Goodnight Nobody
Author: Jennifer Weiner
ISBN: 9780743470124

Since I adore Jennifer Weiner’s writing, I was very excited to read Goodnight Nobody. Unfortunately, now I have read all of Weiner’s novels, so now I’m just waiting for her to write another!
Goodnight Nobody tells the story of Kate Klein, an unsatisfied suburban mom with three kids who misses life as a working woman in New York City. Trying to fit in with the other mom’s in the Connecticut town of Upchurch proves difficult for Kate, but just as she feels like she could make a connection with one of the mom’s, Kate finds Kitty Cavanaugh dead.

Once a journalist, Kate is curious to find out as much as possible about Kitty’s life. She investigates into her past with the help of a past love, Evan McKenna and her best friend Janie Segal.

The story takes many twists and turns and I found myself really getting into the mystery of who killed Kitty Cavanaugh. After reading Weiner’s other books, it was great to see a different side of her writing…a mystery. Initially, I was skeptical about how well the whole mystery thing would go, but I ended up thinking it was awesome and I hope Weiner is considering another mystery.

I really love that the story is told in two different time periods; the first being the present in which the crime and investigation occur and the second being the story of Kate’s life in New York City ten years back with Janie and Evan.

Honestly, the only thing that REALLY bugged me about this story was Weiner’s choice to use the name Kitty as a main character. For some reason, every time I read the name, I was really thrown off.

Weiner really creates characters you can relate to and love. I found myself adoring Kate Klein and her curiosity and eagerness to solve this mystery. Kate’s best friend Janie plays a wonderful supporting role, being both hilarious and a great friend. Even Kate’s young daughter Sophie provides her own unique flair to the story.

One thing I loved about this book was that the action took place in the first chapter. I love books where I’m thrown right into the drama and just want to keep turning the pages. After reading a few slow starting books lately, I was happy to read a book that really kept me interested.

Once the mystery was neatly solved at the end of the book, I was definitely satisfied, but I would have liked the romantic aspect of the book to be tied up a bit more as well.

3.5/5