The New York Times bestselling author of 500 Miles from You tells the hilarious and heartwarming story of twin sisters who set out to London in hopes of leaving their mark on the world, in this “gorgeous, glorious, uplifting” novel (Marian Keyes).They may be twins, but Lizzie and Penny Berry are complete opposites. Penny is the life of the party—loud and outrageous, while quiet and thoughtful … outrageous, while quiet and thoughtful Lizzy is often left out of the crowd. The one trait they do share is a longing to do something spectacular with their lives, and as far as these two are concerned, there’s no better place to make their dreams come true than London.
Presented with a once-in-a-lifetime house-sit at their grandmother’s home in a very desirable London neighborhood, it finally seems like Lizzie and Penny are a step closer to the exciting cosmopolitan life they’ve always wanted. But the more time they spend in the big city, they quickly discover it’s nothing like they expected. They may have to dream new dreams…but are they up to the challenge?
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This was a light fluffy book and perfect to read on a depressing winter day. I do have a major problem with it — as I was reading, I kept thinking that I’d read it before but it published in 2021 so how was that possible. After doing some research, I found out that it was originally published in 2006. I need to watch dates on books that I order more closely because this is the second time that it’s happened with one of Jenny Colgan’s books.
Lizzie and Penny are twins but totally different in both looks and attitudes. Penny is blond and thin and always looking for a good time. Lizzie is very introverted and not happy with her extra weight. They live with their mother in a poor part of London and when they get a chance to stay at their grandmother’s flat in Chelsea, they both know that their lives are going to change drastically. Penny tries to totally re-invent herself. She becomes a receptionist at an art gallery and her main job is to sit and look pretty. Lizzie gets a job at a restaurant and works very hard learning how to cook. In the evenings, Penny wants to party and Lizzie wants to stay home. They are both looking for love but in all the wrong places. After the trials and tribulations that they go through, they both learn what’s really important in life.
I want to start off by saying that I won this book in a goodreads giveaway. In return for honest thoughts and my review. I haven’t read anything by this author before but after reading this book. I cant wait to add some of her books to my tbr this year. This book is funny and just overall enjoyable. I highly recommend this book. I loved this story one because its about sisters and two they are twins. My grandma is a twin and I have aunts who are twins. So I have lots of twins in the family. That’s why I really connected with the characters this book. I have to say both characters are amazing. But Lizzie is my favorite. I loved how she went from a shy women to a outspoken woman. Penny changed a lot after she stopped worry about herself to much.
About Book:
Penny and Lizzie are twins but they are not the identical ones, They live with their mother. Even at 27 years old. Their mother gets a call from their grandmother who has just been put in a home. And asked the girls to watch over home. In a fancy part of London. Penny and Lizzie both get jobs and make friends. I highly recommend this book.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this review copy of West End Girls by Jenny Colgan.
West End Girls is a chick-lit style story of non-identical twins who after a lifetime in government housing in Essex get the opportunity to move a chic London neighborhood in Chelsea. Both girls are unemployed and single and this is the perfect opportunity to start their lives over.
Lizzie is the responsible twin and finds herself helping out in a charming cafe run by bigger than life Portuguese chef, Georges. And Penny is the gorgeous and irresponsible sister that stumbles into a new career in any gallery and a relationship with artist Will. Both girls learn a lot about life, love and what it takes to be one of those classy west end girls.
I enjoyed this fun little slice of life in London. I thought both sisters were funny and although they weren’t perfect (especially Penny) I rooted for them and wanted them to have a crack at their dreams. I will say there are a few pop-culture references that make this clear that this may not be a newer release. As other reviewers pointed out there are some negative “fat” references, constant mentions of breast size and enhancements and the casual use of the derogatory term for intellectual delays that some readers may find offensive and jarring.
Despite all that I recommend West End Girls for women’s fiction fans that want a fun fish out of water story that doesn’t take itself too seriously.