Jacqueline Wilson

[didisaythatoutloudoops]

I read her more grown up book which is set in the 60’s and is about Laura. There are some exchange students visiting from France, if I recall rightly, and they end out hanging out with Laura and her friend(s). One of the lads r*pes Laura, who ends up pregnant and has to keep the baby as it is pre legalised abortion. She is going to give the baby up for adoption.
The actual assault scene is really quick, just a few lines and it’s not at all graphic. I thought it was quite an interesting read but have not really read many Jacqueline Wilson books.
She definitely reuses a lot of the same vocabulary/expressions, like make/break friends and loves using muck/mucky/mucking ( which I really c1nnot stand, for some unknown reason). Would it really be so bad to say mess/ruin/dirty/fooling/messing up/about instead?

It's one of my favourite books by her, I think because a lot of the problems with her stories set in modern times are helped simply by being set in the 60s - the quaint, slightly strange vocabulary fits the time, you don't see her struggle to understand technology or such.

I'm bracing for these issues ruining The Illustrated Mum sequel for me. Are we going to hear some women in their 30s going 'oh don't let's fight and partake in a butterscotch sundae from MacDonalds!' - or say she tried to text Marigold on TikTok or some such 'I'm trying to be down with the kids' thing. In a way I wish she'd keep to these 60s-and-prior stories because they're firmly in her comfort zone and just read so much better.

 

[emm]

It's one of my favourite books by her, I think because a lot of the problems with her stories set in modern times are helped simply by being set in the 60s - the quaint, slightly strange vocabulary fits the time, you don't see her struggle to understand technology or such.

I'm bracing for these issues ruining The Illustrated Mum sequel for me. Are we going to hear some women in their 30s going 'oh don't let's fight and partake in a butterscotch sundae from MacDonalds!' - or say she tried to text Marigold on TikTok or some such 'I'm trying to be down with the kids' thing. In a way I wish she'd keep to these 60s-and-prior stories because they're firmly in her comfort zone and just read so much better.

Agree, or get a lot more help with editing from someone much younger

 

[shhh1712]

I’ve just finished the illustrated mum so I’m excited to see the next one is out this month!! I can’t remember if I read this as a child, which makes me think I couldn’t have done. I brought a bundle of some of JWs old books from vinted and have been working my way through them again.

 

[ChilliBean]

Got my hands on a copy of Picture Imperfect today and I’ve been re reading the Illustrated Mum in preparation… bloody hell I forgot how dark this book is. Poor Star I feel so sorry for her. I’ve just got to the bit where Dolphin finds Marigold in the bath after she painted herself white

 

[Yano]

Just finished picture imperfect and it was a slog to get through. Many many 'don't let's quarrels'

 

[choccyhazelnut]

my thoughts on the new book, don't know how to do the spoiler so don't read if you haven't read it yet.

It was better than think again, but not by an awful lot. For nostalgia? 10 out of 10, but was it an objectively good book? No. She is just not an adult author at all, she writes in the exact same way she does for her children's books, only with much more swearing and sex scenes which feel totally out of place and unnatural in my opinion. In some ways this book felt like a bit of a carbon copy of think again, super nice guy boyfriend who she feels comfortable with but doesn't fancy, then find some other person who she happens to feel madly passionately attracted to and starts to get steadily more exasperated with nice guy and starts getting more and more pissed off about how decent he is. You can really feel the authors contempt for men in this book, but in most of them really when you think about it. Again I feel she was trying to be too woke, LGBT representation is great, but I personally think 3 gay characters in one book is a bit much, it's good that we're all open about it now but it really isn't quite that common in real life. I feel like this one flowed better than last year's adult sequel and the character felt more similar, but there still wasn't much of a plot and the ending felt ever so rushed again. I love getting to see all the characters from the originals; I actually think she did a good job with star, I think her being a high flying doctor with a rich husband far away from where she grew up is very believable. Why do her main characters have to be The underdog though all the time, pitiful girls who act far younger than their age? I suppose there was a bit of a story arc, she goes from running around after everybody else, to finding her own interests and standing up for her own desires, and I suppose her getting to have her own baby was a nice way to end but I'd still say there wasn't an awful lot that happened in the book overall. It's one of those that no I'm thinking back and rating it I don't think it was that fantastic, but at the time I was reading it I really enjoyed it. I think I'd give it a solid 3.5 stars; perfect nostalgia reading for people like me who grew up reading her books and adored them, but really not a great standalone adult novel.

 

[simmehchan]

Just finished picture imperfect and it was a slog to get through. Many many 'don't let's quarrels'

Heaps of cash to pay for a TikTok romantasy tattoo. I love JW but she clearly still has such an outdated view on tattoos. It's not just hairy old men who have them and do them now.

Dolphin in this book doesn't really feel like Dolphin in TIM if that makes sense. Obviously she's grown up but it doesn't feel believable to me.

