I connected most with Aviva's mother Rachel but all the women in this family are wonderful. Zevin writes in such a way that you can see every character's point of view. You understand them. They make sense. You are sharing in their lives. I was surprised by the final outcome.

I couldn't wait to read this from the author of "Storied life of A.J. Fikry". She really knows how to tell A great story. "Young Jane Young" does not disappoint. I love the characters, especially Ruby.

I was pretty young when the Monica Lewinsky scandal became The Topic and it's always seemed kind of weird that there aren't more books about her--or similar women--out there. Young Jane Young doesn't just examine the life and choices of its slut-shamed subject, but also takes a look into the inner workings of all of the women who were effected by the scandal--Aviva's daughter, her mother, and the woman who happens to be her lover's wife. It is a pretty quick read and I wasn't bored, but I had a hard time figuring out WHY the author wrote this story. I guess the ending was supposed to be uplifting, but I still felt like it was very consolation prize-y considering the massive amount of damage that had been done to Jane/Aviva's life. It's an interesting book, but I don't think it's quite strong enough to convince Lewinsky haters or any of those people who are still wondering why Hillary didn't leave Bill to look at their choices.

I generally really enjoyed this book and found it to be a largely amusing, breezy read. The different voices kept it interesting, but some were, for me, way more successful than others. I loved, loved, loved the first section, in which Rachel Shapiro describes her life as an older woman navigating the dating scene and relates the story of her 20-year-old intern daughter Aviva's affair with an older, married Congressman. Rachel's narrative is funny and delightful and I would have been very happy if the whole book had continued like this.

The second section is narrated by Aviva, now calling herself Jane to escape the stigma of her past. Jane works as an event planner in Maine and is a single mother to her eight-year-old daughter, Ruby. This section is also very enjoyable, with interesting anecdotes about the wedding planning business and other aspects of her life, and again, I could have read a whole book about this.

Ruby’s section is written as emails to her Indonesian pen pal. Very clever way to advance the story and give the reader insight into the now 13-year-old Ruby’s thoughts.

The next section is short, told from the point of view of Embeth, the Congressman’s wife. This part was okay, although I found the El Meté conceit a bit annoying.

Most of the rest of the book returns to Aviva/Jane and recounts from her point of the view the now long-ago affair with the Congressman. It is written in the style of a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book, and while this is clever and well done, it goes on very long and becomes rather tiresome. I wish instead we had been able to read the “anonymous blog” that Aviva wrote at the time of the affair, or perhaps a combination of that and the Choose Your Own Adventure style.

All in all, I enjoyed the originality and creativity of this book, and it was a quick, enjoyable read. I definitely recommend it. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the ARC.

Aviva Grossman made a mistake, one she felt she couldn't live down, so she left Florida, changed her name, and restarted her life, or so she thought. Told by a variety of female narrators, how much should one's past dictate one's future? A timely political satire and a quick read.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

20 year old Aviva Goodman becomes the Monica Lewinsky of South Florida after her affair with a congressmen is exposed and she is linked to an anonymous blog describing the affair in agonizing detail. The story is told from multiple viewpoints:. Aviva's mother, Aviva ten years​ later after rebuilding her life, Aviva's daughter, and the congressman's wronged wife. We are finally treated to the story of the young Aviva slowly involving herself with the congressman. This section is told as a "choose your own adventure" book so the reader can see every poor choice that led to the discovery and Aviva's disgrace. Book clubs will love this book and so did I. This is the best book I've read all year.

Young Jane Young highlights the reality that women are judged quite differently than men. Where two people are entangled in a forbidden relationship the man is only slightly embarrassed by the exposure, and his life and career proceed uninterrupted. Conversely, the female is berated, shamed, and left without a career or any future opportunities of employment in her chosen field. She is forced to reinvent herself in order to avoid to survive and thrive.

I loved this book. It was a fun story, with fast-paced details and excellent characters. The book's format was interesting and kept me on my toes.

An engaging story of how one young woman survives and thrives after a political scandal. While the audience may be new adult, I can see some young adult appeal. Recommend to readers who watch House of Cards.

