Young Jane Young has all the redemptive qualities a flawed coming of age story should encompass, but not in any predictable ways. I was hooked from the beginning, and am glad my intense dislike of the initial characters didn't keep me from getting to know the depth and heart of Zevin's bigger story. Definitely worth giving the story time to unfold and reveal the sweet spots.

3.9 - politically timely, yet still fun; pageturner

This is the story of a young political intern in Florida named Aviva Grossman, who has an affair with a politician, is pilloried for it, changes her name, and moves far away for another chance at life. The story presents multiple perspectives and injects some humor into the story while also providing some food for thought about how people's love for a juicy story can alter lives. The rough plot reminded me of the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal from the 1990s, and the author references that as well, but the story stands on its own as an examination of politics, youth, and desire. After loving The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry, however, I just couldn't get quite as immersed in this novel; the characters seemed more distant and less lovable. Still a good read, however.

Quick and enjoyable read, but I almost gave up on it in the beginning--so glad I stuck with it! I kept thinking ugh this book isn’t my thing it is very cliche but then I got a few chapters in and am so glad I read on. It really is a great book, well written and if you just hang in there well worth the read

it was hard not to have high expectations after AJ Fikry. this book was fine, i was interested, i really liked the characters and the story, but i just wanted more. it was so incomplete. it was also different than what i expected based on the synopsis. it passed the time just fine. the ending was abrupt. it was just okay, i wanted more overall.

A cute, quirky, interestingly written with different POVs (but not overbearingly annoying) book about choices and moving on. It’s a mother/daughter/starting over story that felt both complete and incomplete at the same time. There were parts that left me wanting more and parts that left me wanting less but this is a good vacation-type read or a good palette cleanser if you tend to read heavier or nonfiction books

Shit, this was so good. I didn't expect to devour something in December, which is traditionally a bad reading month for me. (Normally I keep it super light or reread things.)

But damn, I think this might even hit my best of 2017 list, that's the kind of impression it made.

This was my surprise hit. After reading the description, I was hesistant to move forward with the novel. However, after hearing multiple good reviews, I went ahead with reading and ended up loving it. One of the strengths of this book is how the story is told from different character’s perspectives, but when it changes characters, how the story is told changes. It gave me a whole new way to look at the story and I think that made all the difference.

What happens to the young women caught up in political scandals when they grow up?

I didn't love or hate this book. It was the perfect travel novel, and I read it quickly.

I enjoyed Young Jane Young quite a bit. The political aspect to the story was unique to me since those aren't the types of stories that I usually read. I liked the characters and thought the storyline was well thought out.

At first glance, Young Jane Young is about scandal, which I happen to like. Quirky, offbeat and often hilarious, the many narrators of “Jane’s” tale are both original and highly entertaining. When you begin to peel back the layers of this complicated and (at times) emotionally eviscerating tale of Aviva Grossman and the people who orbit around her life, it becomes clear that at its heart, Young Jane Young is an exploration of the politics of relationships.

Marriage, She Wrote

Throughout this book, there were several moments where women of all ages were put in submissive positions, or were in some way forced to escape from uncomfortable situations. Aviva’s mother takes us through the trials and tribulations of dating as an older woman, Franny is constantly subdued by her husband and Aviva herself is thrown into the middle of a controversy when she has an affair with a married congressman.

What I found most interesting about this narrative thread was the constant return to the idea of marital fidelity and the role of the women involved. In several of the interconnected storylines, there are married men who are unfaithful, but each time, it is always the woman who is judged. This is made particularly evident with Aviva’s Grossman, who we learn from the beginning that she has changed her name just to escape the scandal. I think that Gabrielle Zevin creates a lot of strong moments within her narrative that will make readers think more deeply about relationship inequalities and in particular, slut shaming.

