2023 EDIT: No longer a favourite (I may be too old for it now, and it is a teen book from 1999, so... very dated and not aged well), but still funny. Not always legitimately so, I realise now, but a funny memory from my childhood nonetheless.
RIP Louise Rennison.
Final Score: 4/5
2020 EDIT: Another reread of a favourite.
'Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging' is still a fave. It's still hilarious and holds a lot of nostalgic appeal for me, even if some of the humour and candidness of a fourteen-year-old British girl from 1999 hasn't aged well (good god those Rolf Harris references). Oh, and there's barely any diversity, except teasing for being from another country. And for possibly being a lesbian. But it's in good humour and not nasty and meanspirited. Not everything has to be politically correct for 1999. There are far worse self-centered and thoughtless diary entries by teenagers (and adults) that you could read, especially nowadays.
I hope diary writing never becomes old fashioned - I hope paper, pencil and ink will still be in use, for us and our internal health, forever after.
'Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging' is a funny, innocent trip back in time - a simpler time when the internet and mobile phones hadn't taken over everything yet. Relatable and endearing, especially if you grew up in England in the nineties.
Also, even through the comedy, it was nonetheless sad for me to read now that the author has passed away. In 2016. Remember the simple, innocent times...
Original Review:
You know the saying, "It's funny because it's true"? It applies to the 'Confessions of Georgia Nicolson' brilliantly. The first book especially.
Written in diary entry form, it is a fresh and addictive page-turner. To this day 'Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging' is the funniest book I've read. I'm not kidding when I say that I laughed out loud more than a few times whilst reading it - not a lot of books do that to me - and I still giggle at parts of it. It's so uplifting, yet so relatable.
Georgia Nicolson is not a conventional heroine. She's shallow, self-centered, crass and thoughtless. Like a lot of fourteen-year-old schoolgirls. Especially if they're British (yeah we're not all modest!) I knew girls like her growing up - same with her friends, family, teachers and other teens and adults. Plus she has a bloody great sense of humour, and is clever about it. Louise Rennison is a comedienne and it shows. The author also really seems to get teenagers.
The events and the characters are hilarious. Libby is the greatest three-year-old ever.
'ATaFFS' has well-structured comedic timing, told through the normal yet bizarre life and thoughts of Georgia. It's also not what you would call politically correct, and our protagonist does not hold back what she thinks. So this book and series may not be for everyone.
But if you want something to tickle your funny bone to a level where you won't care or think too hard about anything, give 'ATaFFS' a go. It's a quick read, so you'll not lose much time. Maybe you'll gain more than lose with the laughs had.
Final Score: 5/5
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