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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
This book is one of my favorites, if not my favorite, YA contemporary. It’s surprisingly mature and deep and the characters were well developed. There were so many quotable lines and important things said. It didn’t feel cheesy; it was real. Really enjoyed it!
3.5 stars
Woof, that was heavy. It wasn't what I thought it was going to be at all.
Woof, that was heavy. It wasn't what I thought it was going to be at all.
The Female of the Species
by Mindy McGinnis
4.5 stars, actually.
Whoa. This book....it was not easy to read. As soon as you read the first page, you get that encroaching shivers and denial feeling one gets going to a horror movie. Only this isn't horror-- it's a raw look at the damage done to young girls (and boys to some extent) in our USA modern culture.
I guess i should have figured out that a book that starts out with one of the main characters' sister having been raped and murdered wouldn't be a walk in the rose garden.
And do not read this book if you are triggered by attempted rapes or slut shaming. (or if you're the parent of a high school kid with blinders on about sexual activity) We get alternating points of view here between Alex-- aforementioned girl whose sister was murdered, Jake--potential love interest, high school jock and man-slut, and Peekay-- preacher's kids who had just been dumped by her long time boyfriend.
Peekay and Jake are the first to really see Alex. Until now, she hasn't participated in the life of the high school very much, never had a boyfriend, and barely had friends. Despite all of them growing up together in a small town, Alex has always set herself apart. She's been hiding a secret anger, a temper that flares up and causes damage to those around her, and ever since her sister was brutally taken from her she's hiding an even bigger secret.
But its her very willingness to do violence that makes Jake and Peekay notice her. She saves Peekay from attempted rape one night and then she is ushered into a the incestuous relationship dance of this group of friends (many who are ex boyfriends, etc).
There is a casual attitude towards violence in Alex's POV, and a super casual attitude towards sex in Jake's POV and both are disturbing. Jake is more or less caught in a supremely unhealthy relationship with another girl and Alex is more or less broken.
The book makes you hope for Alex's redemption through her friends and by protecting her friends (and not falling into the slut shaming trap towards Jake's ex) but then, and I'm going to warn you here, the book does not end up HEA. This is not a romance, this is a slice of adolescent illness pie.
But moving and emotional, nonetheless. Like Jake, I found myself fascinated with Alex. Half a star fell to the book's seeming utter lack of adults in authority reacting to real physical harm and known underage drinking as slightly unrealistic, but really, who am I to say that it is unrealistic in small towns?
by Mindy McGinnis
4.5 stars, actually.
Whoa. This book....it was not easy to read. As soon as you read the first page, you get that encroaching shivers and denial feeling one gets going to a horror movie. Only this isn't horror-- it's a raw look at the damage done to young girls (and boys to some extent) in our USA modern culture.
I guess i should have figured out that a book that starts out with one of the main characters' sister having been raped and murdered wouldn't be a walk in the rose garden.
And do not read this book if you are triggered by attempted rapes or slut shaming. (or if you're the parent of a high school kid with blinders on about sexual activity) We get alternating points of view here between Alex-- aforementioned girl whose sister was murdered, Jake--potential love interest, high school jock and man-slut, and Peekay-- preacher's kids who had just been dumped by her long time boyfriend.
Peekay and Jake are the first to really see Alex. Until now, she hasn't participated in the life of the high school very much, never had a boyfriend, and barely had friends. Despite all of them growing up together in a small town, Alex has always set herself apart. She's been hiding a secret anger, a temper that flares up and causes damage to those around her, and ever since her sister was brutally taken from her she's hiding an even bigger secret.
But its her very willingness to do violence that makes Jake and Peekay notice her. She saves Peekay from attempted rape one night and then she is ushered into a the incestuous relationship dance of this group of friends (many who are ex boyfriends, etc).
There is a casual attitude towards violence in Alex's POV, and a super casual attitude towards sex in Jake's POV and both are disturbing. Jake is more or less caught in a supremely unhealthy relationship with another girl and Alex is more or less broken.
