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ravensandlace's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
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I am just going to dive right into this review because I have a lot of things to say. I’m not saying I didn’t like the book because I did but there’s a lot to unpack in this book and I have a lot of feelings about this book. So hold on because what I have to say might be a tad on the unpopular side but I wouldn’t be a good reviewer if I didn’t say exactly how I felt about a book.
Alright. So let’s just start with the main character, Molly. There were good and bad things about her. Let’s start with the good. Molly has anxiety and takes meds for it. I love that. Not that she has anxiety but how accurate the anxiety rep was. There were racing thoughts and the obsession about certain things. It was just really well done. Not to mention, the normalization of taking medication to help with the anxiety. It was just so casual and there was no medication shaming. There needs to be more of that in YA books. Overall, in terms of anxiety rep, I loved it.
However, that was the only good that I enjoyed about Molly. She was incredibly fixated on boys, kissing, sex and her body. It got to be very annoying very quickly. I get it. She’s 17 years old and when you’re 17 all those things mentioned are a pretty big deal but Molly based her entire self worth on it. That isn't the kind of message young and impressionable girls should be seeing. I know that if I had read this book when I was that young, it would have affected me quite a bit.
I would just love a book where a MC is fat and proud. I am sure there are some books out there that have this message. I know that I need to look further into it. It’s just frustrating that Molly only thought she was beautiful once she got a boy. Ladies, y'all are beautiful no matter what a guy says. Don’t base your entire self worth upon the opinion of a dude (or a girl). Because in the end, you are responsible for your own happiness. A significant other should enhance the happiness, not just be happy. I wish that could have been the message.
Moving on from Molly, one thing this book does well is capture the messy and complicated relationship that is sisterhood. As you all might know, I have a sister. She is my very best friend and my mini me. But our relationship isn’t always smooth. Sometimes, there are fights and cattiness but in the end, I know I can rely on her. This book captures that dynamic well and it was my favorite part of this book.
The amount of diversity, especially LBGTQIA+, was incredible. Molly herself was straight but her sister was gay. They have two moms, one being bi. There was another character who was pansexual as well. It was very refreshing to see this and it made me very happy.
One last point before I wrap this up. While this book has many positives and negatives, the thing that bothered me was how slightly unrealistic this book was. I don’t want to sound awful but everything was so chill. There weren't any real world problems besides one family member that was homophobic. Everything was just happy go lucky. Which, don’t get me wrong, is always nice to read but it didn’t quite work with the story.
Overall, I did enjoy this book. It had great diversity, accurate anxiety rep and more. While the MC was a bit much for me, I think a lot of ladies can relate to her as long as they dont retain the message that you are only viable when someone wants you. Overall, I’m happy I read this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Sexism
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