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A review by shaysshelf
Not Bad for a Girl by Anastasia Ryan
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
I had so much fun reading this!
Not Bad For A Girl is essentially the romcom equivalent to the song The Man by Taylor Swift. In fact, pretty sure The Man is Indiana "Ana" Aaron's anthem.
This book made me laugh out loud so many times! I absolutely loved Ana's character. She was a strong woman, who knew her value and spoke out against injustices while also being hilariously quirky and a total nerd (being a nerd is cool). Ana was not only the only female coder on her team, but the best coder on her team. Except... with a name like Indiana (Jones anyone?) and working remotely, her misogynistic boss and new team made the wrong assumption that she was a man. Suddenly, she discovered what it was like to be the best coder on the team with the added bonus of male privilege. Except the excuses for not answering phone calls, showing up to in-person meetings or work events began to spiral out of control. After allegedly crash landing a plan, delivering a baby and (legitimately) putting out a building fire... Indiana was truly... THE MAN.
There were SO many moments that had me grinding my gears with frustrating on Ana's behalf, as a woman working in a male dominated industry. And even though some slights were more subtle than others, they were all incredibly relatable. I shared some of the moments in the book with a few men in my life who genuinely didn't believe that any of those things would happen in real life. I happily shared with them that their male privilege was showing.
This book was not only well written, but incredibly well executed. Throughout the story, I equally felt outrage, humour, butterflies, frustration, pride, heartwarmed, and complete satisfaction. Ana really put herself out there in a vulnerable position. Her character development was incredible. She wasn't constantly told to dim herself, but in the end she let her light shine through spectacularly.
Thank you to NetGalley and DreamScape Audio for the advanced listener copy of Not Bad For A Girl.
The narrator, Jesse Vilinsky did an incredible job of bringing Ana to life. She perfectly delivered every punch line, quirk and boss girl moment. Highly recommend the audiobook to those who enjoy listening.
Not Bad For A Girl is essentially the romcom equivalent to the song The Man by Taylor Swift. In fact, pretty sure The Man is Indiana "Ana" Aaron's anthem.
This book made me laugh out loud so many times! I absolutely loved Ana's character. She was a strong woman, who knew her value and spoke out against injustices while also being hilariously quirky and a total nerd (being a nerd is cool). Ana was not only the only female coder on her team, but the best coder on her team. Except... with a name like Indiana (Jones anyone?) and working remotely, her misogynistic boss and new team made the wrong assumption that she was a man. Suddenly, she discovered what it was like to be the best coder on the team with the added bonus of male privilege. Except the excuses for not answering phone calls, showing up to in-person meetings or work events began to spiral out of control. After allegedly crash landing a plan, delivering a baby and (legitimately) putting out a building fire... Indiana was truly... THE MAN.
There were SO many moments that had me grinding my gears with frustrating on Ana's behalf, as a woman working in a male dominated industry. And even though some slights were more subtle than others, they were all incredibly relatable. I shared some of the moments in the book with a few men in my life who genuinely didn't believe that any of those things would happen in real life. I happily shared with them that their male privilege was showing.
This book was not only well written, but incredibly well executed. Throughout the story, I equally felt outrage, humour, butterflies, frustration, pride, heartwarmed, and complete satisfaction. Ana really put herself out there in a vulnerable position. Her character development was incredible. She wasn't constantly told to dim herself, but in the end she let her light shine through spectacularly.
Thank you to NetGalley and DreamScape Audio for the advanced listener copy of Not Bad For A Girl.
The narrator, Jesse Vilinsky did an incredible job of bringing Ana to life. She perfectly delivered every punch line, quirk and boss girl moment. Highly recommend the audiobook to those who enjoy listening.