Scan barcode
nagam's review
4.0
Probably my favorite of Siobhan's books I've read so far. The MC, Natalie, has a lot of flaws and is judgmental, but that allows for a lot of growth and lessons to be learned. Siobhan's writing is so intellectual and I think could be analyzed a lot further - loved the hints of feminism and discussions about sexuality and how you portray yourself.
heyjudy's review against another edition
3.0
~3-3.5/5
I think maybe I had too high of expectations for this book. I was expecting a very good book, with a very impressive girl-power message. That’s not how it seemed to me.
On the bright side, the writing was good. And the characters were fleshed out, at least mostly. The storyline wasn’t too bad.
First of all, I did not like the main character. Natalie drove me crazy. At first, I was looking forward to her learning her lesson, but about halfway through the book, she was just getting on my nerves. She’s cocky, too confident, very what-I-think-is-right, thinking that everyone should make the “right” decision, and no matter what, what she thinks it right. I just wanted to smack her.
Then there’s the girl message. And I do think that Natalie learned that women shouldn’t be put down for sex, but I don’t really think the message was driven home as much as it could have. She really only seemed to think about it like she should, after she met a guy and fooled around and people looked at her differently. I don’t think it was pushed enough that it doesn’t matter what you’re doing—if you’re having sex, married or not, pregnant young, or a virgin—because all of it is okay. None of it shameful or “wrong”. Natalie thought about it only after having sex and being bullied because of it; then there’s Spencer, who thinks that manipulating men is the right way to go, and I don’t think she fully learned anything either. Autumn, I think, had the right idea, though; she’d smarted up in the right way. There’s also Natalie’s teacher, who is so prejudiced, and yet nothing really came of her opinion but frustration.
Mostly, I think the message was good, I just don’t think it reached the full-fleshed direction it was going.
Then there was the romance. Natalie and Connor start fooling around, and Natalie is the one who’s making it hard. But I think they jumped into it too quickly—I mean, they made eye-contact and seemed to just feel a strong attraction, when I didn’t really feel that. And everything that Natalie does with Connor, changing her mind and having sex with him, just didn’t seem to make sense to me. I just didn’t feel very much chemistry between them, so it didn’t work for me. I wanted it to, but it didn’t.
I wanted to love this book. I really, really did. But instead I’m a little disappointed. I do want to pick up another of Vivian's books, though. I think maybe a different character, at least, could have made this story better, so I hope to see what else she does.
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]
I think maybe I had too high of expectations for this book. I was expecting a very good book, with a very impressive girl-power message. That’s not how it seemed to me.
On the bright side, the writing was good. And the characters were fleshed out, at least mostly. The storyline wasn’t too bad.
First of all, I did not like the main character. Natalie drove me crazy. At first, I was looking forward to her learning her lesson, but about halfway through the book, she was just getting on my nerves. She’s cocky, too confident, very what-I-think-is-right, thinking that everyone should make the “right” decision, and no matter what, what she thinks it right. I just wanted to smack her.
Then there’s the girl message. And I do think that Natalie learned that women shouldn’t be put down for sex, but I don’t really think the message was driven home as much as it could have. She really only seemed to think about it like she should, after she met a guy and fooled around and people looked at her differently. I don’t think it was pushed enough that it doesn’t matter what you’re doing—if you’re having sex, married or not, pregnant young, or a virgin—because all of it is okay. None of it shameful or “wrong”. Natalie thought about it only after having sex and being bullied because of it; then there’s Spencer, who thinks that manipulating men is the right way to go, and I don’t think she fully learned anything either. Autumn, I think, had the right idea, though; she’d smarted up in the right way. There’s also Natalie’s teacher, who is so prejudiced, and yet nothing really came of her opinion but frustration.
Mostly, I think the message was good, I just don’t think it reached the full-fleshed direction it was going.
Then there was the romance. Natalie and Connor start fooling around, and Natalie is the one who’s making it hard. But I think they jumped into it too quickly—I mean, they made eye-contact and seemed to just feel a strong attraction, when I didn’t really feel that. And everything that Natalie does with Connor, changing her mind and having sex with him, just didn’t seem to make sense to me. I just didn’t feel very much chemistry between them, so it didn’t work for me. I wanted it to, but it didn’t.
I wanted to love this book. I really, really did. But instead I’m a little disappointed. I do want to pick up another of Vivian's books, though. I think maybe a different character, at least, could have made this story better, so I hope to see what else she does.
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]
papalbina's review
4.0
It's not all passionate like other books of this kind I have read lately, but I like the moral in it.