 

[Yano]

Heaps of cash to pay for a TikTok romantasy tattoo. I love JW but she clearly still has such an outdated view on tattoos. It's not just hairy old men who have them and do them now.

Dolphin in this book doesn't really feel like Dolphin in TIM if that makes sense. Obviously she's grown up but it doesn't feel believable to me.

I liked how she hadn't done any research into how tattoo shops work or apprenticeships either. What really wound me up was when she is like I'm definitely pregnant and takes forever to actually mention doing a test.

 

[SheMyBestie]

I’ve just finished Picture Imperfect….

Spoiler: Spoiler

Honestly I only read it for nostalgic reasons but I found the sex scenes so cringy, the same with Think Again.
I didn’t Lee after the kiss at the party. I thought he was controlling. I’m guessing the baby is
I liked what she did with Star, she managed to fly the nest and make something of herself. To try and forget the issues from her childhood.
Loved that she mentioned Oli. Thought Dol’s dad would get more of a role. But I guess they’re pushing the narrative that Dol doesn’t need anybody but her baby. I’m glad she had the courage to stand up for what she wanted too in the end.
Tattoo parlours are no longer what they used to be back in the day. These days fineline tattoos are so popular. I think Jacqueline is so stuck in her outdated views of things. She should definitely stick to children’s books although I do love finding out what happened to all my favourite childhood characters.

 

[tatosalad123]

The illustrated mum was my favourite book as a kid. It was always one I read over and over, so I was excited when this sequel. I found it okay but I felt a bit disappointed at the end. It just felt dull and predictable.
Lee irritated me the minute he became the over protective ‘boyfriend’.
The sex scenes became a bit too much and too cringy to the point I was just skipping them
I was also cringing at the scenes where Dol was looking at Stars breasts. I’m close with my sisters but not the point I would be staring at theirs boobs and comparing them lmao. Each to their own I suppose tho

I agree with everyone saying she’s stuck in her old views. I think if she’s going to carry on with her sequels she needs to actually research life these days lol.

 

[emm]

The illustrated mum was my favourite book as a kid. It was always one I read over and over, so I was excited when this sequel. I found it okay but I felt a bit disappointed at the end. It just felt dull and predictable.
Lee irritated me the minute he became the over protective ‘boyfriend’.
The sex scenes became a bit too much and too cringy to the point I was just skipping them
I was also cringing at the scenes where Dol was looking at Stars breasts. I’m close with my sisters but not the point I would be staring at theirs boobs and comparing them lmao. Each to their own I suppose tho

I agree with everyone saying she’s stuck in her old views. I think if she’s going to carry on with her sequels she needs to actually research life these days lol.

I don't think I'll bother reading it from the reviews here, I don't get some of the mistakes/outdated things she includes, surely her editor would comment on this?

 

[soph30]

I don't think I'll bother reading it from the reviews here, I don't get some of the mistakes/outdated things she includes, surely her editor would comment on this?

There were literal spelling mistakes in the last one! I think they barely get edited

 

[wideopenspace]

There were literal spelling mistakes in the last one! I think they barely get edited

I've noticed this in books in general in recent times where editing is all over the place. I assume another cost cutting exercise.

 

[emm]

There were literal spelling mistakes in the last one! I think they barely get edited

In the girls sequel (cannot even remember the name) the inconsistencies and even names wrong was ridiculous. Makes me sad as it just seems like such a cash grab

 

[soph30]

I've noticed this in books in general in recent times where editing is all over the place. I assume another cost cutting exercise.

Not to go off topic but it's newspapers too! Both spelling/grammar and fact checking, even in publications like the Times/Telegraph. Yeah I assume they got rid of/outsourced a load of editing

 

[BettyRizzo]

In the girls sequel (cannot even remember the name) the inconsistencies and even names wrong was ridiculous. Makes me sad as it just seems like such a cash grab

I bought the Girls sequal on Audible but returned it. Utterly unlistenable

 

[tatosalad123]

In the girls sequel (cannot even remember the name) the inconsistencies and even names wrong was ridiculous. Makes me sad as it just seems like such a cash grab

I read 50 pages, put it down and never picked it back up. I’ve ended up giving it away lol

 

[SheMyBestie]

I bought the Girls sequal on Audible but returned it. Utterly unlistenable

I wish I could return picture imperfect. Waste of £14.

 

[blondelolita]

I wish I could return picture imperfect. Waste of £14.

I got it from the library because I learnt from the Girls sequel to not pay for it. I liked it as I was reading, but tbh it was meh. Love seeing the childhood characters but not a fan of the writing, it’s a shame.

 

[simmehchan]

I was also cringing at the scenes where Dol was looking at Stars breasts. I’m close with my sisters but not the point I would be staring at theirs boobs and comparing them lmao. Each to their own I suppose tho

Yeah it's one thing to have a 10 year old looking at their sister's body and comparing it but not a 30-odd year old. It was multiple times as well. So weird.