Review: Be the Girl

There are a few authors who are on my "I will read absolutely anything they write" list and K.A. Tucker is one of them. She wrote one of my favourite books of 2018 (The Simple Wild, which I reviewed here last year if you missed it) and is gifting us with another book early in 2019. Be the Girl - just released today! - is a little different than anything she's ever written before but it's no less amazing.

Here's the synopsis:

From the national bestselling author of the Ten Tiny Breaths series and The Simple Wild comes a poignant story about a girl trying to change her future while evading her past.
Almost sixteen-year-old Aria Jones is starting over. New postal code, new last name, new rules. But she doesn’t mind, because it means she can leave her painful regrets behind. In the bustling town of Eastmonte, she can become someone else. Someone better.
With the Hartford family living next door, it seems she will succeed. Sure, Cassie Hartford may be the epitome of social awkwardness thanks to her autism, but she also offers an innocent and sincere friendship that Aria learns to appreciate. And Cassie’s older brother, Emmett—a popular Junior A hockey player with a bright future—well … Aria wishes that friendship could lead to something more. If he didn’t already have a girlfriend, maybe it would.
But Aria soon finds herself in a dicey moral predicament that could derail her attempt at a fresh start. It is her loyalty to Cassie and her growing crush on Emmett that leads her to make a risky move, one that earns her a vindictive enemy who is determined to splinter her happy new world.

As I mentioned, Be the Girl isn't quite like any of Tucker's other novels. For starters, she's self-published this one - after years of being traditionally published. That doesn't necessarily make it different than her other books but, to me, that indicates that this was a story that had to be told even if the publishers may not have thought so. The other big thing is that this is a YA novel. It's possible this story could have been told with adult characters but it wouldn't be nearly as good.

Tucker is such a phenomenal writer with an amazing knack at writing deep emotions. That meant this book gave me all the feels - including ones I hadn't really felt since I was in high school myself. Many YA authors can write that angsty, emotional roller coaster that are the feelings of a teenager but there was just something about this book that totally transported me back to my own high school. Maybe because the book was set in a town that was ridiculously similar to my own hometown - also a small town in Ontario, north of the big city of Toronto (though slightly more north than I think this fictional town is supposed to be). I felt this so acutely that I could immediately picture and smell my town's arena when Tucker described the arena Aria was setting foot into. There's a distinct smell to small town arenas and it's one that's hard to explain unless you've been in one.

This book also made me incredibly glad social media didn't exist when I was a teen. In fact, I don't even think Mark Zuckerberg was at Harvard when I was Aria's age. *checks internet* OK, I can't figure out when he started but I'm pretty sure thefacebook officially began the year I turned 17, a year older than Aria. But I digress. Social media is pretty brutal for adults sometimes so I can't imagine the special hell some teens face these days. I was also feeling pretty thankful that I sort of stayed under the radar when I was in high school. I did my best to not attract attention because I was so shy and awkward (which, let me tell you, is not easy to do when you're a six foot tall female basketball player in a school that holds the jocks at the top of the popularity hierarchy). I was lucky that I found my people early on and we had a solid group of friends. But I also wondered, as I read Aria's story and got to "know" Cassie, if I could have been a better person. Probably. I imagine I was never outright mean nor did I knowingly bully anyone but I'm sure there were instances where I giggled with my friends over someone different or ignored someone who was just trying to be friendly. It's a hard thing to think about yourself but that's part of why Tucker's new novel is so necessary. It makes you take a hard look at how you treat others and think about what you could do to be better. To paraphrase Emmett, there's no excuse to be a dick to someone just because they're a little bit different.

You may have noticed I've gone on a lot about the feelings this novel inspires instead of the actual plot. That's because Tucker has woven an incredible tale that I can't talk about too much because I'll spoil it all and you'd be pissed. Trust me. Aria's story is completely hidden at the start and is revealed bit by bit over the course of the novel. And that's the way it should be. So enough about plot!

