Scan barcode
A review by nikolinaza
The New Girl by Jesse Q. Sutanto
3.0
Trigger warnings: racism, bullying, drug abuse, overdose, murder, death, violence.
After getting her hands on a scholarship, Lia is determined to live her life as it should be: be a straight-A student, be the fastest runner at the track, be someone who is wanted by Stanford, and have a bright future. But behind all the lights and sparkles of Draycott Academy, something rotten is happening, and it take its toll on Lia. But before she could even do something to find out, a girl is found dead, and Lia is getting all tangled up in the mess.
Compared to 'The Obsession', which also took place at Draycott Academy, 'The New Girl' has a slightly lighter ambience. No stalking, no obsessive boyfriend, but the bullying is never a light subject to read, even if it's only limited to the verbal form. I like how Sutanto depicted how rotten those spoiled brats at Draycott and how rich people often looked down on paupers, and I like how Lia's anxieties upon meeting and facing her new schoolmates described. It was easy to sympathize with her until the end, even though she's not that one Mary-Sue-always-holy-and-right type of a character.
What else I love about this book is its humor. Jesse Q. Sutanto's humors has always been a little bit dry, with some sarcastic and sassy tone, which totally match my style. And because it was told in first point of view, it feels like I have Lia as a friend whose jokes I totally get.
But even if I like this book, I can't help but feel that the story is soooo messy. The cases and mysteries were connected in one another, but at the same time, they didn't feel connected at all. There's too much things going on in just one book and it seemed like Sutanto was confused on where to put her main focus, and that left some things unexplained even after the ending.
1. DD App is supposed to be anonymous, but how does everyone knows that @TrackQueen is Mandy?
2. What has become of the stray shoelaces found in Werner's car? It's a big piece of evidence, but why does the cops seems to overlooked it? If only it was made as a series, it would be better, I guess.
Thrilling? Quite. Entertaining? Yes. Memorable? Not really.
Nevertheless, will still be waiting for more mystery/thriller from one of my favorite author.
After getting her hands on a scholarship, Lia is determined to live her life as it should be: be a straight-A student, be the fastest runner at the track, be someone who is wanted by Stanford, and have a bright future. But behind all the lights and sparkles of Draycott Academy, something rotten is happening, and it take its toll on Lia. But before she could even do something to find out, a girl is found dead, and Lia is getting all tangled up in the mess.
Compared to 'The Obsession', which also took place at Draycott Academy, 'The New Girl' has a slightly lighter ambience. No stalking, no obsessive boyfriend, but the bullying is never a light subject to read, even if it's only limited to the verbal form. I like how Sutanto depicted how rotten those spoiled brats at Draycott and how rich people often looked down on paupers, and I like how Lia's anxieties upon meeting and facing her new schoolmates described. It was easy to sympathize with her until the end, even though she's not that one Mary-Sue-always-holy-and-right type of a character.
What else I love about this book is its humor. Jesse Q. Sutanto's humors has always been a little bit dry, with some sarcastic and sassy tone, which totally match my style. And because it was told in first point of view, it feels like I have Lia as a friend whose jokes I totally get.
But even if I like this book, I can't help but feel that the story is soooo messy. The cases and mysteries were connected in one another, but at the same time, they didn't feel connected at all. There's too much things going on in just one book and it seemed like Sutanto was confused on where to put her main focus, and that left some things unexplained even after the ending.
Spoiler
Like:1. DD App is supposed to be anonymous, but how does everyone knows that @TrackQueen is Mandy?
2. What has become of the stray shoelaces found in Werner's car? It's a big piece of evidence, but why does the cops seems to overlooked it?
Thrilling? Quite. Entertaining? Yes. Memorable? Not really.
Nevertheless, will still be waiting for more mystery/thriller from one of my favorite author.