Review: The Twitter Diaries by Georgie Thompson and Imogen Lloyd Webber

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

"This book is outrageously defamatory, scandalously exaggerated, disturbingly sensationalised, yet also hideously, addictively entertaining. I don't know whether to consult my lawyer, or my shrink."—Piers Morgan
The Twitter Diaries tells the story of pen pals for the 21st century. Two parallel lives separated by an ocean but united over a social network.
Tuesday (@Tuesday Fields), a sports reporter and Stella (@StellaCavill), a men's shoe designer, are Brit 30-somethings who are introduced in NYC on NYE by a mutual friend, a notorious transatlantic TV presenter. They strike up an instant bond.
Over the next 365 days,  and  put the world to rights, one tweet at a time. From Melbourne to Monaco to Magaluf, the girls flirt and fall out with sportsmen, movie stars... and TV presenters. And then there's their mothers...
December 31st of the same year and  and  meet again, for the first time since the last time. A lot can happen in a year. It turns out just 140 characters can change everything.
The Twitter Diaries is an instantly recognisable yet fictitious tale all generations can relate to, whether they are one of the world's 140 million and counting transfixed Twitter users or not. Accessible, funny and heart-warming, it's this summer's must read.
Georgie Thompson lives in London where she is one of the female faces and voices of Sky Sports on British television. She is currently travelling the globe presenting Sky Sports F1 coverage. Previously she hosted Sky Sports News, anchoring the flagship programmes Afternoon Report and Evening Update from 3-7pm Tuesday to Friday. She is also a regular panellist alongside Freddie Flintoff, Jamie Redknapp and John Bishop on Sky 1's A League Of Their Own, presented by James Corden. A mixture of sports and comedy the show is in its fifth series. Her other roles with Sky Sports have seen her host the A1 Grand Prix motor racing series, US Open tennis, Speedway World Cup and other live outside broadcasts including The Goodwood Festival of Speed, Superset Tennis, Race of Champions at Wembley and The Ryder Cup. Georgie has written for a range of publications including The Times and a column for The Sunday Mirror. Having succumbed to the lure of Twitter last year she currently has a follower count of 500,000.
Imogen Lloyd Webber lives in NYC where she is an on air political contributor for MSNBC, featuring on The Dylan Ratigan Show and across the network. Prior to this she was a "liberal" pundit for the Fox News and Fox Business Networks, appearing on programmes including The O'Reilly Factor, Hannity, and Imus. Educated at Cambridge University, where she majored in history and was labeled a "petite polymath" by the New York Post, Imogen has also been a special correspondent for EXTRA and a recurrent contributor on HLN's Showbiz Tonight. Other US radio and TV appearances include Access Hollywood, Good Morning America, The Morning Show (Fox), and assorted shows across the Sirius radio network. Imogen is the author of the non-fiction The Single Girl's Guide, which has been published worldwide including the UK, US, China, Italy, Germany, Australia, and Russia. The Guide has recently been optioned by the producer Lloyd Levin (United 93, The Watchmen, Boogie Nights) and Imogen is currently adapting it for him into a screenplay. Imogen's freelance writing has been for publications as diverse as The Financial Times, The Sunday Times, The Daily Mail, The Huffington Post, Jane, and Scarlet magazine. She also produced the play Touched... For The Very First Time, starring Sadie Frost, which had an acclaimed run in London's West End in 2009. She doesn't have as many Twitter followers as Georgie but she can dream.

MY TAKE:


I don't really tweet much but I do like reading other people's Twitter conversations.

The Twitter Diaries is a collection of DMs between @StellaCavill and @TuesdayFields. Their friendship began on New Year's Eve and continues over the course of the book.

It's a genius format, although there are some limitations. For example, when they mention someone new, I can't exactly click on the name and find out more about the character and what they looked like. On the bright side, it's pure conversation so we get to the action right away.

As for the characters, I liked both Stella and Tuesday although I would occasionally get confused as to who was whom. The supporting characters are funny, though. It feels like they are real people.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Reader for the e-ARC.

THE GOOD:

1. It's a quick read.
2. Tuesday and Stella are interesting and funny.
3. It's something relatively new.

THE BAD:

1. It's hard to keep track of some of the supporting characters since you can't click on their names.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

Course. Prawn cocktail to start then dish of the day followed by creme brulee.

READ IT IF:

1. You're a Twitter addict.
2. You like books in non-traditional formats.
3. You like funny books.

RATING:




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