A Complicated Kindess

Along with the hardships such as slut shaming that many of the female characters face, Young Jane Young has a lot of funny, sweet moments that kept me reading late into the night. I loved Aviva’s relationship with her daughter, Ruby and their closeness. Although I felt that Ruby’s section of narrative felt disconnected from the other non-epistolary parts, her story was necessary (and completely devastating). What I loved the most about these female narratives was that the characters felt honest and their relationships, though flawed, were enjoyable to follow. I felt like nothing was simple and that made it all the more fascinating to read.

An Intelligent, Multi-layered Narrative

Read this book if you love quick-paced books with lots of narrative layers. Each time I picked up this book, I felt like I was discovering new elements to the story that only deepened my fascination with the characters and their ongoing plights. Zevin even makes references to The Scarlet Letter and Robert McNamera’s “mutually assured destruction,” which were clever details that added to the overarching ideas.

I’m glad that I was given an Advanced Reader Copy of Young Jane Young, because it is an intelligent and funny read that I feel is particularly relevant right now with all of the scandals that are going on in Hollywood right now. Barring that, it’s an exceptionally written story that was a lot of fun to read.

This book is an easy, lighthearted read and yet describes the serious effect of societal double-standards on women. I enjoyed how Zevin is able to use humor to demonstrate the ridiculousness of how the American culture vilifies women in extra-marital affairs. This is a book worth reading!

Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin dives into the world of politics, especially the seemy underside that often times wreaks havoc with lives, particularly women's lives. It hits at serious issues of the gender divide that still exists in so many arenas but particularly in the world of politics. It is a quick, often light-hearted read that in its breezy manner leaves me with a lot to think about.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2017/11/young-jane-young.html

Reviewed for NetGalley

Zevin is brilliant when it comes to writing authentic characters & relationships. The writing was in turns humorous & empowering. I love the women in this book, esp. the main character. She owned her mistakes and stayed true to herself when she could have so easily given up. This is definitely one of my favorite books of 2017.

This book was so much fun. It was very different from Ms. Zevin's last book, which I loved, but this one was great in a different way. I live in Boca Raton, Fl. and could very much relate to the places mentioned in the book! I belong to a book group and I recommended this book for our next month's meeting!! So far I've been hearing that people are enjoying it. It will be interesting to discuss the many themes, particularly the themes of trust between mother and daughter, or lack thereof, and also being an empowered woman rather than getting power from a relationship with a man. I was around at the time of the Chandra Levy murder and this definitely paralleled that as we stopped hearing her story after 9/11, much as Aviva's scandal falls off the radar for the same reason. Definitely a fun read and a good diversion from other books with "heavier" subject matter.

Quick and enjoyable read, but I almost gave up on it in the beginning--so glad I stuck with it!

Young Jane Young is about Aviva Grossman, a young congressional intern who had a scandalous affair with a married congressman (think Monica Lewinsky). This one mistake defines Aviva’s life. The fallout from the affair results in her changing not only her name, but also the course of her life. Of course the congressman, who was 20+ plus years her senior, escapes blame and shame free.

The book is comprised of the POV’s of Rachel, Jane, Ruby (Jane’s daughter), Embeth (the congressman’s wife) and Aviva.

Young Jane Young begins with the POV of Aviva’s mother, Rachel Shapiro. Rachel is an overbearing Jewish mother living in Boca Raton. Her POV was a bit over the top for me, and was what almost made me stop reading. It was like reading every single stereotype about Jewish mothers crammed into one character, which just too much! However, I powered through to part two, and was happy to discover that the POV shifted into Jane’s story, which drew me in.

Sometimes I get frustrated with shifting POV's, but I really liked the unique role that each POV played in the telling of Aviva's story.

Young Jane Young explores themes of feminism, choice, mother-daughter relationships, and most importantly love. I am so glad I didn’t DNF. It’s a little gem of a book that made me smile.

