Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close

I saw this on a list of books to read in your 20s, and I've been trying to read every book on that list.  This came up for checkout on KC Library and I read all their reviews.  They were awful!  Everyone hated the book, characters, writing style, etc.  So I almost didn't check it out.  But I did, and I LOVED it.

The book centers around three girls that just graduated and are navigating life in their twenties.  Isabella seems to be talked about the most, and Lauren and Mary are the other two characters.  They all live in NYC and are young working women, navigating life and love in the city.  They are at the age where they attend a lot of weddings and bridal showers, and are in the dating scene themselves.  Mary is the first to get married and have kids, and Isabella and Lauren help her with the changes.  Isabella is dating Harrison for most of the story, and Lauren starts seeing a guy names Mark seriously at the end.

There's really no plot or storyline to discuss.  It's simply about three girls dealing with life.  Each chapter centers around a mini story or event with one of the girls so you get insight into what their point of view is.  I think for me the best part of the story is seeing how these three stick with each other through college and to their thirties, despite life changes happening all the time.  They also talk just like friends would in real life, making the whole book so completely relatable.  I'm not a 20 something single living in NYC, but I have friends that are and this whole book is so accurate.  People didn't like this book in reviews because of the lack of storyline, and that was what made it to realistic for me.  The talks of dating, trying to find good guys in the city, dealing with low paying jobs, looking for small apartments that will cost you a fortune, and watching all your friends getting married and wondering if you are behind the curve.

**Spoiler alert - The ending was great.  There was no huge event, the girls didn't go off and get married, no super happy ending.  It simply ended.  Then you realize, reading through the book, how much the girls have grown throughout.  Their problems have changed, the bar scene days are over, and they are beginning to really settle down.  It made me realize how the book is really about just growing into your own, which is what the characters do.  And there is no ending in life, only the next chapter.  The girls ended their young, wild, searching days and are entering their adult, calm, settled days.  So to those that felt gypped by the ending, you obviously didn't understand where the author was going.  Or the beauty of a simple story that doesn't need all the crazy ups and downs that are so fictional, but reflects on a normal life.

If you are a 20 something I highly recommend you read this book.  It's entertaining, funny, and just so realistic you will want to befriend these girls.  As soon as I finished, I called a girlfriend and setup a dinner date this week, because the book reminds you of how important those people are in your life.  I may have my man, but I will always need my girls.

<3, jacq