While I think this is a timely book and will attract lots of readers, I did not enjoy it. I truly loved The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, and started this novel hoping for the same kind of feel-good book with characters I enjoyed. Unfortunately, at 35% into this book, the only character I liked was an unrealistic 8-year-old. I had zero interest in either of the other main characters introduced so far. When I realized how little I cared about their story, I stopped reading.

As I DNF this book I will not post a review on any social media. This book just wasn't for me. I read 30% and I just didn't like any of the characters enough to finish the book. The humor was great but the story wasn't enough to keep me engaged.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this novel

I went into this book knowing very little about it, really only reading the above part of the blurb ( heavily edited from Goodreads which is full of spoilers) and knowing I had to try this based on my love of her previous novel, The Storied Life of A.J Fikry. That book made my top 10 reads of 2016 so I was very excited to find out that Zevin had another book coming out this summer. I've decided to throw my overall thoughts at you early. Here goes...

Not at all meaning this to sound negative, but this was one of the strangest books I've read in a long time. I don't think I'm wrong in saying I predict this book will have polarizing viewpoints...many will love it and many will hate it. In fact, I actually have conflicting opinions myself...I LOVED the first half of this book and the second half...well, let's just say the second half seems like an experiment in gimmicks with the author trying to toss several in there to see what would stick. Really, it's almost like 2 separate books!  What's even stranger (for me), was reading the last couple sections and thinking...what in the world is going on here? I mean, I have 2 words for you...El Mete?...and for those who've read this you'll know what I'm referring to... but what was THAT all about?! BUT, for all my squabbles you've just read as well as for the fact that I felt this book NEEDED at least 50 more pages....I still really really enjoyed it!! How's that for weird?

 I picked this up at the exact perfect time after several DNFs (Did Not Finish) and I was immediately taken with the voice of the first character, Rachel, who narrates a large section of the beginning of the book. She's funny, witty and slightly snarky and if I'm honest, I would've loved for her to narrate the WHOLE book. We get to know her and her daughter Aviva, whose affair with her older, married boss has Rachel at her wits end.  Needless to say, there's drama and things are said and done by all parties that can't be undone. 

The narration then shifts to Jane who has such a strong voice as well and I found her to be engaging and a character I could absolutely get behind and root for. In my opinion, characters, their dialogue, behaviors, and thoughts, are where Zevin shines in her writing ability. Following Jane's perspective, we get Ruby, her teenage daughter who sometimes seemed to vacillate between acting like a small child and a young adult. Bottom line: She was ok.

The remainder of the book was told in separate sections by a young Aviva and Embeth, the wife of the older, married man who had the affair. In all honesty, for me, these sections were a bit of a mess and where the gimmicks really came alive. Aviva's section didn't at all work for me but I really did like Embeth; in fact, I really wanted to know more about her and what became of her. Overall, I really just needed/wanted more of this story all around but I will say that my very first thought when I realized I did, in fact, reach the end was...you know...I really liked this book. For me, this just proves that I can have issues with what happens (or doesn't) in a book and the story can feel like it may have jumped on the crazy train for a brief ride, but in the hands of an outstanding author like Gabrielle Zevin I can and will still recommend that you give this one a try, especially if you're in the mood for something a little different!

I love everything Gabrielle Zevin writes. Thank you for the ARC! This was a great story and a truly intriguing look at how to (possibly) live your life once you become infamous in America.

4.5 stars
What a wonderful and powerful book! When I requested this book, I really liked the synopsis but I didn’t expect it to be this good! It contains a very important message and it’s written in a very gripping and emotional way. I absolutely loved it.

This book is about Aviva, she is a Jewish intern in a congressman’s office and she ends up caught up in an affair with an older and married man. The affair ends up going public and it’s turned into a scandal. But that only happens to one side… Aviva’s side, which has her life ruined. Because, the congressman, although ending up with some negative press, goes out of the scandal with both career and marriage intact. Much like what happened in DC with Monica Lewinsky.