“To take care of something is to love it”

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Monica Lewinsky. Nearly everyone in America (and many outside it) knows that name. You might demonize her, you might feel bad for her, you may think you don't know the whole story and shouldn't judge... but when you hear that name, you have a reaction. This story is a fictional account of a young lady named Aviva Grossman, who is Florida's answer to Monica Lewinsky. A woman who made the papers for who she slept with... because that someone happened to be very married and very much in the spotlight.

Three and a half stars. I really enjoyed the story, but some parts about how it was told detracted from the experience for me. I wasn't that into the parts from Ruby's perspective, but I know that was a favorite for a lot of readers. I also wasn't in love with the "choose your own adventure" part towards the end, but I really enjoyed the rest from Rachel and Aviva/Jane. I laughed, I cringed. I shook my head and remembered how naive I was when I was Aviva's age.

Aviva wrote an anonymous blog about her life as a congressional intern. One day, it blows up for all the wrong reasons. Her affair with a senator has come to light, and someone has connected the two. It's just the right amount of sex and scandal that sells papers. She's infamous practically overnight and the bright light that was her future seems to have been turned off, leaving her in the dark. She's labeled the seductress, which the Congressman gets off relatively easily. Figures.

This story consists of how the affair started, the aftermath, and the new life Aviva makes for herself after she cuts ties, changes her name, and moves. We learn not only how the mistake she made when she was barely an adult affected her, but how it affected her mother... and later, her daughter. When she's urged to run for public office, it's only a matter of time before her big secret is known by everyone in town. Google never forgets.

I received a copy of this book from Net Galley and Algonquin Books, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.

4.5 stars

I read Young Jane Young in a 24-hour period; it’s a quick read, a ton of fun, and frequently laugh-out-loud hilarious. I have been a huge fan of Gabrielle Zevin for years, and I love that each new book is so different from her previous ones. While The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry will always be a tough one to best, Young Jane Young certainly holds its own.

Gabrielle Zevin spoke at my local bookstore in September, and a portion of my book club went to hear her (Young Jane Young was our September book pick). She was absolutely delightful – she spoke for a while and then entertained questions. The whole event was almost 2 hours by the time she was done signing. I attend author events fairly regularly and have never been to one lasting that long nor had an author stay engaged with the crowd for that amount of time. I am now her biggest fan. I had not read the book yet so I had the unique perspective of hearing various things about the story before I read it which made me enjoy the book even more.

My favorite part of the book was the creative manner in which Zevin chose to tell her story. She divided the book into four sections where each section is told from the perspective of a different females whose four stories intermingle. Each woman/teen has a unique point of view: one uses emails to relay her account (my favorite by far- I laughed the entire time), and another is told in a “Choose your own adventure” format which was intriguing and thought-provoking. I also loved her handling of the affair between the Congressman and Aviva including her understanding of how much people’s perspectives can change from age 20 to age 40 and the fact that the Congressman ended up shouldering so little of the blame (a sad fact that pitifully still happens today). She also addresses the permanence of the internet; scandals that would have died out pre-internet are now around forever, a phenomenon that people have not quite understood yet especially young people who are just finding their way.

Young Jane Young is a treasure, and I highly recommend it. And if you even have a chance to go see Garbielle Zevin by all means go! Thanks to Algonquin and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I've always wondered what happens to people who find their lives turned upside down after an unfortunate lack of judgment that lands them as the focal point of all the news, so I was attracted to this novel because of its description and because I enjoyed the author's previous novel, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry. Aviva Grossman, an ambitious Congressional intern, unfortunately, becomes involved in an affair with the married Congressman she works for who is an old family friend. When the affair is revealed, The Congressman manages to come out of the scandal unscathed and captures re-election. Meanwhile, Aviva who is scorned discovers she is pregnant. Because everyone knows of the affair she finds it impossible to find a job, so she takes the drastic measure to change her name and start her life over in Maine as an event planner. It was interesting exploring the different standards that are applied to women rather than men, how the mistake affects the family and the Congressman's wife, and the process of recovering from a past mistake.