The Wrong Girl?

Ellies Oneill’s The Right Girl reads like a fairly standard chick-lit novel, its frivilous, whimsical and a little fluffy. BUT, it has the most fascinating under current – it raises interesting questions about our digital identities and our relationship with privacy.

Two years prior Freya, our protagonaist, was a waitress with little or no direction in life, no hope of a partner and no money in the bank. Freya then signed up for the lifestyle app BBest – designed to streamline her life. She surrendered her digital footprint and BBest took her past search history, likes and dislikes and then gave her the best option, the first option – it knows her better than she knows herself. Our heroine no longer has to make those decisions for herself and thanks to Bbest she no longer makes mistakes. Freya becomes a first option chooser, she prefers to let BBest control her life and relishes in the success it brings. BBest chose her fiance, her career and her business model. Bbest told her what to wear, what to eat, what to watch on TV. . . . BBEst gave Freya her best life.

But what happens when Freya dosen’t choose the BBest first option? What happens when she actually makes a decision for herself? When she’s actually got everything she ever wanted what would make her risk it all?

An entertaining holiday read that gives you just that little bit more, perfect fodder for a dinner table discussion. Ellie O’Neills writing is not taxing, her narrative races along and her structure is well crafted. I was a little dissapointed with how fast the story came to its conclusion and I wonder of more could have been made of the reveal. But, having said all that, I thoroughly enjoyed The Right Girl – it reminded me of Dave Eggers’ the Circle but it is much lighter in tone, perhaps remnicient of Lauren Weisberger or Sophie Kinsella.