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jesslinkletter 's review for:
Glitch Girl!
by Rainie Oet
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was such a difficult read, especially because I saw so much of myself reflected in J--. Our main character is facing a complex list of challenges on top of the usual middle school difficulties. They are figuring out their gender, navigating a crush on a friend, struggling with ADHD, and dealing with abusive parents. All of this leads to some emotional, tough to read scenes. As hard as it was to read, I'm so glad middle grade books like this exist now for kids to read and relate to.
Rainie Oet did an incredible job portraying an ADHD character in a realistic way, instead of the ignorant, damaging way a lot of media does. J--'s ADHD made it even harder for them to navigate the struggles of learning and discovering themself in the already tough years of middle school. They also show the ways gender envy can manifest as an obsessive seeming crush through J--'s relationship with Junie (or, at least, that's the way I interpreted their friendship in the number of times J-- said they didn't know if they wanted to date Junie or be her more. I would've loved J-- to meet Sam a little earlier in the book and continue to explore their gender through that relationship, but honestly the obsessive Junie dialogue was realistic despite it seeming nonstop.
There main reason this wasn't a five star for me is that there wasn't much going on outside of J-- playing a rollercoaster game. That's not to say I didn't love the way the game was woven into the story. It was interesting to see how J-- used the coaster game to explore their gender, or test out social interactions, or create some sort of metaphorical version of their real world.
Overall a little heavier of a book than I anticipated, but very glad to have read it, and glad it ends on a hopeful note.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for the eARC!
Rainie Oet did an incredible job portraying an ADHD character in a realistic way, instead of the ignorant, damaging way a lot of media does. J--'s ADHD made it even harder for them to navigate the struggles of learning and discovering themself in the already tough years of middle school. They also show the ways gender envy can manifest as an obsessive seeming crush through J--'s relationship with Junie (or, at least, that's the way I interpreted their friendship in the number of times J-- said they didn't know if they wanted to date Junie or be her more. I would've loved J-- to meet Sam a little earlier in the book and continue to explore their gender through that relationship, but honestly the obsessive Junie dialogue was realistic despite it seeming nonstop.
There main reason this wasn't a five star for me is that there wasn't much going on outside of J-- playing a rollercoaster game. That's not to say I didn't love the way the game was woven into the story. It was interesting to see how J-- used the coaster game to explore their gender, or test out social interactions, or create some sort of metaphorical version of their real world.
Overall a little heavier of a book than I anticipated, but very glad to have read it, and glad it ends on a hopeful note.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for the eARC!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria
Moderate: Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia
Minor: Deadnaming