Enjoyable but a Little Flat and Forgettable | Review: Older by Pamela Redmond (Satran)

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Given that Younger is one of my comfort shows (a show with Hilary Duff and Sutton Foster? C'mon!) and my obvious love of books (is that a spoiler?) when I heard that the source material had a sequel I had to get my hands on both books to do a bit of a binge read. While I really, really enjoyed Younger, Older was a little more of a lukewarm experience for me. 

 

Older
by Pamela Redmond Satran 

In the hotly anticipated sequel to the beloved Younger—now a hit TV series from the creator of Sex and the City starring Sutton Foster and Hilary Duff—Liza Miller is torn between two cities and two hearts when her bestselling novel is picked up by a major television network.

New York or Los Angeles? Romance or commitment? Younger…or older?

Liza Miller never dreamed that anyone would be interested in her life, let alone buy a book about it. But everything changes when, on the eve of her fiftieth birthday, she publishes a thinly veiled novel about a woman posing as a millennial called Younger—which her old friend Kelsey wants to turn into a TV show.

Liza is off to Los Angeles to help Kelsey write the pilot. But that means leaving behind her on-again off-again boyfriend Josh, her pregnant daughter, and her best friend Maggie. Can Liza find happiness in her new adventure if it means leaving everyone she loves?

Yet as Liza is swept up in the heady world of Hollywood, she finds herself thinking less and less of her life back home in New York. And when she meets Hugo Fielding—the devastatingly handsome and incredibly flirtatious Brit playing her boss on the show—she toes the line between having a crush and falling in love.

Torn between New York and Los Angeles, a familiar love and a risky one, an established career and a shot at stardom, Liza must decide if it’s too late to go to the ball...and if she even wants to. From the author of the beloved Younger, this is an endearing, hilarious, and relatable tale of second chances and new beginnings that proves: the best thing about getting Older is that you finally get to be yourself.

 

Older by Pamela Redmond
Rating: ★★★☆☆

As always, a copy of this book was provided by the author or publisher in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way. 

Younger is a definite comfort television series for me. It's quick and easy to slip into; thoughtful, without having to stretch yourself too thin. In a lot of ways, it's enjoyable to me in the same way books like Gossip Girl are. It's pure escapism that still has a heart and soul. The first novel is much of the same and reading it was not unlike watching the show: it was fun, plain and simple. 

Obviously, diving into Older I was in much of this head space: I was ready to escape my own life. I had just finished the new Netflix series Emily in Paris (incidentally also from the Younger showrunner Darren Star) and the novel Younger. Older was the rightful next choice. Pamela Redmond 100% had my interest piqued. 

Starting right off the bat, I will say that Older was just as easy to fall into as Younger. It was indulgent and smart. It took me away for a time. It held a fairly similar spark of energy to Younger. And, of course, I was invested in the characters pretty much instantaneously. Liza will always hold a special place in my heart because there's just so much underneath the surface with her. 

But, something about Older didn't fully click with me. I had a lot of fun with it but not quite in the same way that I had fun with book one or the television series. There were moments that drug on a bit for me and other's that just felt like something was missing from the narrative. The first of the novel felt a bit lesser than immensely better paced second act.

Older was one of those easy-to-read books that hits a lot of the right marks but isn't always the most memorable. Redmond's prose is stylish and heartfelt, making the experience enjoyable even in moments that didn't quite connect with me.

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