Review for A Life in Men by Gina Frangello

A Life in Men is a novel written by Gina Frangello. It will be published early February of this year.


A copy of this book was received through NetGalley for a honest review

i need to give this book more stars. more stars for this amazing book that has kept me from sleep these pass few days. i was going into the book thinking that i was getting a novel about a girl's sexual awakening and what i got was much deeper and meaningful and devastating and real. the cover is totally deceptive, wrapping the book in a feel good vibe. the title, however, is beyond accurate. this is a title that will find it's way on some list called "The Best Books of 2014."

Mary and Nix are childhood friends that find their friendship forever changed by their vacation in Greece. it is the last time they see each other and from there, Mary tries to live her life fully despite the illness that promises to cut it short. we are taken on a challenging journey that will make you both relate and question Mary, all the while wanting more of her story. each chapter features a different man in her life, how he got there and his significance to the development of herself. as with all love stories, each is beautiful and tragic all at once. knowing how it will eventually end doesn't make it any less exciting or dangerous or meaningful. some men never reappear in Mary's life but most do and it's interesting to see them at different points in Mary's life. she is a different person yet the same naive girl who went to Greece with her best friend against her parent's wishes.

though Mary may be the main character, Nix is the driving force of this novel. what happened to her in Greece, causing her to distance herself from who she thought she was and her best friend, is apparent throughout the whole book to everyone but Mary. she is the ghost of lost innocence that haunts Mary, pushing her to most of life adventures. i love the chapters that takes you back to Greece, where it all basically began. and finally, the last chapter is of Hasnain. he is the only man in Nix's life who has a positive effect in her life. Mary spends a little time looking for him, hoping to reconnect with Nix in any way she can. it makes perfect sense that he should close out the novel, showing a side of Nix that Mary was never meant to see though she craved it.

in the end, i got that you can only live your own lie, not someone else's. thought Mary thought she was living the way Nix would want her to, with adventures and lovers and excitement, Mary finally realized that her life is her own and she has been very lucky to do the things she did. not just for Nix and their friendship but for herself. this book will stay with me forever. i will be buying it and reading it for the rest of my life. that is a promise.


5 STARS