life is five-pink-champagne-flutes worthy.
After hearing the phrase “chick lit is dead” more times than she’s read Bridget Jones's Diary, Kim is driven to desperate measures, seeking advice from up-and-coming chick lit author, Hannah Marshak, her high school nemesis and resident “mean girl.” As if Kim doesn't have enough on her plate balancing her secretarial duties with her blog Pastel Is the New Black, shrugging off the growing pile of agent rejections, and keeping her best friend from turning green over Kim’s budding friendship with Hannah, Nicholas is so blinded by his career ambitions, he doesn't see that their home sweet home could use more than a dash of sugar.
This is the year when all of Kim's dreams—professional and romantic—are supposed to come true, but will the story have a happily ever after, or will Kim end up unpublished and all alone? 

Novelista Girl basically picks up right where Blogger Girl left off. Note: if you haven't read Blogger Girl yet, beware of teeny spoilers. And get your ass in gear and read it because it's one of my all time favourite books. That being said, you don't have to read Blogger Girl first...the new book stands on its own. I just think readers will have a better reading experience if they read both books.

In Novelista Girl, Nicholas and Kim have righted their relationship and, more importantly, Kim has finally decided to take the plunge and has submitted her novel to agents. Meredith does a really great job of balancing the romantic and career storylines in this novel. I love reading about love interests and swoony (and stressful) moments but the fact that Kim was also pursuing her dream of becoming a published author was SO important (and not just because the title of this book is Novelista Girl).

Kim continues to be a character that I want to be best friends with. She has her "what on earth is she thinking?" moments but, hey, we all have those moments. (We do. Do not try to deny it.) She's smart, passionate, driven, funny, and, most importantly to me, is a book person. :) I love books so much more when I want to be BFFs with the heroine and her group of friends. Can't I just hop into the book to hang with Kim, Bridget, and Caroline?

Blogger Girl focused more on, you guessed it, Kim's chick lit book blog. Part of why I loved the book so much is because it felt like it was a book about me. No one had ever written about my passion before so it was super cool. I think my main worry about going into Novelista Girl was that I might not identify as much with Kim because I'm not a blogger who wants to be an author (sometimes I think I'm an anomaly!). I shouldn't have been worried though because reading about Kim's publishing  journey was equally interesting. I have many author friends and a lot of what they go through, Kim was going through too.

As I mentioned, I read my eARC while on vacation. I'm sharing this picture not only because it shows where I was when I was reading it but also because it's crazy cold right now and I want to be back on the beach in St. Thomas.

Novelista Girl is another winning novel from Meredith Schorr. Hanging out with Kim, reading as she went through the ups and downs of a twentysomething life, was just as amazing as when I read Blogger Girl. Kim's romantic, friend, hobby, and work relationships all come together in a well written and thoroughly enjoyable novel. You all know I love everything Meredith writes but, guys, her books about Kim are really that amazing. You'll love them as much as I do if you give them a chance. So what are you waiting for? Pink champagne flutes for everyone!

*An advanced eARC was provided by the author in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*