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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
Tried to tackle way too many issues for just being a teenage girl’s diary. Worked for perks of being a wallflower, but not this book. Liked Gabi tho.
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Probably 3.5 stars! I really liked a lot of thins about this novel, but I had a few quibble as well.
First off, let's talk about Gabi, because her voice was pretty damned great. She's hilarious; I got Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging vibes off of some parts of this book, especially the particularly teenage way you worry about kissing, sex, your bodily functions, etc. The journal form of this book really helped Gabi come alive - I could actually HEAR her in my head.
There're a lot of really interesting and important points here about feminism, identity, culture clash, etc. It's just that boy, sometimes, can this book lay it on thick. It teeters on melodrama, on a bit of excess of issues.
And honestly, Gabi's a bit TOO clueless for an 18-yo. Her reaction, especially to various sexual acts, read like someone much younger than 18, especially someone that's consistently confronted at all turns by all forms of sex, beautiful and ugly.
A lot of the book definitely rang sincere, though, and the voice was pretty perfect. It was the plotting that left me a little cold.
First off, let's talk about Gabi, because her voice was pretty damned great. She's hilarious; I got Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging vibes off of some parts of this book, especially the particularly teenage way you worry about kissing, sex, your bodily functions, etc. The journal form of this book really helped Gabi come alive - I could actually HEAR her in my head.
There're a lot of really interesting and important points here about feminism, identity, culture clash, etc. It's just that boy, sometimes, can this book lay it on thick. It teeters on melodrama, on a bit of excess of issues.
And honestly, Gabi's a bit TOO clueless for an 18-yo. Her reaction, especially to various sexual acts, read like someone much younger than 18, especially someone that's consistently confronted at all turns by all forms of sex, beautiful and ugly.
A lot of the book definitely rang sincere, though, and the voice was pretty perfect. It was the plotting that left me a little cold.
This book made me laugh, made me tear up, and made me wish that I'd had a book like this when I was in high school. I appreciate how real it is; Gabi is not going to fix sexist double-standards, for example, but she writes about them and lets the reader realize that she sees them and hates them, too, and gives words to things that young readers may have felt but don't yet have the language for. I love her poetry teacher, and I love all of the references to amazing and wonderful poems. Just one of those incredibly realistic books, but not in a super depressing way- just in a 'wow, this makes the reader really feel seen' way. There are some terrible things that happen in the book (cw for addiction, death by overdose, rape, domestic abuse, etc) but these terrible things aren't rare events- they happen in real life with unfortunate frequency- and I'm glad that the author is able to write about them in a very relatable, human way. And how good was Gabi's zine- I love that we get to see her development as a poet and a creative, and get to end the book believing she is going to do great things.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-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
YA realism, doing its thing. I do still wish 1 out of 2 YA books would skip the unplanned pregnancy plot line, but I think it's handled really well here - with attention to the specific culture Gabi and her friends live in. If you're gonna have a pregnant teen girl in your book, then I'd like to see something other than "OH NO, THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD, SHOULD I KEEP THE BABY STRUGGLE STRUGGLE. And this is a great example.
Anywaaaaay, these reviews are weird because I read these books like 9 months ago so I'm just latching on to whatever little bit of the book I remember and trying to say any single thing about it. So, grain of salt? Not like you shouldn't take ALL Goodreads reviews with a grain of salt, but just thought I'd keep you in the know.
Anywaaaaay, these reviews are weird because I read these books like 9 months ago so I'm just latching on to whatever little bit of the book I remember and trying to say any single thing about it. So, grain of salt? Not like you shouldn't take ALL Goodreads reviews with a grain of salt, but just thought I'd keep you in the know.
This book will be my new go to recommendation for teens and anyone who works with them. I was excited, sad, heartbroken, and so much more for Gabi. This is a perfect example of the kind of book the "We Need Diverse Books" campaign is talking about. While it tells the story of a young Mexican-American woman, there is something in there that anyone who is or was a teenage girl can relate to. It's not only eye-opening in its realness but might help someone with a more sheltered background to start understanding a group of people she might be unfamiliar with and open her eyes to the lives & struggles of others.
I saw some reviews that said Gabi's feminist awakening seemed heavy-handed. I'd like to counter that when you're a teenage girl (especially one whose been raised Catholic and with the idea of being a good girl thrown at you), your feminist awakening is heavy-handed. It's overwhelming and you feel it so strongly that it does affect your daily life. Gabi's burgeoning feminism read as extremely honest to me, not over-the-top at all.
Oh, and she has a supportive, creative boyfriend who is down with her feminism and isn't afraid of showing emotion. Perfect YA boyfriend.
Also, there's a zine in the book!!
I saw some reviews that said Gabi's feminist awakening seemed heavy-handed. I'd like to counter that when you're a teenage girl (especially one whose been raised Catholic and with the idea of being a good girl thrown at you), your feminist awakening is heavy-handed. It's overwhelming and you feel it so strongly that it does affect your daily life. Gabi's burgeoning feminism read as extremely honest to me, not over-the-top at all.
Oh, and she has a supportive, creative boyfriend who is down with her feminism and isn't afraid of showing emotion. Perfect YA boyfriend.
Also, there's a zine in the book!!
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes