ahhhh. just finished it. there was less drama going on in this one, or maybe i’d just become desensitized to it from the previous 3 books. as a freshman in college, i could totally relate to a lot of situations in this one, and i’m not one to say that i relate to a fictional character often or at all. i wish it hadn’t ended but i suppose it’s better this way. :\ sheesh. i wish i had a sisterhood of traveling pants.

I liked this book somewhat less than the previous ones, but still more than your average book. What I like about these young women is that they have real-ish lives and INNERLIVES even, not the stereotypical “Shoes! Boys! School is hard!” mentality of so much fiction aimed at young women. They deal with the kinds of problems that real people deal with. They have boy problems, yes, but also intellectual and creative aspirations, troubled families, and recurring personality flaws or weaknesses. They travel and learn things and get depressed. Also, in the most recent one, they have sex, and sometimes it is a good thing, and sometimes not; also they sometimes don’t have sex, and that is sometimes a good thing too.

The books don’t talk down to their characters, or to their readers. For writing relatively non-patronizing and sophisticated young adult fiction, Ann Brashares, I salute you.

This book is amazing! I bought it, started it, and finished it yesterday. It only took about 4 hours. It is amazing! You will not want to stop reading it