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sharpreads's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
4.0
moogreads's review against another edition
Got this as an ARC and couldn't get into it after reading around half of the book.
jared_reads's review
5.0
On the surface it looks like a generic YA bubblegum novel but there’s a lot to love here. I really liked the exploration of false feminism vs legitimate efforts towards social change - very nuanced! This gave me Saving Francesca vibes but with social media users.
norassick's review
3.0
I feel like a couple trigger warnings were needed throughout this, but overall this was such a good read, interesting writing style. New perspectives! Overall a good time.
frostlywild17's review
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
becsbookshelf's review
4.0
“Sadie what star sign are you?”
“Gemini”
“Oh I knew it. Intelligent and inquisitive.”
Sadie’s got an obsession with starting over, whether it be a social media wipeout, a new year or a new diet she’d give anything for a chance to be a better version of herself.
So when her dads job has them relocating to Melbourne, Sadie is excited for a fresh start. Leaving behind a messy bestfriendship, aka Daniel who she’s secretly in love with but is too scared to tell him how she really feels, sets off for a new chapter.
With a new school comes new friends, Alexa the popular girl takes a liking to Sadie. She’s all for supporting woman and ensuing Sadie doesn’t become friends with the ne our hood stalker Jack. Pretty quickly Sadie learns there’s always two sides to every story.
Sadie reaches a crossroad and had to decide if she wants to be popular and keep Loz’s secret or right the wrong that will see her perfect life catapulted into utter chaos.
What a fabulous debut novel Miranda Luby I loved this coming of age story and Sadie’s realisation that being imperfect is your own kind of perfect. It’s in stores now, for all my YA lovers!
“Gemini”
“Oh I knew it. Intelligent and inquisitive.”
Sadie’s got an obsession with starting over, whether it be a social media wipeout, a new year or a new diet she’d give anything for a chance to be a better version of herself.
So when her dads job has them relocating to Melbourne, Sadie is excited for a fresh start. Leaving behind a messy bestfriendship, aka Daniel who she’s secretly in love with but is too scared to tell him how she really feels, sets off for a new chapter.
With a new school comes new friends, Alexa the popular girl takes a liking to Sadie. She’s all for supporting woman and ensuing Sadie doesn’t become friends with the ne our hood stalker Jack. Pretty quickly Sadie learns there’s always two sides to every story.
Sadie reaches a crossroad and had to decide if she wants to be popular and keep Loz’s secret or right the wrong that will see her perfect life catapulted into utter chaos.
What a fabulous debut novel Miranda Luby I loved this coming of age story and Sadie’s realisation that being imperfect is your own kind of perfect. It’s in stores now, for all my YA lovers!
hycinthos's review
3.0
thank you to text publishing for this arc.
i found the story telling to be weak. the events happened in quick succession with little to no time spent delving deeper into their impact on Sadie. i would’ve preferred a slower pace but, as a positive, this made for an easy, quick read.
the characters are ok, neither good nor bad. the side characters felt like stand-ins for highschool stereotypes (the jock, the mean girl, the outcast, etc) and had no voice of their own. however, i did appreciate the ending with Alexa. i really thought Alexa would turn out to be a mean girl/fake friend, reminiscent of Regina George, but it's clear she appreciates Sadie and their friendship.
this would be a great read for teens and pre-teens. the themes of disordered eating, female struggles, and bullying are discussed on a surface level, just enough to start the conversation on pressures put on oneself and right vs. wrong when wanting to fit in.
i found the story telling to be weak. the events happened in quick succession with little to no time spent delving deeper into their impact on Sadie. i would’ve preferred a slower pace but, as a positive, this made for an easy, quick read.
the characters are ok, neither good nor bad. the side characters felt like stand-ins for highschool stereotypes (the jock, the mean girl, the outcast, etc) and had no voice of their own. however, i did appreciate the ending with Alexa. i really thought Alexa would turn out to be a mean girl/fake friend, reminiscent of Regina George, but it's clear she appreciates Sadie and their friendship.
