The Last Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson
Dec. 3rd, 2012 12:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
Ginny Blackstone spent last summer traveling around Europe, following the tasks her aunt laid out in a series of letters before she died. When someone stole Ginny’s backpack – and the last little blue envelope inside – she resigned herself to never knowing how the adventure was supposed to end.
Now a mysterious boy has contacted Ginny from London, saying he’s found her bag. Finally she can finish what she started. But instead of ending her journey, the last letter starts a whole new one, and Ginny must hold on to her wits … and her heart. This time, there are no instructions.
It’s three months after 13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES and Ginny’s back in America, procrastinating on writing her college entrance essay. She wants to describe what happened to her the previous summer but the loss of the 13th envelope has tainted it all. Still she’s got a maybe boyfriend in London in the shape of Keith and with the money made from the sale of her aunt’s other paintings, she can afford to build a future for herself.
Just before Christmas she receives a mysterious email from Oliver, who’s found her stolen bag together with the blue envelopes inside. He’s willing to return them in exchange for half of the proceeds from the sale of the painting that the last blue envelope leads them to. Now Ginny’s on a whole new adventure that will see her travel to London, Paris and Dublin, reunite with Keith and work out what she really wants to do with her life.
Maureen Johnson’s sequel to 13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES is a frothy, easy YA romance and you don’t have to read the first book to enjoy it. However, like many YA romances, the storyline is predictable and there are a number of mistakes within the British segments that irritated me.
Although it’s the point of her story arc, Ginny’s a bit of a wet character who doesn’t know what she wants to do. Driven by the actions of others, she’s slow to stand up to herself. This particularly irked me when she discovers that Keith has been dating Ellis for several months without telling her but still doesn’t confront him. Despite being the comic relief, I actually wondered what Ellis (who has spark) saw in Keith in the first place and half-wished that Johnson had included a serious conversation between her and Ginny. Equally, Ginny’s relationship with Oliver didn’t convince me either and the fact that their relationship starts off with blackmail left me a little queasy.
There’s some good one-liners within the book and Johnson keeps the tone light. It’s also clear that she’s visited London, Dublin and Paris, which made some of the British aspects particularly disappointing (e.g. auctions aren’t held on a bank holiday and the Harrods sale doesn’t start until the new year).
All in all, there’s enough here to keep romance fans entertained and while I’m not a romance fan, I’d be interested in checking out Johnson’s other books.
The Verdict:
Maureen Johnson’s sequel to 13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES is a frothy, easy YA romance and you don’t have to read the first book to enjoy it. However, like many YA romances, the storyline is predictable and there are a number of mistakes within the British segments that irritated me. Long time readers of this blog will know that I’m not a romance fan, but on the strength of this I would be interested in checking out Johnson’s other books.
THE LAST LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPE was released in the UK on 10th May 2012. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the free copy of this book.
Ginny Blackstone spent last summer traveling around Europe, following the tasks her aunt laid out in a series of letters before she died. When someone stole Ginny’s backpack – and the last little blue envelope inside – she resigned herself to never knowing how the adventure was supposed to end.
Now a mysterious boy has contacted Ginny from London, saying he’s found her bag. Finally she can finish what she started. But instead of ending her journey, the last letter starts a whole new one, and Ginny must hold on to her wits … and her heart. This time, there are no instructions.
It’s three months after 13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES and Ginny’s back in America, procrastinating on writing her college entrance essay. She wants to describe what happened to her the previous summer but the loss of the 13th envelope has tainted it all. Still she’s got a maybe boyfriend in London in the shape of Keith and with the money made from the sale of her aunt’s other paintings, she can afford to build a future for herself.
Just before Christmas she receives a mysterious email from Oliver, who’s found her stolen bag together with the blue envelopes inside. He’s willing to return them in exchange for half of the proceeds from the sale of the painting that the last blue envelope leads them to. Now Ginny’s on a whole new adventure that will see her travel to London, Paris and Dublin, reunite with Keith and work out what she really wants to do with her life.
Maureen Johnson’s sequel to 13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES is a frothy, easy YA romance and you don’t have to read the first book to enjoy it. However, like many YA romances, the storyline is predictable and there are a number of mistakes within the British segments that irritated me.
Although it’s the point of her story arc, Ginny’s a bit of a wet character who doesn’t know what she wants to do. Driven by the actions of others, she’s slow to stand up to herself. This particularly irked me when she discovers that Keith has been dating Ellis for several months without telling her but still doesn’t confront him. Despite being the comic relief, I actually wondered what Ellis (who has spark) saw in Keith in the first place and half-wished that Johnson had included a serious conversation between her and Ginny. Equally, Ginny’s relationship with Oliver didn’t convince me either and the fact that their relationship starts off with blackmail left me a little queasy.
There’s some good one-liners within the book and Johnson keeps the tone light. It’s also clear that she’s visited London, Dublin and Paris, which made some of the British aspects particularly disappointing (e.g. auctions aren’t held on a bank holiday and the Harrods sale doesn’t start until the new year).
All in all, there’s enough here to keep romance fans entertained and while I’m not a romance fan, I’d be interested in checking out Johnson’s other books.
The Verdict:
Maureen Johnson’s sequel to 13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES is a frothy, easy YA romance and you don’t have to read the first book to enjoy it. However, like many YA romances, the storyline is predictable and there are a number of mistakes within the British segments that irritated me. Long time readers of this blog will know that I’m not a romance fan, but on the strength of this I would be interested in checking out Johnson’s other books.
THE LAST LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPE was released in the UK on 10th May 2012. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the free copy of this book.