Aviva is slut-shamed and no one wants to have nothing to do with her. She can’t find a job… She can’t have a life… And so she had to construct her life elsewhere, after what happened. She changed her name to Jane, moved to Maine and changed career. She had a beautiful daughter named Ruby and survived her past the best she could. Although she didn’t do anything illegal, she had to run away. She made a mistake yes, but who doesn’t? She was young, she was a fool and she thought that to be love. He was older and married, should he be the one to see it and stop it? He wanted it and made everything for it to continue… Wasn’t he as faulty as she? Why should it only affect her? These type of stories really make my head go around. It’s hard to believe that this still happens, but it does. This book might be fiction but what happens is as realistic as it can be.

This book is extremely realistic and very well written. It’s told in many long POVs – not jumping around, if you know what I mean. We see Aviva’s perspective, her mother Rachel, her daughter Ruby and the congressman’s wife Embeth. I really liked how the characters were drawn. They were not perfect, they made mistakes like anyone else and everything ended with consequences. But that didn’t make them bad persons. Only human. In a way or another, I connected with them all and I loved every POV – they made the book more unique and realistic. They all had their own way of being, their thoughts, their own lives, they are different not only in age but in everything else, other than being women and the author distinguished them really well. I also loved to see how different they become while growing up.

This book shows the feminist side and I loved it! It was emotional, it was powerful and I couldn’t recommend it more!

I loved Zevin's previous books and this one was no exception. The mark of a good multiple viewpoint book is that I don't want to leave that "person" to start a new one, and this was definitely the case in YJY.

I was really taken with this book that explores something that’s always fascinated me – how a person survives a scandal, especially a woman. This story is about how a young woman makes mistakes and everyone throws all the blame at her. It explores gender bias and how double standards abound in modern life. It makes you think about how to own your mistakes and move beyond them. Ultimately, it has much to say about modern culture that I found really interesting.

This book is very well written, it’s pacing is great and it’s told in an interesting way. There are many perspectives guiding the story along. The narrative will shift in time and place which was interesting to see come together. I really loved the way Zevin incorporated a “Choose Your Adventure” section to the novel which was a fun and smart way to tell part of the story.

This is probably a book that would be labeled ‘women’s fiction’ and that is accurate but I also think it’s so much more. It’s such a smart book that moves fast and was just a nice reading experience. It takes on so much more than it seems to on the surface. There is charm, comedy, family strife, political intrigue, cultural commentary, and more. It’s a really good book and I definitely recommend it!

Aviva Grossman takes the brunt of a scandal involving an up-and-coming congressman. This book is told from the pov of 4 different woman all involved in some way. This was a quick, easy read. I enjoyed the shifting viewpoints and the choose your own adventure was a fun touch. The book didn't grab my attention and hold it as much as I would have liked.

This is the first book by Gabrielle Zevin that I've read despite her novel The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry being very well received.

Young Jane Young deals with congressional intern Aviva Grossman who makes the mistake of sleeping with her boss - i.e. the very married Congressman. Comparisons can be easily made between Aviva's fictional story and that of Monica Lewinsky. And Zevin clearly showcases the double standard in a case such as Aviva's where her entire life is turned upside down after one youthful indiscretion, making her unhirable to anyone who is able to do a Google search, forcing her to move and change her name to the titular Jane Young, yet the Congressman gets to continue to be in office and his reputation is quickly back on track.

Zevin doesn't just choose to make this Aviva's story, however. We are given perspectives from the women who are all effected in some way by the scandal. Rachel - Aviva's mother, Aviva - aka Jane - herself, Ruby - Aviva's daughter, and Embeth - the wife of the congressman. I really loved the varying degrees in which the scandal effects these women at different times in their lives and how they each choose to deal with it. Zevin goes a long way no painting any of the females into the role of villain just as much as she doesn't completely dump Aviva into the victim category either. We all make mistakes in our lives, and we are, to a certain extent, defined by how we handle ourselves in the face of those mistakes despite certain standards being forced upon one sex over another in some cases. One person is not necessarily strong than another based on the choices they make, just different perspectives.