The only thing that annoyed me, especially in the middle, when Connor and Natalie begin to be an item, was that because of the lack of physical description I ended up imagining Natalie as Rachel and Connor as Finn from "Glee". Even when I knew they were totally different...
My favourite character was Connor, he was very upright for a teenage boy and ssooooo cute *____* And I like Spencer's character, although it was a little bit unbelievable coming from a 14-year-old fO.o
Anyway it was different, but worth reading it :)
The only thing that annoyed me, especially in the middle, when Connor and Natalie begin to be an item, was that because of the lack of physical description I ended up imagining Natalie as Rachel and Connor as Finn from "Glee". Even when I knew they were totally different...
My favourite character was Connor, he was very upright for a teenage boy and ssooooo cute *____* And I like Spencer's character, although it was a little bit unbelievable coming from a 14-year-old fO.o
Anyway it was different, but worth reading it :)
kristid's review
4.0
You're either 'that kind of girl' or your not..... right?
What a fantastic novel. I've been reading some exceptionally well written and meaningful novels lately and Not That Kind of Girl is one of them. Vivian has made a fan out of me! Looking forward to her future titles and may have to get her two previous titles to devour as well.
Struggling with who you are... and how you want people to see you, is something that I don't ever think you grow out of. I know I still struggle with it as an adult and I couldn't help remembering how much more I struggled with that in high school just like Natalie did. I envied her, I hated her... I pitied her.
She was such a remarkably well written character, and unlike any character I've read about in YA. She's obviously intelligent... she's stubborn and opinionated without being annoying. I couldn't decide if I loved her or if I hated her. Somewhere along the course of the novel I pitied her and in the end, I loved her. Despite her air of control and perfection... you know that Natalie has a few lessons to learn.
And Spencer was the perfect ying to Natalie's yang. Their way of thinking may be totally different (pertaining to how a young woman should act and be), but it's hard to say if one girl is more correct than the other. It was an interesting take on two different versions of feminism.
I can't fail to mention my favorite aspect of any novel... there may be a little love story that develops as well. A realistically portrayed relationship!
Great characterization... awesome plot.. sensational writing! This is one simply fantastic contemporary novel. Can't wait for more!
What a fantastic novel. I've been reading some exceptionally well written and meaningful novels lately and Not That Kind of Girl is one of them. Vivian has made a fan out of me! Looking forward to her future titles and may have to get her two previous titles to devour as well.
Struggling with who you are... and how you want people to see you, is something that I don't ever think you grow out of. I know I still struggle with it as an adult and I couldn't help remembering how much more I struggled with that in high school just like Natalie did. I envied her, I hated her... I pitied her.
She was such a remarkably well written character, and unlike any character I've read about in YA. She's obviously intelligent... she's stubborn and opinionated without being annoying. I couldn't decide if I loved her or if I hated her. Somewhere along the course of the novel I pitied her and in the end, I loved her. Despite her air of control and perfection... you know that Natalie has a few lessons to learn.
And Spencer was the perfect ying to Natalie's yang. Their way of thinking may be totally different (pertaining to how a young woman should act and be), but it's hard to say if one girl is more correct than the other. It was an interesting take on two different versions of feminism.
I can't fail to mention my favorite aspect of any novel... there may be a little love story that develops as well. A realistically portrayed relationship!
Great characterization... awesome plot.. sensational writing! This is one simply fantastic contemporary novel. Can't wait for more!
willwork4airfare's review
2.0
There is no way for me to rant about this travesty of a slut-shaming book without spoilers so here we go.
That's all this book is-- slut-shaming. It's exactly what the title makes like it sound, a story about a girl too wrapped up in not appearing to be "that girl," whoever "that girl" is actually supposed to mean. She gets involved with this cute popular guy Connor who flirts with her and kisses her and tries to reach out to her and the entire time she is frigid and cold and trying to play some cruel game of hard-to-get that just comes off as completely bitchy. He is nothing but nice to her throughout the entire book and she just completely blows him off and makes him keep everything a secret because she thinks if anyone found out, she'd be the laughingstock of the school. That whole plot point didn't even make sense because dating the popular guy at school makes most girls more popular, no?
Anyway, meanwhile, there's this little girl Spencer who Natalie, the main character, used to babysit and Spencer, while being all of fourteen years old is a sexually liberated woman. And by this, I mean she likes to wear sexy underwear and then bend over while wearing a skirt, she likes to take off her shirt in the middle of a school hallway to make a point to the principal, and lets boys take naked pictures of her on school property. Spencer tries to talk to a crowd of girls and it starts off pretty reasonable, about how women need to own their sexuality, not be ashamed of it. I thought that's where this book was going to go, owning your sexuality. That's a great thing to write a book about. But no, instead Spencer keeps going and says how women need to use their sex to manipulate men and get what they want. One of the examples was that a girl had forced a guy to buy her prom dress. How empowering. To make her winning speech even better, Spencer eventually gets "what's coming to her" when the naked picture gets leaked to everyone at school.