Moving right along to the characters...I loved Aria. She's real, she's flawed, and she's trying hard to be a good person. Although, I don't think she really needs to try that hard. It's no work at all for her to be friends with Cassie. Cassie was an absolute joy to read. Her bubbly personality leapt off the pages. On the other hand, my heart broke every time someone ignored or teased her. I am so, so glad Tucker has written a book that features such a gem of a character. Emmett would have made teenage me swoon so I completely understood how Aria was feeling. A cute jock who has a heart of gold? Sign me up. Zach, Emmett's best friend, also deserves so many standing ovations for being such an incredible human.

I've realized this review of Be the Girl isn't exactly like most other reviews I write. But I think K.A. Tucker's novel isn't like most other novels. It encourages discussion and deep introspection and is a book that needs to be read by everyone. Young, old, in between. Everyone. You won't regret the time you spend with Aria, Cassie, and Emmett. You may cry (I did) but this is a story that's going to stick with you for a long time.

Buy Links
Amazon * iBooks * Kobo * BN

Print and audio will be available at a later date.

About the Author
K.A. Tucker writes captivating stories with an edge.

She is the USA Today bestselling author of 18 books, including the Causal Enchantment, Ten Tiny Breaths and Burying Water series, He Will Be My Ruin, Until It Fades, Keep Her Safe, The Simple Wild, and Be the Girl. Her books have been featured in national publications including USA Today, Globe & Mail, Suspense Magazine, First for Women, and Publisher's Weekly. She has been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance 2013 for Ten Tiny Breaths and Best Romance 2018 for The Simple Wild. Her novels have been translated into 16 languages.

K.A. Tucker currently resides in a quaint town outside of Toronto with her family
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Find K.A. Tucker Online

Website * Newsletter * Bookbub * Facebook Author Page * 

Facebook Reader Group * Instagram * Twitter

*An ARC of this novel was provided by the author in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.* 

Review: Don't Even Think About It

I have to thank whoever decided I should be sent a "read now" copy of Don't Even Think About It, Sarah Mlynowski's recently released novel. Without that auto-approval, I never would have picked this book up. And that would have been a sad, sad thing. I blew through this short novel because I couldn't stop reading it. It was so much fun!

Here's the synopsis:

We weren't always like this. We used to be average New York City high school sophomores. Until our homeroom went for flu shots. We were prepared for some side effects. Maybe a headache. Maybe a sore arm. We definitely didn't expect to get telepathic powers. But suddenly we could hear what everyone was thinking. Our friends. Our parents. Our crushes. Now we all know that Tess is in love with her best friend, Teddy. That Mackenzie cheated on Cooper. That, um, Nurse Carmichael used to be a stripper.
Since we've kept our freakish skill a secret, we can sit next to the class brainiac and ace our tests. We can dump our boyfriends right before they dump us. We know what our friends really think of our jeans, our breath, our new bangs. We always know what's coming. Some of us will thrive. Some of us will crack. None of us will ever be the same.
So stop obsessing about your ex. We're always listening.

I don't read nearly enough fantastical/magical books. I used to all the time when I was younger but now contemporary books rule my reading list. Don't Even Think About It is a book I would have adored when I was a teen and, happily, I still loved it even almost a decade out of teenagehood (is that a word? It should be.). My favourite thing about the novel was the story itself. People getting ESP because of a flu shot? I can't say that I've read a story like that before. It could have gone another way but Mlynowski made the outcome humorous instead of scary, which I loved (I don't do scary or creepy or bizarre).

The way the book was written was interesting, too. The story is told in sort of an omnipresent voice, which doesn't always work. We learn about everyone's story at the same time and the story is told as a collective we. It sounds weird but it totally makes sense and I liked that Mlynowski deals with that issue early on by having the narrator explain that the story is being told not by one person but by all of them.

