Twenty-Somewhere by Kristan Hoffman

Release Date: July 14, 2009
Publisher: Self-published
Pages: 125
Series: n/a
Review Source: eBook from author for review

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Twenty-Somewhere tells the story of three best friends as they navigate life after college. Beautiful and confident Sophie Lin, goody goody aspiring writer Claudia Bradford, and boy-crazy nerd MJ Alexander are ready to take on the Real World -- or so they think.

But MJ's hunky lab supervisor keeps distracting her from her research, and what's worse, she almost doesn't care. After years of single-minded focus, MJ may have lost her passion for science, and her sense of self along with it. Meanwhile Claudia's passion for writing is stronger than ever, but her confidence is drowning in a sea of rejection. Her boyfriend Eli is supposed to be a life preserver; instead he feels like just another wave pulling her under. Last but not least, Sophie decides to swim against the current: she quits her advertising job in pursuit of a more meaningful vocation. Six weeks later, all she has to show for her idealism is a growing stack of unpaid bills.

As their relationships go sour, their careers sputter, and a few too many ethical dilemmas arise, the girls reunite in Paris, desperate for a dose of the one thing they can always count on: each other. But after so much time apart, will that really cure what ails them? Or will their friendship fall apart like everything else in their lives?

My Thoughts:
Kristan Hoffman describes her book by saying “Think Sex and the City meets Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.” I really love this description because it makes it clear that the book is about a group of close-knit friends. The thing I loved about ‘Twenty-Somewhere’ is that it’s set right after the girls (Sophie, Claudia and MJ) graduate from college. I haven’t read that many books that take place during this time, so that made it interesting for me. Hoffman did a good job describing the girls' feelings as they deal with new homes, new jobs, new loves, and just a whole lot of new situations.

While I really loved the concept (and even the plot) of the book, I had a hard time with the style of writing. For some reason the present tense really threw me off, and I had a hard time differentiating between characters at first. I never really felt like I got to know the characters all that well, perhaps because of the third person narration, but also because of the abundance of dialogue. The lack of lengthy descriptions and the short section breaks make ‘Twenty-Somewhere’ easy to read and kept me turning the pages, but it also kept me from feeling totally involved with the characters.

As this book won the St. Martin's Press "New Adult" contest it’s clear that it has a lot of potential. If you’re looking for something quick and easy to read that also contains humour and heartache, then ‘Twenty-Somewhere’ might be for you. This book covers a topic which could be pretty heavy, but Kristan makes it light and funny, having her characters find strength in their new situations.

The Cover:
Pretty good; I think it accurately represents the story.

Rating:
[3/5]

Find Twenty-Somewhere by Kristan Hoffman on Goodreads. Check Kristan's site for purchase options.