Just Jennifer

Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll (Simon & Schuster, May 2015)

Ani FaNelli has come a long way from her roots just outside of Philadelphia: she has a coveted job as a magazine writer in Manhattan and is about to marry the man of her dreams, handsome and with a trust fund to book.  But Ani’s life is a carefully created façade, a façade that Ani is afraid will crumble exposing her past.  So why, does she wonder, did she agree to participate in a documentary that details the events of her freshman year in high school, events that have shaped Ani and transformed her from TifAni into someone always careful of her appearance, speech and even associations.  A startling encounter with her former English teacher, Andrew Larson makes Ani even more reflective on her decision to participate in the documentary which, after a return weekend to the Main Line suburbs, causes her to reevaluate her life as it is now and how it could be.  Flashbacks depict a much different image of Ani than she projects, all leading up to a final, startling revelation that makes Ani a more sympathetic character when readers first meet her.  A hard debut novel to classify Luckiest Girl Alive cleverly captures readers’ attention and once it is held, takes them on a ride filled with twists and turns, a ride from which there is no return.