I enjoyed this story, and I'll definitely be looking into reading more books by Gabrielle Zevin.

YOUNG JANE YOUNG by Gabrielle Zevin was chosen as the Library Reads top pick for August 2017 and has a starred review from Kirkus, but I much prefer Zevin's young adult novels like Elsewhere and enjoyed her The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry, as did many readers. Based on such positive reviews, YOUNG JANE YOUNG will likely create interest, particularly for those from Miami or who want to read (and laugh) about an overbearing Jewish mother and the impact of youthful mistakes. The novel is set in both Florida and Maine and is told by several narrators. First is Ruth Shapiro, mother of Aviva Grossman, a 20-something intern who has an affair with a married congressman. Several years later, Ruby Young, Aviva's daughter picks up the story in a series of emails to a middle school pen pal. Ruby eventually meets another narrator, Embeth Levin, who is the congressman's wife. Finally, we hear from Aviva/Jane who tells her side of the story using a "create-your-own-adventure" framework. Obviously, Zevin is a very talented writer and there were clever and funny moments in YOUNG JANE YOUNG, along which social commentary on our preoccupation with political scandal and apportioning blame. While some of that content was uncomfortable, it also took some time to adjust to the voice of each narrator and once I had done so, the storyteller abruptly switched; honestly, I would tend to recommend her other titles first.

Previous review on Zevin's writing:
http://treviansbookit.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-storied-life-of-j-fikry-by.html

3.5-3.75 stars.

I really enjoyed this book's unconventional format -- the choose-your-own-adventure chapter was particularly well done -- and was intrigued by the provocative subject matter. However, it was a bit of a let down; I had hoped that Zevin would add something more to the trope.
Ultimately, "Young Jane Young" was fun and entertaining, if not as thought-provoking as I had hoped.

First Line - My dear friend, Roz Horowitz met her husband online dating, and Roz is three years older, and fifty pounds heaver than I am, and people have said not as well preserved, so I thought I would try it even though I avoid going online too much.

Summary - Aviva Grossman, an ambitious congressional intern in Florida, makes the mistake of having an affair with her boss--and blogging about it. When the affair comes to light, the beloved congressman doesn’t take the fall. But Aviva does, and her life is over before it hardly begins: slut-shamed, she becomes a late-night talk show punch line, anathema to politics. She sees no way out but to change her name and move to a remote town in Maine. This time, she tries to be smarter about her life and strives to raise her daughter, Ruby, to be strong and confident. But when, at the urging of others, Aviva decides to run for public office herself, that long-ago mistake trails her via the Internet and catches up--an inescapable scarlet A. In the digital age, the past is never, ever, truly past. And it’s only a matter of time until Ruby finds out who her mother was and is forced to reconcile that person with the one she knows.

Highlights - Zevin has a way of writing about peoples flaws that feels very natural. You find yourself rooting for all the characters, and it doesn't matter if you like them or not.

Lowlights - There were times where the story felt like it was being drawn out more than it needed to be.

FYI - Sexual situations and some strong language.

There is an “event” in “Young Jane Young” by Gabrielle Zevin. A dramatic event that makes sensational headlines, brings unrelenting paparazzi, and causes punishing trauma, and stress. This book is not about the event, although it plays a pivotal role. “Young Jane Young is about the people, all the people, who are touched by this event. What happens to the players, their families, their acquaintances, and themselves? How they adapt, change, and cope? Can they move on?
Each section of book is told from a different point of view and each section is by person labeled for easy identification. The plot is mostly dialogue driven, and readers get to know all the players, and what those players think about everyone else. The writing style adapts to match the personality of each character, and includes first person narrative, third person, e-mail correspondence, even a “choose your own adventure.”
The casual conversational style draws readers into the characters, so it is almost like talking to friends who live next door. We meet Rachel, divorced, age 64, living in Florida, her daughter Aviva Grossman, who has a problem. We meet her neighbor, Embeth, her husband Aaron, the congressman, and Embeth’s parrot, El Meté. In addition, we meet Jane Young, an event planner who lives in in Maine and her daughter Ruby, who is participating in a “Friends Around the World” pen pal program.
What readers learn is that everyone has secrets, and that a little crisis for one mutates into big problems for others. Jane laments, “The past is never past. Only idiots think that.” Rachael sums it all up, “When someone tells you ‘it’s not what it looks like,’ it’s almost always exactly what it looks like. The key to happiness is knowing when to keep your mouth shut.”
I received a copy of “Young Jane Young” from Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, Gabrielle Zevin, and Net Galley, and I absolutely loved it. The characters were compelling and believable. Zevin’s writing style kept each character and story segment appealing and engaging. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

