I think I was maybe swayed by the lovely cover, as this didn’t do much for me. I think this style of writing and angry women has been very popular in the last few years, but Crimp doesn’t bring anything new to the narrative.

For me I found this really dull.

It seemed to just repeat over and over and not really go anywhere.

I even skipped bits after reading half and when jumped back in, was still samey.

Shame.

Very interesting style of writing, it's an original piece of work on the complexities of relationships.

Somehow made me wistful for my twenties and simultaneously glad they are behind me. A superior sad-girl novel.

The download date was unfortunately missed, I would be happy to re-review if it became available again. I have awarded stars for the book cover and description as they both appeal to me. I would be more than happy to re-read and review if a download becomes available. If you would like me to re-review please feel free to contact me at thesecretbookreview@gmail.com or via social media The_secret_bookreview (Instagram) or Secret_bookblog (Twitter). Thank you.

This book was just ok. I felt that it was more suited to early teens as opposed to everyone. I didnt get invested in the characters and felt they could have been described better and treated better also. Was not for me.

As someone who is musically challenged, i found it really insightful, learning about what goes in to being an opera singer, and hearing the backgrounds/stories to some of the songs/shows.

There are parts of this book that I really enjoyed, but there were some elements that I didn't like, and i really wish we'd had a little bit more of a resolution.

Following along with Anna's journey was both uplifting and challenging in equal parts; but i am really glad that she managed to find herself along the way.

A coming of age story. Aimed at a readership in their twenties, it will resonate with them but the novel was not for me.

As someone who is in their 20s, this book really hit home for me.Written superbly and just seems to hit the questions I've been asking myself. A must read!

This books feel very bleak throughout, the writing style is slow and feels hopeless (without hope, not rubbish). There was one point I was very tempted to scroll to the end for a quick resolution and give up, but I didn’t and part of this was the need to know how it would all end.

I did not appreciate the styling. From other reviews I noted that there are no speech marks, but maybe it was just my copy that also bore no line breaks in the dialogue, sometimes making speech very ambiguous, to least because the narrative was in the same style. No other reviews have noted the lack of capitals and if this was a choice, I just wonder … why?

There were to main events that stood out in the novel for me, involving the audition that becomes the catalyst for what I assume is bleak depression. This was powerful, the second was a night out with Laurie which ultimately seemed a bit drawn out and pointless. But this is one of the many aspects of the novel which would make it great for a book club - because so much of the novel needs discussing. Take the ending! I really wanted to talk it through afterwards but I think it may have been perfect.

Upon finishing the book, I went to look for answers from other readers and notes many people comparing the book unfavourably to other novels. I really don’t understand this. The novel completely stood up in its own right and I don’t think it is fair to compare it.

I do agree that the opera element of the novel was engaging and offered up a lot in terms of narrative. I also agree that there were times you wanted to step in and just say “what are you doing?!” to Anna, but she also saw all of her own faults and seemed powerless to help herself. This created such a lot of the tension in the novel,

Perhaps controversially, did not love Laurie. But then all the characters were flawed and possibly more realistic as a result. The relationships were believable and Anna’s unreliability as a narrator helped to create a confusion and uncertainty, and therefore sympathy for Max, and I could not dislike him.

A little long winded in places, very bleak but ultimately I really wanted to read to the end.

I was not expecting anything major from this book - from the blurb in felt in the same vein as lots of other novels that have come out recently about toxic relationships - but I was really pleasantly surprised. This is one of the best books I’ve read in the last twelve months - it’s gripping, the characters are believe and the ending was genuinely surprising. I would highly recommend.

A beautifully written book. Really enjoyed reading this. Thanks to publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read

This book definitely gave me Sally Rooney vibes. The book starts off very slow. The ending came to a bit of an abrupt halt.

TW: emotional abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse .

I’m afraid this was a DNF from me, I just couldn’t get on with it.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Whilst I struggled with the lack of quotation marks this was a polished, witty book with interesting characters and plot.
3 stars.

A Very Nice Girl tells the story of Anna and her unsavoury relationship with a married older man (I use the term loosely). This concept has been written about previously and is not exactly new to the market. However, I still enjoyed this read.

I had to switch between digital and audio formats due to other commitments, but my opinion remains unchanged; this is an entertaining coming-of-age, smutty story which will appeal to readers of this genre.

It is refreshing to see a modern approach taken to this kind of friends-with-benefits situation, which the story's female ultimately sets up. The author relies on the complex relationship to pull this through, and the plot is character driven. It did drag in some places, for my preferences, but not enough to dull my enjoyment.

I am impressed by this author's writing style, especially as this is her debut, which excites me about what will come from her in the future. The lack of punctuation, in the beginning, was off-putting; however, once I adapted, I flew through till the end! Admittedly, this is not the greatest, and my curiosity about Anna's character kept me engaged.

A recommended reading if you do not blush easily, and perhaps not one to listen to out loud in front of minors!

A really interesting book in the vein of Sally Rooney discovering who you are in the modern world of womanhood kind of way. I loved all the detail about training to be an opera singer. I found that really interesting. It was satisfying for it not to go the way I expected but I was disappointed that it ended the way it did. Pleased it wasn’t the same old story line we’ve seen before in things like Fleabag.

I found the style arch and a little offputting. That might, of course, just be me as it's had good reviews. I may go back to it.

This was a tough book to get into, progress and finish. I persevered but it was tough going. Unsure if it was the print or the story or both....

A Very Nice Girl

Anna, a trainee opera singer, lives in London, in a house share with her friend Laurie, a struggling writer. On the surface, Anna is a very nice girl but as the book unfolds, the reader gets to see someone who is in a constant state of self crisis, wanting to please everyone, paralysed on what to do for the best.

Struggling with auditions, she works in a jazz bar where she meets Max, a forty something who works in finance. Her friendship with Laurie and her singing lessons start to fall away as she reshapes herself for Max, for her auditions, for her friendships. She tries to be who she thinks other people want her to be and this performance becomes toxic, putting her friendship, future career and relationships in jeopardy.

Imogen Crimp not only explores the complexities of friendships and situationships but also looks at the power dynamics of age, career, class and gender. Imogen pulls away the layers of these characters to delve into what makes them tick.

I read this book a while back (COVID got in the way of me writing this review sooner) and I keep thinking about the characters in this book...they are not always likeable but they are so interesting.

Sally Rooney fans will love this book!

I originally read this via an ebook arc from netgalley