Growing Up Again

by Catriona McCloud

Janie Lawson's life hasn't turned out quite the way she'd hoped. Nearly 40, she's in a marriage that has stalled with a mother-in-law she despises. Before Janie can make the final step toward divorce, her fate is taken out of her hands. Janie wakes up in her old bedroom and finds it just as it was in her teens. She stumbles downstairs to the kitchen where her mother greets her, looking radiantly young. But it isn't until Janie looks in the mirror, to be confronted by her 15 year old self, sporting the most diabolical 80s perm, that the reality of her situation sinks in. For a woman who scoffs at anything science can't prove, being swept back decades in time is a particularly ironic twist. She's gone back to 1981 and all the signs suggest that it's a one-way trip. But there's an upside—Janie has the chance to make her life turn out the way she wanted it. She's determined to help her parents, make her fortune, and do some good in the world, starting with saving Lady Diana Spencer from her fate. But things don't quite go to plan and pretty soon Janie realizes that even second time around, nothing is guaranteed. Clever and compassionate, this laugh-out-loud novel speculates the possibilities if you could turn back the clock and be given a second chance.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

A pseudonym of Catriona McPherson

Reviews

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit unsure of this storyline when I first started reading but as I got into it I started to feel for Janie and the confusion she had to deal with.
I really like the love story that develops although it was somewhat predictable. Bit annoyed it ended on a cliffhanger but maybe there’ll be another book?
I would recommend if you’re looking for a light read

[Plum-crazy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining read about Janie who wakes up one morning to find she's fifteen again ( what a thought * shudder*) It's certainly an amusing read as Janie tries to put right some of the worlds great "wrongs" (stopping Charles' & Diana's wedding for one!) but she also changes her families lives - both intentionally & inadvertently.

I really enjoyed the tale - although don't ask me to explain Pilchard's role..... & the ending? Well, I'm not sure about that either but it was never going to be a conventional end I guess!

[Krina Satra (BooksAndBookmarks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A chick-lit book with a back in time plot full of twists and turns. A hilariously juvenile book in which a grown-up woman, Janie Lawson – unhappy with her marriage wakes up one morning to her teens sporting a horrible 80s perm. The book unravels with the events in Janie’s life. She finds herself waiting for the party at which she would meet Ludo (her soon-to-be ex-husband) for the first time, and wishes that things would work out with them this time and that she wouldn’t fall out of love with him. But she soon finds out even second chances are not necessarily predictable and stable. She’s determined to make the most of this second chance provided to her.

A change in her career, a change in her love life as she finds a best friend only to find out she’s in love with him later on in the novel. The addiction they face related to gambling and also investing in shares was interesting to read about. She started enjoying the perks of being an adult in her teen’s life, living it all over again. She soon finds out there are more people like her and that the purpose of returning has something to do with making some huge changes in the world.

The book over-all was enjoyable and a fast read. There were a few places where I just skipped a few paragraphs because it was a bit boring and I was way too excited to read the unimportant details. But other than that, a good read

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing. i found it hard to get into at first, as the style of writing was hard to follow as it flitted here and there with emotional thoughts and psychological babble, but I'm glad I stuck with it, as once you get into the flow, this book takes you on a rollercoaster ride back in time. I had been plottong for a while to write a book on this theme, but I can hardly imagine being able to write it as well as McCloud... When I imagine going back in time, I think about the panic I would be in, that feeling of being trapped... whereas McCloud's character takes it all in her stride, trying to change herself and the world around her for the better. Towards the end, there are a few twists in the plot, which make it all the more exciting. Overall, I think this book has the makings of a movie... it has all the right elements! I tell you now, the ending will leave you reeling!!! I recommend this book highly!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept. Girl is in her 30’s and unhappy with her life and for some reason, wakes up one day and is 14 again and starts her life over. She uses this to figure out what is wrong with both her and the world and changes it. The first thing she does is warn Princess Diana about Charles. This changes everything, if you could imagine. For some reason, Girl thinks that she is still going to meet and marry the same person she does later. When it’s obvious, DUH, have you learned nothing from BACK TO THE FUTURE? You change one thing and everything changes. She does find him and it turns out the same thing happened to him, but he used it to his advantage and became pretty selfish in repeating his past. The people who try to contact the girl are kind of weird, but as a whole. It was kind of interesting topic. There was just something off about it.

