Girls*Heart* Books: I'm Not This Girl by Nina-Marie Gardner Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway

The prequel to Nina-Marie Gardner's critically acclaimed debut, Sherry & Narcotics.

A cautionary tale of love and loss—beautiful, raw and heart-wrenchingly honest, "I'm Not This Girl" chronicles the hair-raising journey of shy outsider Lulu, who with her faithful mutt Trouble seeks for meaning, identity and redemption in a world turned upside down by her own catastrophic personality.

From the hipster enclave of Hollywood's Silver Lake Hills, to Manhattan at the peak of the dot com boom and bust; through the aftermath of 9/11, to a psychiatric hospital in the Arizona desert, only when Lulu finds her way back to London, the city where she was born, does she come to terms with the truth she's been running from. (from Goodreads)

I'm Not This Girl is the prequel to Nina-Marie Gardner's novel, Sherry and Narcotics. Spanning the globe, this novel brings us from London to LA to New York and then back to London again. This is a tale of loss, addiction, self discovery, desperation, and healing.

The story is told from the point of view of Lulu, the immensely self-destructive main character. At first it was a little hard to follow for me, but I got used to her style fairly quickly. Simply put, Lulu is a mess. Rather than try to change or get better she focuses instead on feeling good and trying to fit in. You see her start down the very slippery slope of partying and casual hook ups. Your heart breaks for Lulu as she struggles throughout the book.

This was an interesting look at a catastrophic personality perpetually on the brink of disaster. I will admit it was hard for me to read, but this isn't my normal type of read, I did enjoy it overall. This was a poignant story and I rooted for Lulu through the whole thing, would definitely recommend it.

My Rating:

And thanks to Nina-Marie Gardner for the giveaway, as well!
*Please note that if you are NOT over 18 then you should not read this book!*

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About the Author:

Nina-Marie Gardner was born in New York City. Her debut novel Sherry & Narcotics was published in May 2011 (Future Fiction London) and her second novel, I'm Not This Girl will be published March 2012. Her fiction has been published in 3AM Magazine and the anthologies Bedford Square and 3AM London, New York, Paris. A graduate of Yale University and the creative writing program at the University of London, Royal Holloway, she has lived and traveled extensively abroad. Currently she lives with her dog Lulu in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

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