Georgia and Lydia are so close, they’re practically sisters. So when Lydia starts an online business that struggles, Georgia wants to help her – but she also understands Lydia’s not the kind to accept a handout.
Setting up a fake Twitter account, Georgia hopes to give her friend some anonymous moral support by posing as a potential customer.
But then Lydia starts confiding in her new internet buddy and Georgia discovers she doesn’t know her quite as well as she thought. Georgia knows she should reveal the truth – especially when Lydia starts talking about her – but she just can’t help herself.
Until Lydia reveals a secret that could not only end their friendship, but also blow up Georgia’s marriage. Georgia’s in too deep.
But what can she save?
Her marriage, her friendship – or just herself?
I am a big fan of Jane’s books and she is one of the authors who cheers me up when I hear news of a new book coming out. I find Jane’s books really well thought out and easy to get into and Worst Idea Ever is no exception to this. Georgia and Lydia are best friends and go way way back. Although they work in similar areas, Georgia’s career has really taken off whereas Lydia is equally, if not more, talented but just never seems to catch a lucky break. She has a job that she hates and despite trying to sell her art online, it hasn’t really caught on. Georgia and Lydia’s personal lives are also quite different. Georgia is married to Nick and they have grown up children who are now off to university. Lydia doesn’t want to settle until she meets the one who ticks every box. She dates with ease but potential partners never seem to last long. She is comfortable with her choices but Georgia really wishes that she would meet someone to sweep her off her feet and that her luck would change professionally. Georgia decides to give Lydia a little boost by creating a twitter profile and using this to comment upon and ‘like’ Lydia’s art but very quickly she turns into a new friend for Lydia and starts to be taken into her confidence. What could possibly go wrong…
I found this to be an engrossing read – I quite liked both main characters when first getting to know them. I really felt for them both – it must be difficult to see your friend have all the successes you would love to have for yourself yet because they are your friend you also feel delighted and proud on their behalf. Although you could see how bad an idea it was to create the fake profile, you could equally see the genuine wishes to be helpful and supportive behind it. I suppose in a similar position I might be tempted to do the same although I don’t know that I would have taken the conversation further but then once you start chatting and learn something that you shouldn’t then I can see how it might be almost impossible to extract yourself from the situation – human nature being what it is, the desire to find out more must be overwhelming!
It was very easy to feel invested in both Lydia’s and Georgia’s lives and hard to put the book down! The idea of knowing something about a loved one because of impersonating a different person and thinking about how you would deal with having this information was a really great idea for a story. Initially we see things from Georgia’s perspective but alter get an insight into Lydia’s views and see things through her eyes. I love how Jane writes and has you thinking one thing and then all of a sudden things change and are not what you thought at all. I am being deliberately obtuse as I don’t wish to give away key plot points as not only is it annoying, but it also might spoil the story for you which is absolutely not what I want to do!
If you want a book that takes you on a rollercoaster of emotion and keeps your attention from page one then this is the book for you. Friendship – the good, the bad and the ugly – brilliantly written and sharply observed. Another great book from Jane!
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