This book really appealed to me when I read the synopsis as with the techno mad world we live in these days I thought it would be interesting. I wasn't disappointed.
I really enjoy how this book was mainly written as a lonely girl blog narrated by Tara who with the help of her fashion editor mother seems to be any ordinary teenage girl dealing with all the angst that goes with it.
I thought it was good reading the book as blog entries as you could read the events that happened throughout the book but they weren't dragged out and you were given just enough information to get a good overview of the story without being bored.

My Virtual Life was so good. It is a coming of age story mixed in with the mother-daughter angst that occurs during the teen years.

I've had this book for years, I still haven't, unfortunately, got to it, so this is a placeholder review to reduce my shelf for my own sanity, but will replace this if I ever get to the book

DNF

I did not read this book and I know longer have any interest in reading it. This was during the beginning of my NetGalley “everything looks great so I am going to request it without looking into the book. I have definitely become more selective in choosing what books I want to request and read.

This book really appealed to me when I read the synopsis as with the techno mad world we live in these days I thought it would be interesting. I wasn't disappointed.

I really enjoy how this book was mainly written as a lonely girl blog narrated by Tara who with the help of her fashion editor mother seems to be any ordinary teenage girl dealing with all the angst that goes with it. I thought it was good reading the book as blog entries as you could read the events that happened throughout the book but they weren't dragged out and you were given just enough information to get a good overview of the story without being bored.

I enjoyed seeing how different scenarios appeared to both Tara and Stella and how they each read situations differently. Although Stella was more of a secondary character and the book was mostly about Tara it was good to get those snippets of Stella's thought processes too and it gave us a bigger glimpse into Tara and why she thinks the way she does.

There weren't a lot of big surprises but it wasn't completely predictable, I didn't try to guess what was going to happen or how it would end and it made a nice change to romantic novels and I was interested to see how Tara and Stella's relationship developed. I think they were both very likeable characters which really adds to the enjoyment of the book and I also think a lot of mums with teenagers will appreciate the struggles Tara goes through.

It was a very quick read for me and I found myself just enjoying it for what it was.

I really enjoyed this book, and getting to know the characters of Tara and Stella really well. I loved reading the story through the style of the Blog post entries – it added a fun twist to the story.

I really enjoyed the story being from Tara’s point of view – it was nice to follow the success of Tara, and to see how Stella deals with the success of Tara’s writing career taking off. I really enjoyed seeing the dynamics of the mother/daughter relationship develop within the story.

My Virtual Life is a lovely story about families, and the every day struggles that families go through, but ultimately, that families will always be there for each other. I really enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to anyone.

Mother Daughter relationship maneuvering through many of life’s ups and downs,
A mother going through her teenage years, leaving her daughter with a nanny to work in fashion.
The blog format of this book was easy to read,
Having a personal insight into a teenage girls brain and all the daily things teens go through.
Stella is just doing the best she can.
Tara wonders what a regular mom would be like.

This was a charming and real look into the thoughts of a daughter and mother navigating their way through the teenage years... it was told in diary form so we really got an intimate look into both Stella and Tara’s inner thoughts and emotions.... this was a lovely coming of age story that I think leans a little more towards young adult then women’s fiction...

Thank you to Bloodhound Books, Bombshell Books, NetGalley & Sharon Dempsey for the free digital copy!
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🌟BOOK REVIEW🌟
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▪️MY THOUGHTS
✔️I thought this book was really cute! Stories about mother/daughter relationships always interest me! I liked the format of the book; seeing things from both character perspectives is the best! There were a lot of relationships uncovered throughout the book which was interesting but not as shocking as I would have thought. I loved that it took place in the UK - I had to google some of the words used which I enjoyed!
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▪️OVERALL RUNDOWN
✔️I thought the writing style was cute; every chapter started off with what the daughter ate that day; this was how she would start her blog for the day. As a reader you were immersed in her life via her blog which I enjoyed. I just wished that there was a bit more depth and emotion in the various relationships. If you enjoy light reads about mothers and daughters you’ll enjoy this book!
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▪️TITLE RUNDOWN
Mothers
Young
Virtual life
Intelligent
Relationships
Trust
Unveiling
Adulthood
Life
Love
Issues
Family
Enjoyable
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▪️RATING
✔️🌟🌟🌟💫/5

Such a thoughtfully written novel that will capture your attention and really make you think about family. The story flowed so well and the characters were very realistic.

