Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't posted in quite a long time; I've been very busy. Today, however, I have finally sat down to write a post which I have been wanting to do for ages. A book review of Zoe Sugg's, aka Zoella's, first novel, Girl Online.
I read this book quite a while ago and I must say my expectations were not too high. I knew I would probably enjoy it because I really like Zoella, and the videos on YouTube she makes (the link to her channels will be at the bottom of this post). However, I did find out just before I read it that it had been ghost written. To my understanding, Zoe came up with the general story line, characters and had a hand in some of the writing, however someone else did write almost all of the book. Many of her fans were outraged at this and refused to read the book, others said they did not care. I suppose I am in between. Whilst I am slightly disappointed that she didn't write the book herself and whoever did hasn't received any credit, I do understand that her talents must end somewhere. She is clearly an imaginative, creative person, but I do not believe she could also be a talented writer whose English is sophisticated enough to write a novel. That takes skill and practise, and considering most writers' first novels are never published because they do not meet the high standards of other books, her fans could not really believe that she is any exception.
The book is recognisable as something which is clearly close to Zoe's heart, containing many things she likes. Set in Brighton, where Zoe lives, the book is fictional and although allegedly not based on Zoe, does resemble parts of her personality and talents. The main character, Penny, is good at photography, writes a blog, and her tastes in fashion are very similar to Zoe's.

I would recommend this book to an age range of about 9-16 as it is not written in a sophisticated way and there is nothing inappropriate, but it does have a theme of teenage romance which younger children may not understand.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book as a bit of easy-reading with a happy ending.
Zoe's channels:
