13 Little Blue Envelopes (Little Blue Envelope #1)

Overall, the book was decent. It was a little hard to follow at times and the writing style wasn't what I'd expected but it was a good book all things considered.

Reader reviewed by Caroline

This book was pretty much a dissappointment to me. At the times where I got excited, I ended up getting let down. And the ending wasnt all that great either. It sortof felt like a cliff hanger to me /:
The whole plot is basically based on the title itself, as she tries to fufill the tasks in each envelop her deseased aunt left behind for her. She encounters a few characters here and there, gets confuse... and then it gets even more confusing from that point on. I wouldnt really reccomend it, but if you have nothing better to read, why not give it a shot?

Reader reviewed by HoopsGirl27

Reader reviewed by Beth

I read this book awhile ago and i thought it was okay. It was not the best book I ever read but it was still enjoyable. I also like this author. I read alot of other books by this same author. I liked some of her other books better but this book was good to. I finshed that book in a day. I enjoyed the plot. It was a very good idea for a story. I didn't really like the ending that good. I was very dissapointed about the last envelope. But i would still recommend it to someone who loves books.

Reader reviewed by Pally

For those of you that dont know, in the novel, Ginnys aunt sends her
13 envelopes that she has to open one by one, following the directions
in each before she can move on to the next one. The first one tells her
to fly to London.

I thought the author, Maureen Johnson,
captured the rather arbitrary nature of travel well how mood,
weather, and people you encounter end up shaping your itinerary and
experiences. At first I was kind of frustrated with Ginny, how she
followed her aunts instructions to a T, even if it meant leaving a
place before she even saw much of anything. But then I just kind of
went with the flow. Ginnys aunt wouldnt let her bring guidebooks with
her so I guess she didnt know what tourist haunts she was missing out
on anyway (other than the obvious ones, of course, like the Eiffel
Tower). She also wasnt allowed to have a camera an instruction that
helped Ginny really live in the moment instead of worrying about
capturing every little thing for posterity. Ultimately, Ginnys journey
felt quite authentic, despite a few things that seemed a bit
implausible. Overall, it was a catchy concept, but the lack of character failed to see it through.

Reader reviewed by Vanessa

Summary: Shy, average Ginny has been sent 13 little blue envelopes by her deceased aunt, Peg, to go on an adventure/game through Aunt Peg's carefree life. Aunt Peg has given instructions for Ginny to follow: don't bring guidebooks, you can't call home, you can't bring maps, etc. Ginny has to retrace the steps of her artist aunt's life, one city at a time, traveling all over Europe. Along the way Ginny meets some interesting characters: Aunt Peg's idol Mari, Richard (who Aunt Peg was roommates with), she finds herself living with the robotic family of the Knapps and Australians going as they pleased around Europe as well. She meets a boy, Keith, as well, who is a Londoner whom she falls for. Throughout the trip Ginny has to comply with specific tasks described in the envelopes her aunt wrote. At the end, Ginny has grown as a person and will see herself in a whole different way.
My Thoughts (may contain spoilers): 13 Little Blue Envelopes is a charming book. Some parts are less great than others and some parts are very predictable and used a lot in books (Ginny being pushed to sing on karaoke even though she's shy, etc). We didn't see much of Keith, which I wanted more of. The Knapps were kinda weird and the Australians were whatever. The Richard part was baffling, kinda. I liked the 13th envelope, although the happy ending was kind of random. I wonder what happens to Ginny in the end (with Keith and all).

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Reader reviewed by Ruth

Who doesn't like the idea of a dead relative leaving a will that includes money and a little bit of adventure? It was interesting in the beginning but the plot was lost in all the chaos, and misfortunes that the main character faces. Cool book for those of you that like traveling, makes you want to visit all those places but really has no point.

Reader reviewed by Lauren

THIS BOOK WAS REALLY GOOD. A GIRL RECEIVED ALL THESE LETTER FROM HER DEAD AUNT. HER AUNT WAS SPONTANEOUS AND LIVED IN THE MOMENT. THIS STORY TOOK PLACE ONE SUMMER. THIS GIRL GOT TO TRAVEL ALL AROUND THE WORLD, MEETING NEW PEOPLE AND MAKING FRIENDS. SHE MET HER AUNTS HUSBAND, SOME ONE THAT NO ONE KNEW ABOUT AND MET A BOY AS WELL. IN THE END, HER AUNT WHO WAS AN ARTISIT, FOUND HER AUNTS WORK HIDDEN IN A LOCKER AT A DEPARTMENT STORE IN WHICH HER HUSBAND WORKED, KNOWINGTHAT HER ART WORK WOULD BECOME MORE VALUABLE AFTER SHE HAD DIED, SHE LEFT HER ART WORK TO HER NEICE SO SHE CAN HAVE THE MONEY AND BECOME A SUCCESSFUL PERSON.