Don't You Forget About Me

This was a sweet romance with a serious message at its core. I found Georgina an endearing character, and rooted for her all the way. The pop-culture-strewn style of humor, which often leaves me cold, was in this case amusing and the verbal banter well-judged. Somehow, even with a number of truly awful characters (boss, ex-boyfriend, housemate, and stepdad from hell) the overall tone was still comic and uplifting, maybe because they were balanced out by supportive friends, relatives, and coworkers. I'll definitely read another McFarlane and hope it makes me smile as much as this one did.

I really enjoyed this - it's sort of Bridget Jones-ish, but less self-destructive and more finally dealing with trauma and getting your life together? That makes it sound pretty heavy, and there are CWs for sexual assault, death of a parent, and a possibly abusive relationship, but this is the furthest thing from dark or grim. Georgina is a great narrator and a fun main character, and I liked her friends as well, though I do wish they were a bit more fleshed out. This was a lot of fun and I definitely want to read more by this author now!