Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcefire Books for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Goodreads Synopsis
The girls at North Bay Academy are taking sides. It all started when Mike Parker's girlfriend showed up with a bruise on her face. Or, more specifically, when she walked into the principal's office and said Mike hit her. But the students have questions. Why did she go to the principal and not the police? Why did she stay so long if he was hurting her? Obviously, if it's true, Mike should be expelled. But is it true?
Some girls want to rally for his expulsion—and some want to rally around Mike. The only thing that the entire student body can agree on? Someone is lying. And the truth has to come out.
Review
Alyssa Sheinmel’s stories has always had the power to completely blow my mind. I absolutely loved Faceless so when I saw that this book was on NetGalley I knew I couldn’t miss the opportunity to dive back into her work.
Before I start this review I would like to mention that this book has a lot of content warnings and contains depictions of dating abuse, bulimia, mental health and self harm. Please be aware of that before going into this book and if you think that one of those factors would trigger you then it’s perfectly okay not to read this book until you’re ready to.
Now, on to the review.
I loved this book. I loved everything it stood for, I loved the message it put across and I loved the format it was told in.
Maya and Junie, our main characters, each are struggling in their own way and are finding it hard to find someone to lean on. Instead they are finding other ways to cope. These two characters are undeniably strong and I honestly found myself able to connect with both of them emotionally.
I’m always quite weary reading a book that depicts mental health and abuse in fear that it won’t be a good representation but Alyssa Shienmel has done perfectly with this book and shows the true struggles that people go through, especially young adults. I felt myself being able to relate to every panic attack, every worry and every single doubt these young girls went through.
What Kind Of Girl is a book about finding your self-worth. It’s about realising that you are worth so much more in life, that you should never be ashamed of who you are and that there will always be someone to lean on as long as you open up to those closest to you and not hide it away.
Rating: 4/5 stars