When you were 17, what did you think your life would be like when you hit 27?
At 17, Rachel Hill was the girl most likely to succeed. At 27, with an Honours degree and a career as a travel writer, she thinks that marriage is the only thing missing from this perfect trifecta. Her American boyfriend is smart and gorgeous, just the guy everyone thought she'd find.
But one rash decision changes everything. Suddenly Rachel finds herself living back at home in her childhood bedroom, nannying a surly six-year-old and watching Mary Tyler Moore re-runs. Her friends worry she's having a 'quarter-life' crisis – but the real story is far more bizarre. As she confronts her idea of perfection, she finds that happiness is living the life you want to live, rather than the one you're expected to.
Tash - 13nv
Ive been a fan of Rebecca Sparrows writing ever since she started with the Courier Mail, so I picked up her novels as soon as I could The Girl Most Likely deals with Rachel, a life-long overachiever who now realises at 27 that life is not as fabulous as everyone promised when she was 17. In the hunt for perfection, she has to come to terms with what she really wants from her life, and learn to how to achieve it. The story is cute, if a little formulaic, but the real joy lies in the details in the setting. As Rachel navigates her way through her life in Brisbane, she frequents many locales familiar to Brisbane residents, each beautifully and faithfully rendered. Rachel's nostalgia for her 17-year-old self also pays homage to the 80s- the good, the bad and the fluorescent. The self-awareness of the text, combined with a protagonist who is both believably flawed, but incredibly endearing results in The Girl Most Likely being an enjoyable read that keeps you hoping for a happy ending.
Guest, 19/08/2014
