Girl Online by Zoe Sugg -Suitable for Thirty-Year Olds? | Book Review

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Hey Sweeties,

Firstly, apologies for being a bit M.I.A this past week but it has been a bit mental and when things get mental, ClaireySweetie.com suffers so forgive me.

So! A couple of months ago, I nipped out to the local Sainsbury’s near my work and within the small line of shops next to it as a charity shop. To be honest I do not go in that often but on this particular day, a large framed picture of some trees was leant against the window outside and cutting a short story even shorter, I decided for £3, it was coming home with me. However, I did not have any cash on me and the shop demanded that I pay £5 to use my card so I had to find some things to make up the difference.

I do not know if I have mentioned this before to you guys, but I rarely ever buy non-fiction books from new/full price, I 99.9% always purchase them second hand. On this particular day, amongst a couple of other books, I picked up Zoe Sugg’s aka. Zoella debut novel, Girl Online, for 25p. Two things here, 1. I never find books for sale in charity shops for 25p, 2. I categorically know that Girl Online has not been written for women nearing thirty years old. However, for 25p I am going to give it a go just to see how Zoe scores as an author, and to see if this book is actually any good.

Girl Online by Zoe Sugg

Girl Online by Zoe Sugg

Without giving the whole story of Girl Online away (which is actually really hard because I really want to go into detail about everything!), the story fundamentally focusses on 15-year old Penny Porter. Penny writes anonymously on her blog, ‘Girl Online’ as well as being a very keen photographer. She lives with her parents and her older brother, Tom, in Brighton, and her best friend, Elliott lives next door. All very dreamy so far. However, Penny suffers from anxiety and panic attacks and there is a particular moment in the book where this explodes. Again, without going into detail she fortunately gets the opportunity to escape her life temporarily in Brighton and goes to New York City with her parents and Elliott. Here, she meets Mr too-good-to-be-true, Noah aka. Brooklyn Boy.

Any Good?

Is Girl Online a bit cheesy? Yes. Is it a bit naïve? Yes. Would I let my hypothetical teenage daughter read it? Yes and I absolutely would have ADORED this book if I was a teenager myself. Girl Online is what Footloose by Kate Caan, as well as all the Animal Ark series (Google them) were to me as a teenager. Girl Online does at times get a bit unrealistic, I mean, 10,000 followers to Penny’s blog, which is essentially a collection of naïve teenage musings? Nevertheless, that aside Girl Online is still a perfectly pleasant read and anyone who has been to secondary school and experienced the whole friendship mix will relate.

While it is hard to not think of Zoe when reading about Penny (because at the end of the day, you write about what you know), there is obviously going to be some people, mannerisms and material things that are quite similar. I have not read anything online about Girl Online, but I definitely won’t be the only person who thinks of YouTuber, Tyler Oakley when reading about Elliott, surely I can’t be? Regardless, I really liked Elliott as a character and the scene towards the end of the book in Choccywoccydoodah was brilliant.

Obviously fairly soon after Girl Online got published, while it was raved about, a huge internet backlash rose up and punched poor Zoe straight in the face, over allegations that she possibly wasn’t the real author after all. You know what? Who cares? Even as an almost thirty-year old, I got absorbed and I am already on the look out for a non-full price copy of Girl Online: On Tour (the book’s sequel) because I want to continue the journey of Penny and Noah.

Have any of you guys read Girl Online? What did you think?

Until next time x

Zoella & the Blogosphere: Finding the real in amongst a sea of beige personalities

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This past week in the blogoshere, Zoe Sugg aka. Zoella has been in the spotlight for two different things 1. Her salary and 2. for causing total outrage by posting a picture of herself on Snapchat in a pair of Calvin Kleins (and a t-shirt).

Both of these things have in turn outraged me slightly because while there is always an intrigue with how much big time bloggers/influencers like Zoella really earn, it’s actually none of our business. Zoe’s audience are mostly young teenage girls, she herself is in her mid-twenties and the photo wasn’t in the least bit sexual or suggestive.

While I defend her, equally I do appreciate that she has to remember to tailor her content in accordance to her audience, but on the other hand social media has opened up a huge variety of content to young people like never before.

Unfortunately, access to more content doesn’t equal a faster route to maturity and a young person’s understanding of relationships and adult life. The internet can be a problematic space for anyone, not just teenagers and the comments underneath posts on Instagram by Zoella et al, are a clear indication of naivety.

Zoella & the Blogosphere

Everybody just calm the f*** down, okay… it’s not Playboy!

