Scan barcode
ravensandlace's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Title: The Princesses of Iowa
Author: M. Molly Backes
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Format: hardback book from the library
Series: NA
Star Rating: 4 stars
tw: drunk driving, use of the word faggot, infidelity, eating disorder, underage drinking, homophobia, use of word retard, attempted rape
If you want to know what it is like living in small-town Iowa, then you need to check this book out. I have no idea if the author grew up in Iowa but she got it down perfectly it honestly felt like I was relieving high school. The only thing missing was the lake lap that teenagers in my town used to do. Basically, the lake lap is when you drive around a lake that is located in the town over. You just drive in a circle around the lake, sometimes stopping at a random road to hang out. It’s essentially a right of passage once you get a car and get a license.
Paige was a great character. It’s pretty ironic that her name is Paige and one of her best friends is named Lacey. My best friend is named Paige and my name is Lacy spelled without the E. I just thought it was a funny little coincidence. Anyway, Paige was a spoiled high school girl. I couldn’t stand her or her friends at first. They all just really sucked. I can’t blame them though. They were the product of their environment. You see this a lot in small-town Iowa. You have to have the right last name or the right amount of money. It’s upsetting but true.
However, Paige really grew up during the year. She realized how damaging her former viewpoints were to others. I loved how she decided to branch out and make new friends, which helped her to essentially grow up. They called her out on the things she said or the things she did. She wasn’t perfect and still messed up a lot but she learned from her mistakes.
You truly can't find a better book that explains small Iowa living than this book. Paige’s mom wanted her to get married at 18. Anybody who isn’t a straight, white male/female is shunned. Forget being interested in anything weird like writing. If you are even remotely different, you will never be accepted. It’s a sad but true part of small-town Iowa life. I was lucky enough to be surrounded by friends just as weird as me but it was still a hard thing to deal with it at times.
Overall, I recommend this book very much. It gives a true and accurate how small town Iowa is. You’ll also get a lovely story of a teenager who had amazing growth, which you guys all know I am a sucker for character growth in books. But truly, this is one of the best books I’ve read in quite a while.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Blood, Car accident, Bullying, Eating disorder, Cursing, Homophobia, Addiction, Alcohol, Grief, Medical content, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
onceuponasarah's review
3.0
So conflicted about this book. I mean, I don't know what it was but it was kind of just an off book for me. Perhaps the fact that it was written over such a long period of time contributes to that. I don't know. Try it and see if you like it. If you can't take it for more than a chapter or two, stop reading. It just goes downhill - doesn't get any better.
plaidpladd's review
2.0
There are some good parts to this book, but mainly it was frustrating. I kept thinking "Ah, here is rock bottom. Here she will change her ways." But no, the main character just kept on being terrible. Also
Spoiler
her boyfriend attempts to rape her and it is completely unaddressed?!pikasqueaks's review
2.0
Usually, when a book has unlikeable characters, I don't think it takes away from the story, or the experience of reading. But every now and then, a book comes along in which the characters are so annoying, and learn absolutely nothing in the end. Nothing changes about how awful they are, no one sees 'the light' and tries to change. Nothing truly life-changing happens to them, either.
Paige Sheridan lives in the kind of world that only feels like it exists in books. People are obsessed with being prom queen, or homecoming queen, or whatever queen. She wants to become a "Princess," and in fact, she and her mother have worked so hard to achieve that. Because, of after all, when you're a girl in Iowa, apparently that's all there is to look forward to. And it doesn't matter if you've abandoned friends, turned your back on kids you used to hang out with, because becoming a Princess means everything, it's really the only thing, ever. Now, Paige grows disinterested in this half-way through, but not for reasons that signify great personal growth. It's mostly because her friends have shut her out, and now she has to slum it with the not-white girl and the boy who, for whatever reason, it interested in her.
Of course, the only way for us to know that we're supposed to root for Paige is because she totally leaves the room when her friends start trashing the new teacher in school. There's rumor that he's gay, and it doesn't sit well with Paige -- but she sits back and watches people say things, doesn't really try to stop them. The most she can do is leave the room and stew about how awful it is, what they're saying. By the time she actually tries to do something good, it's too late.
But that's not all! This book actually involves one of the things that I hate the most about reading YA sometimes. The characters take a writing class (taught by that maybe-gay teacher), and that's how we're supposed to know they're really okay, deep down. Except Paige isn't. She's bratty and upset because her friends aren't paying attention to her, and her best friend and boyfriend are spending like, way too much time together. So she writes about it, and aforementioned not-white girl is there to be accepting of Paige, even though she doesn't deserve it. Which, unfortunately, brings me to something I really wish YA would stop doing.
Can we stop having non-white characters being the sidekicks for privilege white girls? We saw this in Hannah Harrington's SPEECHLESS, too, and I'd really like for it to stop. They're always there to be the wise sidekick, the forgiving one whose heart is just too big, but they're never more than that role. There's always attention being brought to how the main character is accepting of this person, even though they're, whisperwhispernotwhite. Which is exactly what Paige does.