There are absolutely no role models in this book. There is no one to root for. The only semi-decent people were Connor, the boytoy, and Autumn, the former best friend. Autumn, I kind of like, because while the descriptions of her bipolar mood swings didn't really make sense, towards the end, Autumn really stands up for herself and ends the toxic friendship she had going on with Natalie. She is the only person with any sense in the novel.
Eventually, word gets out about Natalie and Connor. But this is only after they finally actually go all the way and Natalie gets pissed at him and doesn't speak to him for a week. When everyone finds out, Natalie is mortified and stays home from school and when Connor tries to reach out to her again she goes off on him and is completely awful to him. Everyone is so shocked that they've been hooking up and even one of her teacher's goes off and says "She didn't seem like that kind of girl."
WHAT KIND OF GIRL? Natalie fully believes that she is in love with Connor, even though she treats him horribly the entire time. So what kind of girl is she supposedly being? A girl that had sex with a guy that she loves? I'm not understanding the shame in any of this.
So then, in the end, the great big resolution? She just basically decides that she's a lot of different girls all rolled into one and it's okay to be that way. And then her and Connor start dating because obviously there had to be a happy ending.
I really can't believe this novel. That message was so horrible I feel bad giving it a two, but the writing wasn't that awful and I genuinely did want to find out what happened, if only because I wanted to see what would finally soften her to Connor, because we all know they had to be together in the end. (Other wise she might be a slut.)
That's all this book is-- slut-shaming. It's exactly what the title makes like it sound, a story about a girl too wrapped up in not appearing to be "that girl," whoever "that girl" is actually supposed to mean. She gets involved with this cute popular guy Connor who flirts with her and kisses her and tries to reach out to her and the entire time she is frigid and cold and trying to play some cruel game of hard-to-get that just comes off as completely bitchy. He is nothing but nice to her throughout the entire book and she just completely blows him off and makes him keep everything a secret because she thinks if anyone found out, she'd be the laughingstock of the school. That whole plot point didn't even make sense because dating the popular guy at school makes most girls more popular, no?
Anyway, meanwhile, there's this little girl Spencer who Natalie, the main character, used to babysit and Spencer, while being all of fourteen years old is a sexually liberated woman. And by this, I mean she likes to wear sexy underwear and then bend over while wearing a skirt, she likes to take off her shirt in the middle of a school hallway to make a point to the principal, and lets boys take naked pictures of her on school property. Spencer tries to talk to a crowd of girls and it starts off pretty reasonable, about how women need to own their sexuality, not be ashamed of it. I thought that's where this book was going to go, owning your sexuality. That's a great thing to write a book about. But no, instead Spencer keeps going and says how women need to use their sex to manipulate men and get what they want. One of the examples was that a girl had forced a guy to buy her prom dress. How empowering. To make her winning speech even better, Spencer eventually gets "what's coming to her" when the naked picture gets leaked to everyone at school.
There are absolutely no role models in this book. There is no one to root for. The only semi-decent people were Connor, the boytoy, and Autumn, the former best friend. Autumn, I kind of like, because while the descriptions of her bipolar mood swings didn't really make sense, towards the end, Autumn really stands up for herself and ends the toxic friendship she had going on with Natalie. She is the only person with any sense in the novel.
Eventually, word gets out about Natalie and Connor. But this is only after they finally actually go all the way and Natalie gets pissed at him and doesn't speak to him for a week. When everyone finds out, Natalie is mortified and stays home from school and when Connor tries to reach out to her again she goes off on him and is completely awful to him. Everyone is so shocked that they've been hooking up and even one of her teacher's goes off and says "She didn't seem like that kind of girl."
WHAT KIND OF GIRL? Natalie fully believes that she is in love with Connor, even though she treats him horribly the entire time. So what kind of girl is she supposedly being? A girl that had sex with a guy that she loves? I'm not understanding the shame in any of this.
So then, in the end, the great big resolution? She just basically decides that she's a lot of different girls all rolled into one and it's okay to be that way. And then her and Connor start dating because obviously there had to be a happy ending.
I really can't believe this novel. That message was so horrible I feel bad giving it a two, but the writing wasn't that awful and I genuinely did want to find out what happened, if only because I wanted to see what would finally soften her to Connor, because we all know they had to be together in the end. (Other wise she might be a slut.)
joyousreads132's review
4.0
High school life. Home truths. A character you want to at times strangle or hug.