Grade: C

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd known about this book for some time, being a big fan of Catriona McPherson, but I thought it was YA, not something I usually read. Am I ever glad I gave it a try. Brilliant humor and heart rending pathos skillfully combined in what I can only call a reverse Bildungsroman. Forty (or so) Janie wakes up one morning in her childhood bed with her mother making breakfast down in the kitchen. When she looks in the mirror, she sees her fifteen year old self. And from there it gets more and more complicated and fascinating. Not a YA, not a cozy, not even a mystery except that it is very mysterious. Just the book I needed to read in these tragic times, gave me some hope for the future according to Janie!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning of the book was great where Janie was living in the 2000's.

The middle dragged a bit when she was reliving her life but by chapter 15 it had me hooked and I couldn't stop reading.

I found myself reading 150 pages a day to get to the end and see what happens.

The ending where Danny an Janie get married and are pregnant made me happy, it's what I wanted to happen all along!

Then in the very last chapter she had to go back and relive her whole life again, she was a baby and now that she knew the life she truly wanted to live it would be easier and she would be married to Danny before her mid 30's like before.

A great read, I completely enjoyed it.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

It starts off quite familiarly: woman goes back in time to her teens, makes some cute observations about how popular culture and her perceptions have changed in twenty years.



Then when she starts trying to change things and events spiral out of control, I found that the book did too, and both Janie and the author find themselves somewhat out of their depth.



Not the warm and fuzzy read I expected. Nor was it the Donnie Darko-esque time-travel epic it wanted to be.

[Natasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a love story, this was a sweet read. As a time travel story, it was less than satisfying.

[Missmcintosh2012gmail.Com · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad

[Mindy Gough · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fluffy little read.

[Alleaa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mõnusa huumori ja näpuotsatäie irooniaga vürtsitatud naistekas. Aga ei midagi enamat. Veider, et kui peategelase abikaasa Ludo on üsna konkreetne tegelane, kuigi otseselt temast pole kuigi palju juttu ja teda näeb vähe tegutsemas. Siis Danny, kes on kogu aeg kohal, on kuidagi ebamäärane ja eeterlik. Kui kooliaegne Danny on veel kuidagi hoomatav, tal on mõned iseloomuomadused ja välimuski, siis peale ema surma on ta ainult mängusõltlane, ning hiljem ülikoolis naistemees. Huvitav, kas see on selleks, et iga naislugeja saaks temas ma lemmiku voolida?

[Jacqueline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting this to be a chick lit, but it wasn't. I don't know what I'd describe it as really, but it kept me reading through to the end.

The observations of going back to her 15 year old self were keen and clever - there were lots of things she mentioned that I'd long forgotten so that was a pleasure to read.

I would have been happy enough with it finishing a couple of chapters before it did and giving me a happy ending. Instead of that, it carried on the end ending was frustrating.
I will look out for other novels by this author.

[Jill McClennen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the idea behind the book, I enjoyed it overall but there were a few points when I wanted to read the end to find out what happens and skip the middle. I didn't do that and the end was really interesting so I am glad I did finish the book.

[Hawa · Rating 3 out of 5]

best!! ending yg best n membuatkan ko tergelak. story nye interesting. gerenti x tido baca.

[Jia]

ooh, this is gonna be a long read... (i hope not)

[Myne]

just an ok sort of book....

[Pollypoptart · Rating 4 out of 5]

i did enjoy this book - found it fascinating even - but the ending upset me.

[Maya · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was an interesting concept, but after reading the full story, which wasn't amazing, I was very disappointed by the ending...

[Catsalive · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good fun. I loved the ending & would have liked that story.