Not really the book for me sadly it just wasn’t what I expected and therefore I didn’t enjoy it sorry

This was an enjoyable quick & easy read, but was generally more of a YA book. The narrative switched between Stella and Tara, but for Tara it was in two parts which I presumed reflected day to day and the blog entries, though this was not clear. I don’t understand the purpose of the regular food intake lists either.
I don’t think the blurb is entirely reflective of the story. Tara being published in a magazine occured towards the end and was a minor storyline compared to the animal shelter.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My Virtual Life was so good. It is a coming of age story mixed in with the mother-daughter angst that occurs during the teen years. I enjoyed the main characters, but Tara was my absolute favorite. I just wanted to hug her and then hang out with her, letting her talk.

It took me a bit to "feel" Stella, but I got there. She made the decisions she made and now has to face up to them and the complications due to those choices.

If you enjoy family drama, mother-daughter relationship reads and a book written in partial diary form, this is for you. I am definitely glad I requested an ARC from Netgalley. My thoughts are my own.

Although I have a couple of Sharon’s books on my endless ‘To Be Read’ mountain, I haven’t actually read one of them…..until now that is. The synopsis of this book really appealed to me and so I eagerly started to read. Oh my goodness, I absolutely loved reading ‘My Virtual Life’ but more about that in a bit.
Two of the main characters in this book are Stella and her teenage daughter, Tara. At the beginning they initially appear at polar opposites of the personality scale. Stella is the fashion editor at a teenage magazine and so she has to keep up with the modern trends and be where the cool people are. I wasn’t really sure if Stella was that bothered about actually being a mother to start with. She is from Belfast but works in Dublin during the week. Whilst Stella is in Dublin Tara is cared for by an au pair, who seems to live in her bedroom. I sensed that there was something of a gulf between the two of them and neither seemed to be sure how to go about bridging the gap as it were. Tara is a bit of a nerdy loner (I’m one too) and I don’t mean that nastily. At the start of the book she has no interest in fashion and she finds her mother’s job and behaviour to be mortifyingly embarrassing. Then I think that it is nigh on impossible to find a teenager who doesn’t find their parents embarrassing! Tara would rather concentrate on her writing or following other solo pursuits. Tara doesn’t seem to have many close friends and her bff is a lad called Matt. As the book continues it soon becomes clear that mother and daughter are not as different as they might have thought. I took to both characters right from the start.
I have to say that ‘My Virtual Life’ was just the sort of easy and fun read I needed at this moment in time. I was having a bad spell with a few unpleasant memories and I needed a distraction. ‘My Virtual Life’ was certainly a distraction and a half. Well as soon as I began to read ‘My Virtual Life’, that was it I soon became addicted to reading the book and I found it impossible to put the book down. The book wasn’t glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it came everywhere with me. The book is quite short and so I seemed to race through the book. The author grabbed my attention from the first word and didn’t let me go until the end of the book.
‘My Virtual Life’ is very well written and has a bit of everything within its pages. There’s drama, humour, happiness, sadness and family secrets. The book also has characters that you can’t help but take to from the start and you will end up rooting for them in the end. I loved the way in which the story ended and I found that I was even smiling at the book. The author has perfectly captured how strained relationships between parents and their children can be.
In short I loved reading ‘My Virtual Life’ and I would definitely recommend it to other readers. I will definitely be finding Sharon’s other books and making reading them a priority. I am sure that I will love them just as much as this one. I can’t wait to read what Sharon comes up with next. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*..

