Scan barcode
A review by starryeyedenigma
Rules for Being a Girl by Candace Bushnell, Katie Cotugno
4.0
I haven't reads any of Candace Bushnell's or Katie Cotugno's books before, but I was a huge fan of the Sex and the City series in HBO at least.
Based on just that, I was delighted to be approved by the publishers to read their latest book with YA protagonists - Rules for being a girl.
Trigger warnings: sexual abuse of minors
The story and narration are quite simple, straightforward and engaging, I felt. As young girls, or even boys (lets not take them out of similar situations well), I'm sure a lot of us have been victims to some kind of abuse - direct or indirect. And all of us have felt the feelings our protagonist feels/goes through - feelings of confusion, self doubt - did I bring this on myself?, of being judged by our closest friends and family, of anger, rage and utter frustration at the system and the unfairness of it all.
And I think, even though the story was not new, the emotions that Marin goes through, and her journey, made me feel really attached to her as a reader. I cared about her and I could see myself in her story many times, and probably every other girl or boy who has ever been taken advantage of will be able to relate to her story and root for her.
I also really appreciated how the authors decided to add in contexts of feminism, with the idea of the feminist book club (made me think of Emma Watson's OSS book club :)), to picking up books that can be used as starting books or references for any young girl trying to make her place in the world and trying to fight against social and sexual inequality. I was delighted to see books like The Handmaid's Tale, Bad Feminist, We Should All Be Feminists and essays by Audre Lorde in the list of books that Marin's feminist book club picks up - which act as references for any young reader and are such amazing reads!
I also liked the breezy style of writing. Although the book touches upon a really serious subject that makes one's blood boil, the overall story has many moments that make it easy for the reader to digest - coming of age, romance, taking care of an elderly, friendships, redemption. That's why I was able to finish this book in two days, despite the difficult subject of the book :)
This is a book I would like my future teenage daughter to read, along with all the others mentioned above as well. We need our daughters and sons to know, that it is NOT OK to be taken advantage of by an adult or by a figure of authority.
***Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan for sharing the e-ARC of this book with me. All thoughts are my own***
Based on just that, I was delighted to be approved by the publishers to read their latest book with YA protagonists - Rules for being a girl.
Trigger warnings: sexual abuse of minors
The story and narration are quite simple, straightforward and engaging, I felt. As young girls, or even boys (lets not take them out of similar situations well), I'm sure a lot of us have been victims to some kind of abuse - direct or indirect. And all of us have felt the feelings our protagonist feels/goes through - feelings of confusion, self doubt - did I bring this on myself?, of being judged by our closest friends and family, of anger, rage and utter frustration at the system and the unfairness of it all.
And I think, even though the story was not new, the emotions that Marin goes through, and her journey, made me feel really attached to her as a reader. I cared about her and I could see myself in her story many times, and probably every other girl or boy who has ever been taken advantage of will be able to relate to her story and root for her.
I also really appreciated how the authors decided to add in contexts of feminism, with the idea of the feminist book club (made me think of Emma Watson's OSS book club :)), to picking up books that can be used as starting books or references for any young girl trying to make her place in the world and trying to fight against social and sexual inequality. I was delighted to see books like The Handmaid's Tale, Bad Feminist, We Should All Be Feminists and essays by Audre Lorde in the list of books that Marin's feminist book club picks up - which act as references for any young reader and are such amazing reads!
I also liked the breezy style of writing. Although the book touches upon a really serious subject that makes one's blood boil, the overall story has many moments that make it easy for the reader to digest - coming of age, romance, taking care of an elderly, friendships, redemption. That's why I was able to finish this book in two days, despite the difficult subject of the book :)
This is a book I would like my future teenage daughter to read, along with all the others mentioned above as well. We need our daughters and sons to know, that it is NOT OK to be taken advantage of by an adult or by a figure of authority.
***Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan for sharing the e-ARC of this book with me. All thoughts are my own***