Reviews

This book was fantastic and I adored the concept of this dystopian world that isn’t so different from reality and I loved all the characters, especially the character of Belle, who is indoctrinated into this society and learns the truth about the world that she lives in. However, I also felt like the dystopian elements could’ve been fleshed out more, and I would have loved to have read more about The Doctrine, as there was a lot of telling but not showing. Furthermore, I felt that the story was a bit oddly paced as the majority of the set up took up three quarters of the book and the last one hundred and fifty pages or so was dedicated to the resolution. Whilst I loved Belle’s side of the story, I felt that Joni’s character could have been a bit more fleshed out, especially since she pretends to play the perfect role in the society of the world that they live in and find that she really enjoys it. I felt like that was a really interesting idea that could’ve been fleshed out, and it is a shame it wasn’t as it would’ve been a great parallel to Belle’s story. But Holly Bourne is a great writer and this story had me gripped and I couldn’t put it down. Some of the best parts were ordinary moments that made me recoil in horror as I realised that these things happened in our everyday society. Whilst it wasn’t perfect, this book was still very good.

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5.0

4.5 stars: Powerful prose at its best.
This feminist dystopian YA novel follows two girls Belle and Joni, living in the world of the Doctrine. Belle is a Pretty, following the doctrine to the letter and while she's doing the best amongst her peers, she isn't understanding why she feels like she's not really living. Joni is an Objectionable and stands against everything the doctrine tells her, proudly wearing no Mask or eating without worrying about Sin. As the end of school approaches, Belle and Joni are competing for a scholarship to the Education and while they could not be more at odds with each other on the surface, they're more alike than they could have first thought.

This book isn't telling us anything we don't already know, but it is screaming it from the rooftops for everyone who might not have really understood the message. The themes of feminism and body image are the most obvious but it also delves into toxic masculinity, intersectionality and indoctrination. Bourne interweaves them all through the two very different lenses of Belle and Joni, which will help reach more readers. I already know readers who will be behind Joni as a proud Objectionable themselves but also those who call themselves feminists but have a lot to learn like Belle.

The pacing was nicely done, I was hooked in very quickly. The world building was so simple and yet effective, all the terminology was easy to pick up on. Joni was my favourite of the POVs, her inner conflict at times was relatable, looking back at my teens but also now as I approach 30. The one thing that was maybe lacking was more queer or any disabled representation, I wasn't sure if this was on purpose though as the brief trip out of the main setting does see a trans character briefly. I would have been interested to see how disabled people fitted into this world, would the doctrine think them objectionable for example? Left me with lots of questions.

This is definitely for fans of Louise O'Neill's Only Ever Yours or the fiction podcast Soft Voice. Get this on the school curriculum ASAP!

- thank you to NetGalley for the early proof copy :) -