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A review by miss_alaina
Slumber Party by Christopher Pike
1.0
I decided to read this book alongside listening to the Teen Creeps podcast. Oh my goodness, this was terrible. The basic story wasn't too bad, but the execution was terrible.
First of all, all the girls treat each other terribly and don't seem to like one another at all - and yet they're all supposed to be friends! I don't know if there was a single scene where the girls weren't insulting each other in some way. Poor Dana took the brunt of it with repeated comments (not to mention Laura's inner thoughts) about her piggish appetite and face "only a mother could love".
Second, Christopher Pike's sexualization of these young girls was incredibly uncomfortable. Like, can we not talk about every girl's breasts? And what was with the horribly awkward scene where Laura walks into the bathroom while another character is showering and then thinks it's funny the other girl is "shy" and covers up? I understand what Pike was trying to do with this scene, but there has to be another way to make your point without Laura having no respect for the other girl's privacy.
Honestly, this book was so out-of-date and insulting that it was hard to look past all its flaws and see the story underneath. Unlikable characters, predictable plot, fat-shaming... the list just goes on and on. Maybe in somebody else's hands this would've been a good book, but, as it is, it's just terrible. Perhaps if I had read this as a kid and had fond memories of it then I would be able to give this book a pass, but as an adult in 2019 reading it for the first time, I give it a major thumbs down.
First of all, all the girls treat each other terribly and don't seem to like one another at all - and yet they're all supposed to be friends! I don't know if there was a single scene where the girls weren't insulting each other in some way. Poor Dana took the brunt of it with repeated comments (not to mention Laura's inner thoughts) about her piggish appetite and face "only a mother could love".
Second, Christopher Pike's sexualization of these young girls was incredibly uncomfortable. Like, can we not talk about every girl's breasts? And what was with the horribly awkward scene where Laura walks into the bathroom while another character is showering and then thinks it's funny the other girl is "shy" and covers up? I understand what Pike was trying to do with this scene, but there has to be another way to make your point without Laura having no respect for the other girl's privacy.
Spoiler
And finally - why is sexual assault okay with everyone??!? One character is clearly disheveled and upset after her encounter with a guy and Laura, the WORST FRIEND EVER, not only ignores this entirely, but INVITES THE ASSAULTER BACK TO THEIR HOUSE and says her friend won't mind him being there after what he did to her because she "likes aggressive men". Wow!Honestly, this book was so out-of-date and insulting that it was hard to look past all its flaws and see the story underneath. Unlikable characters, predictable plot, fat-shaming... the list just goes on and on. Maybe in somebody else's hands this would've been a good book, but, as it is, it's just terrible. Perhaps if I had read this as a kid and had fond memories of it then I would be able to give this book a pass, but as an adult in 2019 reading it for the first time, I give it a major thumbs down.