Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

At her great-aunt Sadie's funeral, Lara Lington comes face-to-face with her great-aunt's ghost, in the form of a 1920s flapper. Sadie asks Lara to help her find a necklace that has mysteriously disappeared, explaining that she can't rest without it. Lara, who wasn't at all close to her 105-year-old great-aunt before she passed away, has more pressing matters on her mind, none of which involve tracking down Sadie's necklace. Her business partner has run off, her company is going under, and her boyfriend has just dumped her. She wants nothing to do with the search for Sadie's necklace. Unfortunately, Lara is the only person who can see or hear Sadie, and therefore, the only person who can help her.

Lara and Sadie, who has come back as a feisty 23-year-old, at first seem to have absolutely nothing in common. Sadie is self-absorbed, demanding, and determined to have as much fun as she can. She decides to pursue handsome American Ed Harrison, even though she is unable to touch or speak to him. Using her special influence, Sadie convinces Ed to go on a date with Lara. Lara is uncomfortable with the set-up, as she's still hung up on her ex-boyfriend Josh, but she wants to please Sadie because she feels guilty that her family never spent any time getting to know Sadie when she was alive.

As Lara hunts down Sadie's necklace, she makes some shocking discoveries about her family, her friends, and herself.

I love Sophie Kinsella's books. This one didn't live up to my expectations, though. I didn't like Sadie; I didn't like the way she acted or the way she manipulated Lara. She was out of control, loud, rude, and very possessive of Ed, telling Lara that Ed was "hers" and to keep her hands off even though she herself couldn't touch him -- and he had no clue about her 'existence.' Lara, on the other hand, was as amusing and likable as all the other Kinsella heroines. And Ed was dreamy. It's just a shame that the story as a whole wasn't as amusing as Kinsella's others have been. I sooo wanted to love it.

3/5