Zevin is a great writer - very easy, flowing, conversational style, not literary or pretentious at all, but clever and intelligent all the same. This novel is like a snapshot of an event and the impact of that event, but left me wanting more - some closure, more of each of the central characters' lives, maybe some more penetrating analysis of "the affair" which had a very one-sided, or perhaps lopsided, impact (in reality, that is true - the impact on the young girl rather than the older, male, politician), but some more analysis of this event and why, in our culture, the impact is how it is...In any case, a quick, enjoyable read with excellent dialogue and characters. I would love a sequel.

Aviva is a congressional intern who falls into the trap of starting a relationship with a handsome politician. When their relationship becomes public, it is Aviva who takes the brunt of mean criticism, deciding to change her name to start over. Told with a combination of humor and seriousness from the viewpoints of her traditional Jewish mom living in Florida, her daughter Ruby and her own story, this is an appealing read. Well written, a bit quirky, pick p this modern fable.

I love Zevin's YA and middle grade novels, but I think she is also carving out a niche for herself with wonderful, full-realized adult characters as well ie A.J Fikrey and Jane Young.

I have read all of this author's books, but this was my least favorite. The story is told through the voices of several characters. Not all of these characters are compelling. I found Only the main character, Jane, to tell an enjoyable story. The rest of the "voices" dragged.

I am more familiar with this author for her young adult novels. This is a very different direction for her, and great to recommend to women's fiction fans.

What a book! Really enjoyed! Highly recommend. Perfect book club pick!

Told from three points of view, this novel centers around Aviva/Jane, who was involved in a very public scandal with the congressman for whom she was interning in her early twenties. We learn about her from her mother, her daughter, and herself. Now, 13 years later, she has settled in Maine under a new name with her daughter Ruby, and absolutely no contact with her former life. She is content with her event planning business, and has become such a part of her community that she is running for mayor. When Ruby learns of her mother's past in Florida, she sets off to meet the congressman, whom she assumes is her father. The characters in this book are delightfully drawn, enriched by the three different vantage points of three women we come to know and like quite well. With one exception the secondary characters are also endearing, warts and all. Although this is the story of people doing some really stupid things, readers will still end up feeling an affirmation of goodness.

I loved this story and gobbled it up in one sitting. At first glance, this seems like a guilty pleasure read because it was centered around the repercussions of a political sex scandal. And the novel was witty and engaging, but it was also smart and had deep themes of family, friendship, feminism, and strength. The story is told in five parts, each told by a different woman with a distinct voice. I loved how Zevin experimented with different storytelling devices such as an email exchange with an Indonesian pen pal and a fun ‘Choose your own adventure story’ format. Even though I felt the novel did end at the right moment, I couldn’t help wanting to hear more from each of these fascinating women.

I wasn't as impressed with this book as I was with The Storied Life of AJ Fickry. I think that this will be popular enough, but something was missing in it for me. Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

As soon as I saw this new book by the author of the compelling STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY, i jumped at the chance to read it. Aviva Grossman, haunted by her disastrous affair as an intern with a U.S. Congressman from South Florida, cannot escape "Avivagate," a scandal which dooms her chances with prospective employers or universities thanks to the digital Scarlet Letter plastered on her thanks to the Internet. Strangely enough, though, nothing happens to the Congressman'd rep. She abrubtly (so abrubtly I got a little confused) changes her name and becomes an event planner in a small town in Maine with her super-smart daughter, Ruby, as her assistant. At the same time that she decides to run for mayor of the town, Ruby becomes curious about her father and flies her thirteen-year-old self to Florida to find him.

College is the time for most is us to make mistakes, as long as we don't breast any laws, most us get out out unscathed. How about if you're a naive, starstruck girl, who gets to be an intern for a Congressman in her district the summer before her senior year at U of Miami. He's her former neighbor and twice as old; geez. What she want with him; and she hasn't lost those 22lbs. she gained in freshman year yet. Goodness, her "proper business attire," doesn't even fit. Aviva Grossman, all of twenty years old, begins work as an intern for popular Congressman Aaron Leven. She's smart and very good at internet research, better than anyone in the entire office in fact. However, three years by an unfortunate accident she will become the name sensationalized with Scandal, Slug, and Internet Searches. She can't find a job let alone leave her parents' home. The Congressman goes on to win his reelection. Who's to blame here, really?
This is a warm and yet hotfire book about this topic and how Aviva, maybe Jane continues her life. You'll want to know for sure, plus you'll want to cheer her on.