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A review by betyplush
The Girls Are Never Gone by Sarah Glenn Marsh
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
3.5
Not superb, but I enjoyed it.
The hints of diet culture and orthorexia are basically entirely dropped, for better or worse, after the first quarter of the book and it ends up being a very minor feature of a character. I feel like the book wouldn’t have lost anything editing it out and could have gained some nuance focusing on it further, and the degree to which it was involved was just in an awkward space.
I think my favorite part was incorporating the diabetes in a way that characterized the MC and her relationships and was plot-relevant without using it in a damsel in distress way.
I also felt the bisexual rep was honest and realistic. It didn’t feel queerbaity or male-gazey to me. Also no SA and incorporated request for verbal consent which I liked.
The hints of diet culture and orthorexia are basically entirely dropped, for better or worse, after the first quarter of the book and it ends up being a very minor feature of a character. I feel like the book wouldn’t have lost anything editing it out and could have gained some nuance focusing on it further, and the degree to which it was involved was just in an awkward space.
I think my favorite part was incorporating the diabetes in a way that characterized the MC and her relationships and was plot-relevant without using it in a damsel in distress way.
I also felt the bisexual rep was honest and realistic. It didn’t feel queerbaity or male-gazey to me. Also no SA and incorporated request for verbal consent which I liked.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Child death