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Body Mists by Zoella | Review of Blissful Mistful and Let’s Spritz

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Going back to last year when Zoe ‘Zoella’ Sugg released her first collection of products, although I had a look at them in Superdrug I resisted purchasing. That was until recently when Zoe released her second collection, ‘Tutti Fruiti’ and I think where I felt her products weren’t really my thing originally, this collection actually made me want to investigate further.

I went into a store thinking I would purchase her ‘Let’s Spritz’ body mist and the body scrub but what I actually came out with was both Zoella body mists, Blissful Mistful from her first collection, and Let’s Spritz from the new Tutti Fruiti range.

Zoella body mists

Let’s Spritz & Blissful Mistful

Body mists by Zoella: What do I think?

For £8 a bottle you really can’t go wrong with these body mists and the only thing I would say that could be improved, is how long the scent lasts.

The scent

Scent wise, I spritzed these a few times in store trying to work out which one I preferred and why I ended up coming out with both. Although I prefer the original scent more (which will probably be the one I continue with), her new Tutti Fruity scent is great for summer.

Zoella Body mists

The packaging

The packaging is spot on! I love the shape and the chunkiness of the bottles and the attention to detail on the back -‘Let’s Spritz’ has a pretty lace design, and ‘Blissful Mistful’ has spots. Superdrug’s need to put impossibly difficult to remove security stickers on everything has ruined the packaging slightly though which is a shame. I do though love the metallic lids.

Satisfying Zoella’s followers

It’s an odd thing really as with over eight million subscribers, Zoe has a lot of people to cater for and satisfy, but her predominant fan base are young teenage girls and this is her market.

This is why her products aren’t really supposed to attract me and on many levels they don’t, but I am of course still curious. However, if I was in my mid teens (& not ridiculously close to turning 28 years old!), I would absolutely be all over Zoe’s products because they are not only affordable, but are good quality and a great intro into beauty and skin care.

I am so jealous of those young girls who can look up to Zoe like they would their fashionable older sister.

Have you guys tried any of Zoe’s products?

Until next time x

Who is Zoe “Zoella” Sugg? | The perfect role model for teenage girls

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Who is Zoe “Zoella” Sugg? If you genuinely have absolutely no idea who she is then I have to ask where you have been, particularly over the last year? I mean seriously, where have you been? The girl is EVERYWHERE!

Zoe “Zoella” Sugg. How would I even begin to describe Zoe “Zoella” Sugg?

Zoe “Zoella” Sugg is flawless

I hear her hair is insured for $10,000

I heard she does car commercials… in Japan

One time, she punched me in the face… it was awesome!

Zoe "Zoella" Sugg

Discovering Zoe

I discovered Zoe by accident but seemingly right on the pinnacle of her name getting exploded across magazines and the media. For a while I had been watching Lo Bosworth on YouTube (remember her from The Hills?) and one day Zoe’s channel was in the list of suggestions YouTube thought I would be interested in.

I clicked on her ‘My Everyday Makeup Routine‘ video, then I watched a few other of her videos, and I have been addicted to her channel ever since.

At the time of writing, this morning it was announced that she had hit 6,000,000 followers. Six. Million. Followers. Wow! Just going to let that sink in for a moment…

Zoe “Zoella” Sugg: Home grown and self-made

What I love about Zoe is that she is totally home grown and self-made, she has become famous doing what she loves. An advertisers dream her following is now so lucrative that anything Zoe says, goes.

For brands she is gold, but unlike celebrities whereby you don’t always believe in the things they advertise,  with Zoe you do believe what she has to say and you want to listen.

If she recommends a beauty, skin or hair product chances are you’re going to go and buy it, I know I have. She is the big sister you never had.

Role models for teenagers

When I was a teenager I went through a hippie phase, a goth phase, a little bit of a skater girl phase (thanks to my love, Avril Lavigne) and then I discovered Lindsay Lohan and got into fashion trying to copy her style. It’s normal, popular culture dictates many a teenagers’ life.

Zoe comes across very genuinely, I get the impression that she is who she is and she is unlikely to suddenly go wild and flash her knickers to the paparazzi. If I was 15 and found someone like Zoe to follow, it would have been a dream and would have made navigating my late teen years a lot easier.

It’s unfortunate I discovered her when I was 26 but better late than never I guess.

Tomorrow is the much anticipated launch of her Zoella Beauty range which I can only predict 6 million+ people are itching to see what that involves. As an early guess, I think it will involve lipstick… maybe a perfume but we’ll all have to be very patient little bunnies and wait and see. Zoe also has her first book, ‘Girl Online‘ being published in November and I am sure many other things thereafter.

Until next time x

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