The Last Little Blue Envelope

The Last Little Blue Envelope had the potential to be an odd an unnecessary extra bit tacked on to a story ended nicely, but it so wasn't. I absolutely loved it. The adventure wasn't quite as grand as 13 Little Blue Envelopes, but was an enjoyably wacky journey all the same.

I loved all the little one-liners and understated jokes. It wasn't shoving hilarity in my face, but it also wasn't too serious. It's not often I find a book with such fantastic understated humor. The littlest things had me cracking up and I found myself bothering the Fiance more and more because I simply had to share the laughs with someone. It would have been rude to keep them to myself. (Instead of bothering people with snippets from the book you should just tell everyone you know to read it, though.)

I really enjoyed reading about Ginny. She was so easy to relate to and I found myself wishing I could just be in her shoes for a bit. Why can't I have such fantastic adventures? At times, I wanted to grab by the shoulders and talk some sense into her, but I'm pretty sure I would have acted the same were I in her shoes. Though Ellis and Oliver were both pretty integral parts to the story, I didn't really feel much for them. It just didn't feel like their personalities were quite finished making them easily blend into the background. I did feel something for Kieth, but let's just say they weren't really warm and fuzzy feelings.

My main complaint would be that it was a bit predictable. I'd figured out a major plot point within the first fifteen pages. The whole conflict was a little odd as well. It just kept getting shoved under the rug confusing me each time.

Final thoughts: This is a great book if you want to "see" the world. There's sexy British accents, beautiful green outdoors, and rain-soaked London streets. This is definitely one of the best follow-ups I've ever read.

When I saw that Maureen Johnson had written a sequel to the heartwarming 13 Little Blue Envelopes, I was excited but also surprised. The first book was so good in every way, and even after Ginny lost the last little blue envelope, I didn't feel that we needed to know what it said. In the Q&A with Johnson that is at the end of the paperback of the first book, she says that Ginny already knows what is in the last envelope, and I felt that the readers did as well. I didn't, and still don't, think the sequel was necessary.
That aside, the sequel itself was pretty good. It kept me reading constantly and honestly wanting to hear what happened to the characters. There were parts, mostly encounters with Ginny and people in the previous books, such as Richard and Mari Adams, when I got very emotional and felt close to the characters. In some ways I was glad to see Keith's bad attitude and indecision between Ellis and Ginny because I believe it is very true to who he is. However, I was also a little disappointed that Ginny lusted for him for such a long time. I also thought Oliver's character and his relationship with Ginny went very unexplained, even in the end.
The story is still pretty good, and Aunt Peg and Ginny's character stay strong as they do in the first book. If you've read 13 Little Blue Envelopes, I would definitely say this book is worth reading as well, although it does not provide much closure in the end, which insinuates that another book may be coming to the series.

Ginny finds the last little blue envelope and is sent on a trip around Europe with some old friends.