The book makes you hope for Alex's redemption through her friends and by protecting her friends (and not falling into the slut shaming trap towards Jake's ex) but then, and I'm going to warn you here, the book does not end up HEA. This is not a romance, this is a slice of adolescent illness pie.
But moving and emotional, nonetheless. Like Jake, I found myself fascinated with Alex. Half a star fell to the book's seeming utter lack of adults in authority reacting to real physical harm and known underage drinking as slightly unrealistic, but really, who am I to say that it is unrealistic in small towns?
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What did I think about this book? First, I thought that there aren't enough stars to show how incredible it is. Second, as I closed the book, I thought fuuuuuuuuuuuck...wiping annoying tears from my eyes.
This book is brutal. The writing is impeccable. The characterization is wonderful. The themes are...harsh, real, stinging.
If you're not comfortable with reality, with broken people, with endings that make you feel...but not feel good exactly - you probably won't like this.
Rape is a hard thing to read about and many authors, even women authors, approach the topic clumsily, irresponsibly. As someone who is familiar with that sick feeling in the pit of their stomach when the topic is approached, especially in that horribly obtuse way, this book was a respite. It was vindicating. It was transforming. And it was hopeful.
Goddamn it. This is a good book for anyone to read. It approaches the topics of rape culture, peer pressure, and other issues teens and others face without being condescending and heavy handed. No, this book won't be for everyone. But the writing is stunning and effective. And I don't even know what else to say. I'm shit at reviews, really. But it's good. You should read it. Really.
This book is brutal. The writing is impeccable. The characterization is wonderful. The themes are...harsh, real, stinging.
If you're not comfortable with reality, with broken people, with endings that make you feel...but not feel good exactly - you probably won't like this.
Rape is a hard thing to read about and many authors, even women authors, approach the topic clumsily, irresponsibly. As someone who is familiar with that sick feeling in the pit of their stomach when the topic is approached, especially in that horribly obtuse way, this book was a respite. It was vindicating. It was transforming. And it was hopeful.
Goddamn it. This is a good book for anyone to read. It approaches the topics of rape culture, peer pressure, and other issues teens and others face without being condescending and heavy handed. No, this book won't be for everyone. But the writing is stunning and effective. And I don't even know what else to say. I'm shit at reviews, really. But it's good. You should read it. Really.
I picked this book up on a whim this morning, and now I'm sitting here, breathless.
“You see it in all animals - the female of the species is more deadly than the male.'
'Except humans.”
This book is rage,fury and wrath. Every sentence in this book is sharp as knife that will cut through the readers heart. The cover does no justice to this book. Under the cutesy yellow cover, there is a merciless uncovering of the rape culture that swirls around us. The author makes sure with every line of the book that the message she's trying to deliver is heard loud and clear. There are many lame ass contemporaries out there claiming to be about feminism and strong women, but none of them dares to portray the helplessness this vividly. This book is violent and dark...but so is our world. Sometimes you just have to let your inner wolves come out so that you can chase the other wolves away.
“You see it in all animals - the female of the species is more deadly than the male.'
'Except humans.”
This book is rage,fury and wrath. Every sentence in this book is sharp as knife that will cut through the readers heart. The cover does no justice to this book. Under the cutesy yellow cover, there is a merciless uncovering of the rape culture that swirls around us. The author makes sure with every line of the book that the message she's trying to deliver is heard loud and clear. There are many lame ass contemporaries out there claiming to be about feminism and strong women, but none of them dares to portray the helplessness this vividly. This book is violent and dark...but so is our world. Sometimes you just have to let your inner wolves come out so that you can chase the other wolves away.
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book is powerful, and important and should be required reading by all high schoolers. But it won't be-- American society just isn't that progressive. This is an excellent take down of rape culture, and slut shaming. And a great refresher on what it means to be a teenager. I will be recommending this book to everyone I know.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes