A review by coralinejones
The New Me by Halle Butler

5.0

“Should I read a book, I should make some friends, I should write some emails, I should go to the movies, I should get some exercise, I should unclench my muscles, I should get a hobby, I should buy a plant, I should call my exes, all of them, and ask them for advice, I should figure out why no one wants to be around me, I should start going to the same bar every night, become a regular, I should volunteer again, I should get a cat or a plant or some nice lotion or some Whitestrips, start using a laundry service, start taking myself both more and less seriously”

God, I love Millie.

I'm surprised I liked this book as much as I did. Maybe it's because I'm a little too much like Millie, I have to admit... I could not find it in me to hate her, the world was cruel to her and she had every reason to act the way she did. In fact, Sarah was worse!

I've read many of these "sad, depressed, cynical girl" books and while many of them feel the same (unnecessarily gross, annoying, and abnormal), this book no different; in fact many times it reminded me of All's Well by Mona Awad, however I can't help but mention how likeable Butler made her main lead compared to the other books in this sub-genre. I think too many authors get caught up in making their characters so unlikeable that it makes their entire novel hard-to-read... Annoying to get through. A chore, really. But Millie was so easy to understand and relate to. She really didn't do much to warrant the way people treated her and her reactions to the world around her was straightforward to me!

I get her! Fuck capitalism!