this would be a great read for teens and pre-teens. the themes of disordered eating, female struggles, and bullying are discussed on a surface level, just enough to start the conversation on pressures put on oneself and right vs. wrong when wanting to fit in.
littleowlets's review
2.0
i like to support australian authors but idk… this all felt too on the nose for me.
asherahe's review
4.0
Hold on- I was so prepared to give this a bad rating but it just got better and better. I think the writing is strong and the characters all so real and fleshed out. Sadie is very flawed yet likeable, I definitely relate to her in many ways. I love how accurately the author portrays my generation, I was expecting to cringe at the references because I usually hate reading YA slice of life kind of books but this was actually good and I would have never picked it off the shelf so big thanks to my Aunty. There were definitely some cringe moments and I wish that Ish and Harper got more time in the sun but more people my age should to read this because I definitely feel like they can relate to Sadie and the whole pink badge drama which we see manifest in so many different forms (not just feminism)… This is such a relevant YA novel and deserves much love.
dogoodwithbooks's review
4.0
CW: body image issues, disordered eating, binge eating disorder, stalking, bullying, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), recreational drug and alcohol use, running away
I would like to thank NetGalley and Text Publishing for providing me with a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Sadie Starr finds her dad’s job relocation to be the thing she needs to completely reinvent herself. After ruining her friendship with best friend and sort-of crush Daniel, Sadie is ready to become a new, popular version of herself at Morebrae Academy.
Once she arrives, Sadie is quickly ushered in by Alexa and her group of followers in their pursuit to support women at their school. Soon enough, she finds herself hearing both ends of a prominent stalking case between school outcasts Jack and Loz, and now Sadie has to decide about where she stands amongst the mess she’s gotten herself into.
I personally think that Sadie Starr’s Guide to Starting Over is an interesting YA book coming out in August. Luby provides multifaceted characters amongst a unique plot in this book. You can definitely relate to the characters that Luby created and I thought that it was really interesting to see how the so-called mean girls in the book were active feminists who want to create a safe space for other girls in their school.
This book can be a quick and easy read. All of the chapters are not too long, the pacing is good, and one could go through this book in a reading session or two if they really want to. Though, I did feel that some of the chapters weren’t really necessary and that the only reason they’re there was to serve as a filler. I think this could be improved by either eliminating said chapters or combining them with others.
If you’re looking for a twist on the mean girl(s) meet new girl tropes or a book about teens coping through an image-obsessed culture, Sadie Starr’s Guide to Starting Over is for you.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Text Publishing for providing me with a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Sadie Starr finds her dad’s job relocation to be the thing she needs to completely reinvent herself. After ruining her friendship with best friend and sort-of crush Daniel, Sadie is ready to become a new, popular version of herself at Morebrae Academy.
Once she arrives, Sadie is quickly ushered in by Alexa and her group of followers in their pursuit to support women at their school. Soon enough, she finds herself hearing both ends of a prominent stalking case between school outcasts Jack and Loz, and now Sadie has to decide about where she stands amongst the mess she’s gotten herself into.
I personally think that Sadie Starr’s Guide to Starting Over is an interesting YA book coming out in August. Luby provides multifaceted characters amongst a unique plot in this book. You can definitely relate to the characters that Luby created and I thought that it was really interesting to see how the so-called mean girls in the book were active feminists who want to create a safe space for other girls in their school.
This book can be a quick and easy read. All of the chapters are not too long, the pacing is good, and one could go through this book in a reading session or two if they really want to. Though, I did feel that some of the chapters weren’t really necessary and that the only reason they’re there was to serve as a filler. I think this could be improved by either eliminating said chapters or combining them with others.
If you’re looking for a twist on the mean girl(s) meet new girl tropes or a book about teens coping through an image-obsessed culture, Sadie Starr’s Guide to Starting Over is for you.