The Ninja Reader

I don't know if I am the target audience for this at all - parts are written for teens, some for college students, some for young mothers, and I liked some, but I didn't like all, mostly because it was things I already knew but in a pretty cover.... yeah.

The bulk of this feels too "young" for older women, while the bits and bobs about babies and buying your own house felt a bit adult for teens. And I don't know about you, but I find it really hard to get into a book that uses words like "nudey-tudey" and "bippits and bobbets" on a regular basis. Some DIY ideas I liked, others went entirely over my head. (I was surprised landlords in Liverpool let you paint your own walls. Five years of moving in and out of student flats and the most that I've let myself do is blu-tac pictures and postcards to the wall, and I haven't been to a rented property that was any different.)

Much like Louise herself (or at least her Internet persona) this book is bright, shiny, with the occasional touches of gravity when it tackles subjects like bullying or the hardships of taking a long time to bond with your baby. In fact, I appreciated her honesty greatly when she said that motherhood isn't always easy (contrary to popular narrative) and I appreciated her even more when she urged readers to be kind to themselves and others. She has a chapter on meeting Kylie Minogue and the anxiety she felt, and how things later resolved themselves, and it seems like a very brave thing to be sharing. I think it was a wonderful thing that she did that.

And yet even with all the things I enjoyed about this book, for the most part, I just wasn't feeling it at all. Maybe it's because I don't like pink that much, or because I actually like cooking and the thought of cronuts (croissants made into donuts. It's the new cupcake, apparently) makes me do an elaborate eyebrow-raise, but I did not get along with this. If it's something that you think you might like, go for it, but me... nah. I don't think that was for me at all.