For all the frustration this book caused, there were some things that worked. The writing style is blunt and honest, almost unforgiving. Here's the truth: absolutely no one in this novel comes out looking like a great person. Paige and Lacey are irresponsible, selfish brats who endangered their lives and the lives of others by driving drunk -- and the prologue actually tries to make excuses for why they did it. That's just like, what you do when _____ happens, right? And that bugged the hell out of me, but deep down, I understood that's exactly what these idiots do when they choose to drive intoxicated. They make excuses for why they don't care if they die, or if they kill someone else. It's the kind of unfortunate truth that teenagers will nod along with, which leaves me incredibly unsettled.
Because there is no real consequence for Paige. She gets what she wants, the new boy she's interested in. She has friends, she makes it through. Everything's roses for Paige Sheridan. And she doesn't deserve it.
While it might seem like I really hated this book, I don't think that this is the last time I'll pick up a book by the author. Her writing stile lends itself really well to contemporary dramas, and I do appreciate the honesty she uses in exploring the homophobia, classism, sexism, and racism in this weird little town. These places still exist, unfortunately, and it's nice to see them called out, so to speak. With less of a reliance on gimmicks like writing to explore a character, and the lesson-driven homophobia plot, I feel her writing could really shine.
Paige Sheridan lives in the kind of world that only feels like it exists in books. People are obsessed with being prom queen, or homecoming queen, or whatever queen. She wants to become a "Princess," and in fact, she and her mother have worked so hard to achieve that. Because, of after all, when you're a girl in Iowa, apparently that's all there is to look forward to. And it doesn't matter if you've abandoned friends, turned your back on kids you used to hang out with, because becoming a Princess means everything, it's really the only thing, ever. Now, Paige grows disinterested in this half-way through, but not for reasons that signify great personal growth. It's mostly because her friends have shut her out, and now she has to slum it with the not-white girl and the boy who, for whatever reason, it interested in her.
Of course, the only way for us to know that we're supposed to root for Paige is because she totally leaves the room when her friends start trashing the new teacher in school. There's rumor that he's gay, and it doesn't sit well with Paige -- but she sits back and watches people say things, doesn't really try to stop them. The most she can do is leave the room and stew about how awful it is, what they're saying. By the time she actually tries to do something good, it's too late.
But that's not all! This book actually involves one of the things that I hate the most about reading YA sometimes. The characters take a writing class (taught by that maybe-gay teacher), and that's how we're supposed to know they're really okay, deep down. Except Paige isn't. She's bratty and upset because her friends aren't paying attention to her, and her best friend and boyfriend are spending like, way too much time together. So she writes about it, and aforementioned not-white girl is there to be accepting of Paige, even though she doesn't deserve it. Which, unfortunately, brings me to something I really wish YA would stop doing.
Can we stop having non-white characters being the sidekicks for privilege white girls? We saw this in Hannah Harrington's SPEECHLESS, too, and I'd really like for it to stop. They're always there to be the wise sidekick, the forgiving one whose heart is just too big, but they're never more than that role. There's always attention being brought to how the main character is accepting of this person, even though they're, whisperwhispernotwhite. Which is exactly what Paige does.
For all the frustration this book caused, there were some things that worked. The writing style is blunt and honest, almost unforgiving. Here's the truth: absolutely no one in this novel comes out looking like a great person. Paige and Lacey are irresponsible, selfish brats who endangered their lives and the lives of others by driving drunk -- and the prologue actually tries to make excuses for why they did it. That's just like, what you do when _____ happens, right? And that bugged the hell out of me, but deep down, I understood that's exactly what these idiots do when they choose to drive intoxicated. They make excuses for why they don't care if they die, or if they kill someone else. It's the kind of unfortunate truth that teenagers will nod along with, which leaves me incredibly unsettled.
Because there is no real consequence for Paige. She gets what she wants, the new boy she's interested in. She has friends, she makes it through. Everything's roses for Paige Sheridan. And she doesn't deserve it.
While it might seem like I really hated this book, I don't think that this is the last time I'll pick up a book by the author. Her writing stile lends itself really well to contemporary dramas, and I do appreciate the honesty she uses in exploring the homophobia, classism, sexism, and racism in this weird little town. These places still exist, unfortunately, and it's nice to see them called out, so to speak. With less of a reliance on gimmicks like writing to explore a character, and the lesson-driven homophobia plot, I feel her writing could really shine.
dir001's review
2.0
I really wanted to like this book. Being born in the Midwest and currently living in Iowa - I really, really wanted to like this book.
But in the end, I can't give it more than two stars. I couldn't handle the main character - let's be honest - I couldn't stand any of the characters. They were completely unlikable. I didn't understand or sympathize with any of them.
The only reason I'm giving it two stars is because I did enjoy the authors writing.
But in the end, I can't give it more than two stars. I couldn't handle the main character - let's be honest - I couldn't stand any of the characters. They were completely unlikable. I didn't understand or sympathize with any of them.
