Almost a year ago now I read Girl Online by Zoe Sugg (or Zoella as she is known on YouTube) and I didn’t really like it. In fact I vaguely remember telling people that I most definitely wouldn’t read the sequel, yet here I am almost a year later writing a post on the 2nd book in the series, Girl Online On Tour.
Girl Online On Tour continues telling the story of Penny and Noah, however this time it follows Penny around as she joins Noah on his European leg tour. She hasn’t spent any significant time with him since they met in New York so Penny is very excited to get to spend time with Noah. The only difference is this time Noah is surrounded by a very busy schedule, band mates who aren’t so nice to Penny and threatening notes coming from unknown people. Penny thought she’d get to spend lots of time with Noah but life on the road just isn’t what she expected it to be.
If you’ve read any of my blog posts before you’ll probably realise by now that I’m a sucker for reading books with this kind of plot so I just couldn’t resist reading this book. Unfortunately as I didn’t like Girl Online I should’ve known that I wouldn’t like its sequel. I just hated the characters and I didn’t really like the way it was written. It just didn’t capture me like other books do. I also didn’t like how the book ended, it seems to be crying out for yet another sequel. One thing though, the life on tour does seem very realistic so it does make me wonder if the author has perhaps drawn upon elements of her own life here.
Noah is a complete and utter tool. He was arguably the best thing about Girl Online so I hate how much I despise his character in the sequel. In the first book he really tries to sweep Penny off her feet and you got a sense of how important family is to him. Then in Girl Online On Tour he gets so absorbed in the whirlwind life of being a rock star that he forgets who and what is important to him. I think more so than ever the age gap between the pair is apparent too, for example Noah goes out partying with his band mates in the evening leaving an underage Penny at a hotel. I really do not understand how Penny forgives him so easily and although he somewhat redeems himself, in my opinion it still doesn’t take back the things that he did.
I absolutely love the fact that the book again touches on anxiety though with Penny suffering with it. With someone in Zoe Sugg’s well known position to a younger audience I do think that it’s brilliant that it highlights anxiety and the day to day struggles that come with it. As much as I didn’t like the book I think Penny’s character is great for a teenage audience to read about, she really grows as a character and I did enjoy the lessons she learns along the way.
If you loved Girl Online I am sure you will love Girl Online On Tour too. This book definitely seems to be capturing teenagers interests in reading again which can only be a good thing but unfortunately it just wasn’t my cup of tea.
Synopsis –
The sequel to the number-one bestseller Girl Online.
Penny joins her rock-star boyfriend, Noah, on his European music tour. Penny's bags are packed. When Noah invites Penny on his European music tour, she can't wait to spend time with her rock-god-tastic boyfriend. But, between Noah's jam-packed schedule, less-than-welcoming bandmates and threatening messages from jealous fans, Penny wonders whether she's really cut out for life on tour.
She can't help but miss her family, her best friend Elliot . . . and her blog, Girl Online. Can Penny learn to balance life and love on the road, or will she lose everything in pursuit of the perfect summer?
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