A story about starting over and adolescence, wrapped inside a topical look at a political scandal and how it is affected by gender

Elsewhere, A.J. Fikry - books I've loved by Zevin. This sounded so very different yet just as intriguing.

Aviva Grossman, as a young intern, had an affair with a married congressman. Found it, it was Aviva who bore the brunt of the media attacks. Changing her name and moving away, she has a thriving business and a teenage daughter. Who is about to find out about her mother's past.

A dual story about mother and daughter, about the past and present, 'Jane' shows us her perspective of what happened and just how inaccurate media portrayals can be. Ruby, her daughter, is a bright adolescent who must decide for herself what to believe and how she feels about her family history.

It's well composed and moves nicely between time periods, the idea of blaming women for such affairs a current one, especially as it is also compared in the book to the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky example.

This will be excellent for discussion with teenagers in classes or book groups, and is certainly suitable for adults as well.

I enjoyed the idea of reinvention, and of Aviva/Jane moving on with her life. There are some mysteries to Ruby's story and the story wraps them up nicely just at the close.

With some sexual content, this is best suited to KS3 and above, ideally ages 14 and over.

With thanks to Netgalley for the advance e-copy.

I read The Storied Life of AJ Fikry last year and loved it, so I was excited to receive an ARC for Young Jane Young. I wasn't disappointed. The characters were quirky, likable, and real and I was easily sucked into the story. This author's writing style reminds me of another one of my favorites, Rainbow Rowell, in that it's unusual, original, and quirky and I'm always sorry to see it end. I can see how she's able to write both adult and YA fiction, just like Rowell. I definitely want to check out her YA. Highly recommend!

Thank you, Netgalley, for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Interesting take on the Monica Lewinsky story. Gives some insight on political interns.

3.75 stars.
This book started out great for me, but fizzled a little in the second half. The beginning hooked me right away with Rachel reflecting on her life and dating again. Rachel lived where my father used to play golf, and shopped where I used to buy fruit, so that was a fun connection. Rachel and her daughter are estranged, but we don't know why at the beginning. The rest of the book lays out the reason(s) why- her daughter, Aviva, had been involved in a scandal when she has "relations" with a politician. What's left for Aviva to do, but move away and change her name. The second part of the book is about Aviva and her daughter's lives, including her daughter's emails to her penpal in Indonesia.

The author that gave us A.J. Fikry is back with more flawed, but endearing characters. Zevin manages to infuse humor and heart with a plot-line not for the faint of heart. A refreshingly honest take on the foibles of being human, and making mistakes.

Gabrielle Zevin is a master at broadly outlining a compelling tale that hits the perfect spot: family life crossed with American politics writ large served up in a community setting that is immediately recognizable to readers. She then offers up multiple generations as touchstones to the outlandish action that sets the plot in motion; namely the affair between the intern and the politician. Loosely modeled after the Lewinsky-Clinton affair, this fictional version offers just enough to allow the author an opportunity to see what would happen downstream of the event. It's a fascinating idea and an attractive plot. Yet, much like my reaction to her previous book, I found this one unfulfilling. So many potential story ideas were opened and left that way. The different perspectives were not as compelling as I thought they would have been. The characters themselves were not that interesting. The best was the child of the now grown-up intern; she was a delight. Were the characters intentionally uninteresting or did the author just not do enough with them? I don't know. This is the second book of hers where I've had a similar response on the writing style. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.