The only reason I'm giving it two stars is because I did enjoy the authors writing.
letsreadwithcats's review
1.0
I liked the premise of this book much more than the execution. The idea intrigued me: What if you did something horrible and there was no consequence? Could you still change and become a better person? and what would that look like?
The first hundred pages or so were very interesting, however, I think that the novel really got derailed by unneeded side plots. The premise was interesting enough on its own, there was no need to add in endless drama with Paige's "friends" and boyfriend, and the creative writing class that went nowhere, and the ill-advised tacked-on homosexual/social awareness side plot. While some drama with her friends would have been fine, the stream of consciousness writing style really started to annoy me. Paige thought about the same thing over and over and over. Is that realistic? Yes. Is it fun or entertaining to read? No. It seemed like Paige was just spinning in place for most of the novel.
The creative writing plot was okay on it's own. Mr. Tremont was fine as a character, I guess, but personally I dislike when authors so clearly want to you love a character. That character is just written in a particular way-- it jusy seems like every word is saying "Love me! Love me! Love me!". My personal reaction to this tends to be to roll my eyes at the author. Nobody is that adored by absolutely everybody. The homosexual plotline that was added on I disliked for two reasons. One: It was very rushed at the end of a novel that already had too much going on, it just felt out-of-place. Two: It felt like a cheap way to show Paige's "change". It was a situation that was just so blatantly black and white. Why didn't the author pick a situation that was a little more realistic and a little more gray?
Honestly, I couldn't connect with any of the characters. Even Paige didn't feel real to me most of the time. Overall, I didn't see that much change in Paige. By the end of the novel she sort of took responsibility for her actions. Sort of. And she's sort of moving in the right direction in her life. Sort of. But for a book that is almost 450 pages long, I expected a lot more than a "sort of change." For such a long book, there were a lot of loose ends.
Finally, and I've seen more than one reviewer mention this
It's not a bad book. It just wasn't the book for me.
If you are looking of a tale of a mean girl's redemption, read Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall-- It is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. Princesses of Iowa just can't compare.
The first hundred pages or so were very interesting, however, I think that the novel really got derailed by unneeded side plots. The premise was interesting enough on its own, there was no need to add in endless drama with Paige's "friends" and boyfriend, and the creative writing class that went nowhere, and the ill-advised tacked-on homosexual/social awareness side plot. While some drama with her friends would have been fine, the stream of consciousness writing style really started to annoy me. Paige thought about the same thing over and over and over. Is that realistic? Yes. Is it fun or entertaining to read? No. It seemed like Paige was just spinning in place for most of the novel.
The creative writing plot was okay on it's own. Mr. Tremont was fine as a character, I guess, but personally I dislike when authors so clearly want to you love a character. That character is just written in a particular way-- it jusy seems like every word is saying "Love me! Love me! Love me!". My personal reaction to this tends to be to roll my eyes at the author. Nobody is that adored by absolutely everybody. The homosexual plotline that was added on I disliked for two reasons. One: It was very rushed at the end of a novel that already had too much going on, it just felt out-of-place. Two: It felt like a cheap way to show Paige's "change". It was a situation that was just so blatantly black and white. Why didn't the author pick a situation that was a little more realistic and a little more gray?
Honestly, I couldn't connect with any of the characters. Even Paige didn't feel real to me most of the time. Overall, I didn't see that much change in Paige. By the end of the novel she sort of took responsibility for her actions. Sort of. And she's sort of moving in the right direction in her life. Sort of. But for a book that is almost 450 pages long, I expected a lot more than a "sort of change." For such a long book, there were a lot of loose ends.
Finally, and I've seen more than one reviewer mention this
Spoiler
drunk Paige is almost raped by her also drunk, aweful boyfriend near the end of the book. Mr. Tremont pulls him off of Paige at the last second. Then it is basically never mentioned again. In Paige's last scene with her boyfriend she tells him he is "a good guy" before breaking up with him. A week or two before he had been seconds away from raping her, and all she says is he is a good guy? She must have a much different definition of what a good guy is than I do. Also, the scene itself was really weird to me. Mr. Tremont rescues Paige, but then he disappears and Paige in running through the rain at night by herself. Where did Mr. Tremont go? It seemed like an excuse for Paige's other love interest, Ethan, to come driving out of the night to her rescue. The horrible logic of the scene just left me scratching my head.It's not a bad book. It just wasn't the book for me.
If you are looking of a tale of a mean girl's redemption, read Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall-- It is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. Princesses of Iowa just can't compare.
danicapage's review
Not sure how to write this review. There were aspects I loved and aspects I hated. I enjoyed the writing, didn’t love the characters or plot. I’d give this author another go, particularly as this was the debut.
I don’t have to like the characters to like a book, but for those who do, this one isn’t for you.
Tw: some instances of language, homophobia, heavy drinking
I don’t have to like the characters to like a book, but for those who do, this one isn’t for you.
Tw: some instances of language, homophobia, heavy drinking
madtownreader's review
Well-written YA novel given to me by a friend who knows the author's father. Love the references to my home state.