patty_pages 's review for:

Girlmode by Magdalene Visaggio

4.5

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

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A high school drama for the modern age, Girlmode packs a lot into a few pages. Phoebe's journey to understand girlhood and navigate the world of dating was relatable, funny, frustrating, and timely. The art style was so fun and pretty, it reminded me of Betty and Veronica comics while the dialogue and unpacking of the contradictions of womanhood felt like Greta Gerwig's famous Barbie monologue. I enjoyed the extended discussions on femininity and gender roles between the characters, in the English class discussion of Jane Eyre, and the theater department's production of Little Shop of Horrors. I appreciated MacKenzie's arc as Phoebe's friend, who acts as Phoebe's mentor but makes her own mistakes and learns from them in order to be a better friend. I also liked seeing Phoebe learn to surf and stand up for herself from a queer elder. There were a couple of offensive terms thrown around casually by the teens in the story that were never addressed, but perhaps that's authentic to high schoolers today. I would've liked to see a bit more resolution in the end, but it felt like the author kept it open ended to reflect Phoebe's work in progress.