Older

July 1, 2020
In the sequel to Younger (2005), now a popular TV series, former publishing professional Liza Miller finds herself grappling with what it really means to be older. Liza is about to turn 50, but she's still dealing with the effects of the years she spent pretending to be younger. Readers meet Liza two years after the events of the first book, now sequestered at a cabin in Maine. Thanks to her daughter Caitlin's pregnancy, Liza is preparing to return to New York City, but this time with no home, no job, and no romantic prospects. That is, until Liza's friend and former co-worker Kelsey--now working in Hollywood--decides she wants to turn Liza's thinly veiled novel, Younger, into a TV series. This is when things start to get meta--real-life Younger stars Sutton Foster and Debi Mazar are mentioned as prospective cast members, blurring the lines between reality and fiction in a way fans will find amusing. Of course, the book goes a different route, picking flighty fictional actress Stella Power to play Liza and international superstar Hugo Fielding to play her male boss, allowing these two new characters to become the catalysts for much of the book's personal and professional drama. But as Liza attempts to balance shooting the series with caring for Caitlin, figuring out her growing feelings for Hugo, and examining her continuing attraction to ex-boyfriend Josh, it can feel like the book is simultaneously doing too much and not enough. The plot wades into issues of motherhood, career, and aging but never dives in fully, and attempts at lighthearted moments like Liza's ill-advised use of hallucinogenic mushrooms feel out of place. Fans of Younger are better off waiting for the show to return to the small screen.

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July 20, 2020
Redmond’s lackluster sequel to Younger picks up with writer Liza Miller at 49 after she’s scored a hit with a novel, also titled Younger, about a 40-something posing as a 20-something thanks to some hair dye and tight jeans. The book is now being adapted for TV (just as Redmond’s Younger was), and Liza butts heads with Stella Power, the difficult young star slated to play the lead, after Stella proposes ridiculous rewrites in order to get her ex-boyfriend Hugo Fielding cast in the show. Hugo is cast, and he and Liza hit it off, though Liza’s wary that Hugo might be a player. Josh, Liza’s younger ex-boyfriend, pops up now and again, his presence reminding her of her intense attraction to him, though Liza is convinced their relationship can’t be rekindled because he’s interested in having children and she isn’t. Redmond touches on a couple of unique problems, such as how to deal with one’s life being cannibalized for television, but she doesn’t explore them in a meaningful way and instead focuses on manufactured drama many people would wish they could have, such as the attention of two highly attractive men. Fans of Younger—the book or the show—may like seeing familiar characters again, but others can take a pass