Book Review: Girl Online by Zoe Sugg

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Note: The recent revelation that this book was ghost written is irrelevant to my review. I believe It was pretty clear from the start that this was the case, and thus it didn't affect the process of reading the book for me.

Considering that this book, along with it's record breaking sales statistics, are all everyone and everybody has been talking about recently - and also the fact I subscribe to Zoe's blog and Youtube channel and have watched parts of the process of this book being developed - it was only a matter of time until curiosity got the better of me and I picked it up. 

Girl Online follows a 15 year old girl from Brighton as she struggles with the ups and downs of love, friendship, school, and the pitfalls that come with online fame. It also deals with the character's battle with an anxiety disorder.

As a 23 year old who doesn't usually dabble in this genre I took this book at face value as I read it. And I was actually pleasantly surprised. I found myself enjoying the twists and turns presented in the book along with delighting in escaping into the story for the couple of days it took me to read it. I also appreciated the treatment of the difficult issues that were dealt with in the story. It offered some very helpful advice and insight to anxiety which I even found myself trying to implement. It also made me view online bullying in a completely different light and made me realise the true horrors that online celebrities often have to go through, along with how poignant and important the positive comments can actually be in contrast. I wouldn't waste time in recommending this book to younger readers with relevant interests. It's a positive book and carries some important messages and lessons which can really help young readers in an internet age, with the prevalence of mental illness also continuously on the rise.

The transatlantic romance angle in the story also offers a pleasant introduction to British culture whilst holding an international appeal. All this coupled with the atmospheric Christmas setting makes Girl Online the perfect winter read for young teens.