I started this book at about eight tonight and finished it in four hours. All in all, it was a good read.
I started this book at about eight tonight and finished it in four hours. All in all, it was a good read.
kaitrosereads's review
4.0
Not That Kind Of Girl is a fresh romance for the YA market. Siobahn Vivian knows the teenage mind and approaches it in a unique way with this one.
Natalie Sterling is a good girl. She always has been and she plans to stay that way. Things all change her senior year of high school when she takes a wild freshman under her wing. Then, Connor Hughes becomes interested in her. On top of that she has student council, AP classes, and the SATs. Things could not be crazier. Can Natalie learn to balance a life with school or will it become too much? Can she remain a good girl with all the pressure?
I'm going to be honest; I hated Natalie. Nothing about her made me like her. I couldn't connect with her and I didn't see a change throughout the book. In fact, none of the characters were likable to me. Connor made no sense. I didn't know why he liked Natalie and it was never really explained. Autumn was just in the background and she only showed her true colors at the end. Spencer was a slut. Nobody made any sense.
The plot was good because it was relatable. High school is exactly like the story in Not That Kind Of Girl. It's a good representation of what happens in high school. The romance was also very cute. It didn't seem forced and I liked that about it.
Overall, Not That Kind Of Girl is a good book. I had my issues with it but it was still enjoyable and very easy to get into. If you're a fan of contemporary fiction and cute romance, check this one out!
Natalie Sterling is a good girl. She always has been and she plans to stay that way. Things all change her senior year of high school when she takes a wild freshman under her wing. Then, Connor Hughes becomes interested in her. On top of that she has student council, AP classes, and the SATs. Things could not be crazier. Can Natalie learn to balance a life with school or will it become too much? Can she remain a good girl with all the pressure?
I'm going to be honest; I hated Natalie. Nothing about her made me like her. I couldn't connect with her and I didn't see a change throughout the book. In fact, none of the characters were likable to me. Connor made no sense. I didn't know why he liked Natalie and it was never really explained. Autumn was just in the background and she only showed her true colors at the end. Spencer was a slut. Nobody made any sense.
The plot was good because it was relatable. High school is exactly like the story in Not That Kind Of Girl. It's a good representation of what happens in high school. The romance was also very cute. It didn't seem forced and I liked that about it.
Overall, Not That Kind Of Girl is a good book. I had my issues with it but it was still enjoyable and very easy to get into. If you're a fan of contemporary fiction and cute romance, check this one out!
penandpencil's review
3.0
There was a lot that I liked about this book, it is very readable, well written, characters are well formed and multi dimensional, and the story feels like something we have not read 1000 times before.
This is what I believe is a ‘message’ book, but the problem is that I am not exactly sure what the message was supposed to be. By the end I was extremely confused about what exactly Natalie’s issues were. Her behavior regarding her relationship with Connor is never really explained IMO. Maybe the confusion was the point, idk. I do get that lots of young women may not be comfortable with sexuality, or just trying to figure things out in a world of so many mixed messages, but Natalie’s reasons just seemed hollow.
Her harsh judgment of her peers is probably typical of her age and also reflective of how harshly she judges herself. Although there were a lot of times that people called her on her nonsense, some of her observations were spot on (i.e. Mike), and I liked that she had strong convictions even if they were not necessarily well-informed, something that I think is pretty typical of this age group as well.
The other thing that really stood out to me was that the adult reactions to the cellphone photo and Natalie’s attempt to do something about it were totally bizarre and kind of irresponsible.
This is what I believe is a ‘message’ book, but the problem is that I am not exactly sure what the message was supposed to be. By the end I was extremely confused about what exactly Natalie’s issues were. Her behavior regarding her relationship with Connor is never really explained IMO. Maybe the confusion was the point, idk. I do get that lots of young women may not be comfortable with sexuality, or just trying to figure things out in a world of so many mixed messages, but Natalie’s reasons just seemed hollow.
Her harsh judgment of her peers is probably typical of her age and also reflective of how harshly she judges herself. Although there were a lot of times that people called her on her nonsense, some of her observations were spot on (i.e. Mike), and I liked that she had strong convictions even if they were not necessarily well-informed, something that I think is pretty typical of this age group as well.
The other thing that really stood out to me was that the adult reactions to the cellphone photo and Natalie’s attempt to do something about it were totally bizarre and kind of irresponsible.
adrianao_reads's review
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
5/5: En su momento lo disfruté mucho...