Ordinary Girls

I could see some readers finding this mom and her two daughters overly quirky, but I was in exactly the right mood for the whimsy of their old-timey dilapidated home and their pop culture references almost exclusively devoted to literature and I don’t know why the sisters were obsessed with styling their hair in a braid but that was just one of the many little details that made this enjoyable and memorable.

I also loved that this family is by no means perfect, financially they’re barely keeping their heads above water, the mom is frazzled much of the time, and when they aren’t irritating each other to no end, sisters Plum and Ginny ultimately have each other’s backs. Ordinary Girls may not always be the most realistic fiction show more yet the humor, the awkwardness, and the serious bits were plenty relatable..

It’s been awhile since I fell for a romance as completely as I did for Plum’s. I loved the slow burn of it all, the dancing around their attraction for so much of the story and the thinly veiled excuses to spend time together. Also their relationship gave Plum the opportunity to discuss writing and reading comprehension which if you love books you’ll likely appreciate.

This wasn’t the Sense and Sensibility retelling I expected going into this, there weren’t many parallels between the two stories so if you came to this looking for a modernized version of that classic this isn’t really that, but that’s more than okay, Ordinary Girls very much does it’s own original thing and it proved to be just the refuge I needed from an otherwise not so great week. show less

It’s a tumultuous year for sisters Ginny and Plum, as Ginny agonizes over college applications, their family struggles financially, and Plum forms a secret friendship (or maybe more?) with one of the most unlikely boys she can imagine.

I had heard that this was inspired by Sense and Sensibility, and while there is a practical sister and a high-strung one, a dead father and problems with money, don’t go into this expecting a retelling. That’s not to say it isn’t charming! I thought the relationship between the sisters was particularly well done, and the story revels in classic literature references (Austen, the Brontës, Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, Rilke, Rossetti, Dickinson...) and a handful of film and classical music show more grace notes. (They also watch a lot of HGTV, which cracked me up a little every time.) If this sort of family drama is your thing, you’ll love this book. show less

An adorable, quirky young adult book perfect for every angsty teen (or adult) that read Jane Austen, Little Women, and Jane Eyre on the reg. Two sisters could not be more different; Ginny, the older, smarter, more frazzled sister is forever getting on Patience's (aka Plum) nerves. Patience has forever lived in the shadow of her older sister's intelligence and there are times when she can't wait for her sister to go off to college in a year (if the family can afford it). They live in a gorgeous, old, crumbling down Victorian home, that Patience wishes she could never leave (stupid school). It's her, Ginny, her exuberant and artistic mother, a feisty cat, two rowdy dogs, and their "almost doctor of music" renter who lives above the show more carriage house. Little does Patience realize how much her fifteenth year is about to change; from boys, to finance woes, to English reading assignments; this will be a year that Plum will never forget. Funny and unusual in the most awesome of ways. show less

I could see some of myself in Plum; lost in the ocean of school and anchoring myself in books. And wanting any chance to be part of any relationship. This possibly would have been better during my teenage years.
Plum (Patience) and Ginny lost their father a deade ago but everyone is still dealing with his virtual ghost is present, including where they haven't really dealt with his study; and things are complicated, their mother is struggling, Ginny is trying to live up to the predictions of genius that her father made for her when she was very small and Plum finds some work and possibly a relationship with Tate Kurokawa (who honestly is not being done any favours by his teachers) with whom she doesn't seem to have anything in common but show more it turns out she does.
It was a nice read and I almost wish I could go back and give it to past me. Not my usual read but I'm glad I read it. show less

I love all the stuff the sisters in this book love -- old movies, Jane Austen, pretending to be characters from old movies and Jane Austen. I should have loved this book, but it didn't have enough of a plot for me. The writing was lovely, but meandering. The stakes felt pretty low until almost the very end. It was enjoyable but not especially memorable other than Tate calling Plum Peach, which I thought was super cute.

Overall, it's a sweet, tame romance and a sort of update of [b:Sense and Sensibility|14935|Sense and Sensibility|Jane Austen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1397245675l/14935._SY75_.jpg|2809709] in the sense that it's mainly about sisters who are very different but best friends living show more in genteel poverty. show less

Fifteen year old Patience, aka Plum, is growing up in the shadow of her 17 year old beautiful, smart sister, Ginny. Ginny is a member of what Plum called the High Strung Smart Girls. That is until Tate, one of the Loudmouthed Smart Boys (LSB) takes an interest in her. Someone Plum used to avoid at all costs, has exhibited some good character traits. While Plum is enjoying her new found popularity, she is missing the fact that Ginny is going through some of her own issues.

Ordinary girls is an enjoyable, humorous travelogue of her and Ginny's journey through one year or high school.

A light & fun read. I really liked the romance, but the main plot was kind of strange at times - overall it felt pretty disjointed, but still enjoyable.