This book was not quite for me. While it was an interesting concept, I found the characters unlikable and the story a little hard to follow thanks to the loose way it was written. I tried to stick with it, but unfortunately, I ultimately could not finish it.

What a cute book. I really enjoyed this book and all the story themes that ran and intertwined. This is the story of three generations and it’s great to have it written from two points of view.
I really enjoyed this book

It is very unlike me to give up on a book but after 3 weeks of trying to get through this I have finally abandoned it because having got 60% the way through I suddenly realised I really didn't care about any of the characters and had absolutely no interest in finding out what, if anything, actually happens apart from the obvious which is that Nora is Tara's grandmother. For a bright child one has to wonder how she had not worked that out considering she found the photograph. The idea that discovery didn't fill in the blanks for her was so utterly silly that I laughed out loud. She is a teenager, full of hormones and drama, she is going to react to that photo and not by sitting down and writing a dull blog post about it.

My Virtual Life is a wonderfully heart warming coming of age story.
It's a story of a Mother and Daughter relationship, as they work through their ups and downs that most can relate to. Tara is Stella's teenage daughter and nothing like her outgoing Mom. Tara isn't into her fashion, She is quieter and more reserved.
But Tara is craving one thing.... her Mom to be more like a Mom. Her mom is gone half the week anyways. This is pure raw emotion!

4☆ A Wonderfully Heart Warming, Coming of Age Story.

My Virtual Life is a wonderfully heart warming coming of age story.
It's a story of a Mother and Daughter relationship, as they work through their ups and downs.

Single Mum Stella is not at all a mumsy mum, she loves fashion, and works as a fashion writer for a teen magazine Heart.

Tara is Stella's teenage daughter and nothing like her outgoing Mum.
Tara isn't into her fashion, She is quieter and more reserved.
But Tara is craving one thing.... her Mum to be more like a Mum.

Stella isn't around much and when she is she tries to change and mould Tara into her.
I think she means well, she wants Tara to be more like 'other' teenage girls her age. But that's not what Tara is about. She's unique and special in her own way.

Tara finds herself alone alot, so when she discovered the concept of Blogging as a way to release her thoughts and feelings about her life, mum, school etc.. she excels and soon captures the attention of a new upcoming teen magazine Kiss.
But not just any teen mag, a rival to her Mums mag.
They love Tara's Blog, and want her to publish it and write for them.

What starts out as harmless Blogging as a way to express, has the potential to hurt.
But what will Tara decide to do?
Will she say Yes in a hope to get her Mum to understand her?...... Or......
Will she say no to protect her Mothers feelings and job?

Stella isn't particularly likeable, she comes across as a little self centered. Her behaviour at times is more of a teenager than her actual daughter.
But she does redeem herself thankfully.
Tara is a very grounded young lady. She is strong, independent and her writing entries flowed. I warmed to her straight away. I just wanted to give her a cuddle, especially when she was being bullied.

There a few little twists which I enjoyed discovering, as they gelled the story
The Characters were well thought out and realistic.

My Virtual Life is a compelling coming of age story, filled with drama, teen angst, secrets, a Mother and Daughter relationship, friendship and new beginnings.
It was a Heart Warming, quick and pleasant read, I loved the writing style, it was engaging and entertaining, a real joy to read!

I would recommend reading this fab Book if you enjoy Family Saga, Drama, YA and coming of age stories.

Thank you to Emma at Bombshell Books for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

This book is brilliant! It made me laugh out loud. I loved it. An easy, light-hearted, hilarious read. I loved both Tara and Stella, mother and daughter and they couldn’t be more different… Or are they? Thos story starts to turn part way through and I was backing Tara the whole time. In parts I did think Stella wasn’t a great mother… But she just showed her love in different ways with the best intentions.

This book is perfect for young adult, chick-lit lovers. It highlights how we currently live as most of us these days do have the whole Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. That’s your online life. It’s not a long story but one I throughally enjoyed.

I loved how a food diary was included, blog posts and lists. Makes the story different, fresher. A well deserved five stars. Highly recommend. Cheered me right up.