Here I Go Again

Here I Go Again, by Jen Lancaster.

Maybe I considered bucking the social norm for a minute, but then I was all, "Wait, what is this, a John Hughes film?" News flash - no one actually gives the popular chick the slow, standing clap when they find out you're dating down. People don't rally around you and praise your open-mindedness. This was real high school and not some far-flung, romanticized eighties-movie concept of it. The truth is I'd have committed social suicide in dating him, and I did not work my way to the head of the Belles to throw it all away for some guy who was more into George Lucas than Troy Aikman. Thank you, no.

Lissy Ryder was "the popular girl" in high school, but now she's 37-years-old, newly divorced and kicked out of her house, and living at her parents'. She goes to her 20th high school reunion, only to find that everyone there still hates her because she made their lives hell when they were 18. Deva, one of her old classmates who is a "spiritual healer" now, gives her a potion of sorts that lets her go back in time, and this time she's nicer to people in high school. However, when she gets back to the present, everyone's lives are different, including her own, and she realizes she must go back a second time to make sure everyone has the bright futures they are supposed to have.

I'm a big fan of chick lit but when I started reading this book, the "valley girl" narrator's voice, so to speak, was kind of annoying. Lissy reminded me a bit of Elle from the movie Legally Blonde, but more bitchy than fun overall. However, as the book went on, even though the story was crazy and completely unrealistic (I guess that's why it's called fiction ...), I found myself enjoying the story more, although Lissy herself was still kind of an annoying character. I think this could be made into a good movie, actually, especially since "time traveling" books/movies are popular right now, but most of the scenes were a little hard to believe overall.

I did like that Lissy manages to "better herself" over time, though, and eventually realizes that in high school she was a jerk to everyone, even to her boyfriend and BFFs, the Belles.

3 stars out of 5.

*Disclosure: I was compensated for writing this review for the BlogHer Book Club. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own.