I don't often like reading about young teens - it's been a long time since I was in grade ten - but I managed to get over that usual stumbling block when reading this book. Which is odd since I really was reading their every thought. Instead of being totally annoyed at the "ohmygosh, do you think he likes me?" in the beginning (since after the ESP kicks in they know if someone likes them or not), it reminded me of what my friends and I were like in high school. Makes me wonder if I would have appreciated having ESP when I was sixteen...

If you want a quick read that's all about teens and is really fun and quirky, pick up Don't Even Think About It. Sarah Mlynowski has written an awesome YA novel that's a perfect mix of the ordinary and extraordinary and I just loved it.

*A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Rereading Sarah Dessen: Keeping the Moon

Another month, another I Eat Words Sarah Dessen Read/Reread Challenge read! Check out this post that explains the details about the awesomeness that is this challenge. October had my BFF Sandy and I rereading Keeping the Moon. This was one of Dessen's novels that I really couldn't remember much about so having the chance to reread it was great. Overall thoughts: I liked it but didn't love it but Sandy plans on recommending it to all customers at the bookstore where she works.

Synopsis:

Colie expects the worst when she's sent to spend the summer with her eccentric aunt Mira while her mother, queen of the television infomercial, tours Europe. Always an outcast -- first for being fat and then for being "easy" -- Colie has no friends at home and doesn't expect to find any in Colby, North Carolina. But then she lands a job at the Last Chance Cafe and meets fellow waitresses Morgan and Isabel, best friends with a loving yet volatile relationship. Wacky yet wise, Morgan and Isabel help Colie see herself in a new way and realize the potential that has been there all along.

About the Story

Main  Character: Nicole "Colie" Sparks

Age: 15

School Year or Summer?: Summer.

Boy: Norman

First description of the boy: "...a guy with shoulder-length brown hair, a tie-dyed T-shirt, cutoff army shorts, and Birkenstocks. He had about a million of those Deadhead hippie bracelets on his wrist and he was wearing sunglasses with blue frames." (page 8)

Crushable?: Sort of...in a way that sneaks up on you.

Big Secret?: Not really.

Heavy Storyline?: Yes.

Parents Together?: No. Colie's never met her father.
Sibling(s)?: No.

Takes Place In: Colby.

Cameos: Definitely The Last Chance, but I'm having a hard time nailing down which novels it pops up in. I also think the big pot hole Colie's aunt Mira mentions on their road features in, I think, The Truth About Forever.

About the Book

Released: 1999

Epigraph?: No.

Format (of the copy I read): Paperback

Own?: Yes.

Signed?: No.

Read or Reread: Reread.

Age when first read: Oh boy..15? 16?

New cover vs older cover: New. The jean shorts and bare midriff are all wrong for Colie, even if the sunglasses fit in. The new one features fireworks, which play into the story.

My Thoughts
I can't quite decide what made me not love Keeping the Moon. It's still a really great story and a fabulous one for young girls because Colie's growth is so well defined and shows what can happen when you really start to believe in yourself and learn that other peoples' opinions don't really matter all that much. In a non-hokey way. Promise. There's still the depth and realness in this book that I love in Dessen's work.
Something Sandy and I have talked about before was the fact that the name of the restaurant that comes up frequently in Dessen's books has changed over the years. In this novel, it's the Last Chance Bar and Grill. At some point over the years, Dessen changed it to Last Chance Cafe and, in fact, it's changed in the synopsis and on her website on the Keeping the Moon page. Why did this happen? A simple oversight or the fact that a "bar and grill" isn't the best or most glamourous place for teens to be hanging out?
Looking back, I know I was pretty lucky in high school. I didn't have to deal with the crap that Colie did with her weight. I was actually more like Morgan as she says, "I was so skinny you could see my collarbone from a mile off. ... Plus I was ten feet taller than any of the boys. And since my mom never wanted to buy me any new clothes and I kept growing, all my skirts and pants were too short. My nickname was Highwater." (Page 133) Yep, I was that girl with the too short pants. Not because my mom wouldn't buy me clothes but because we couldn't find any that fit me. This is a problem that still haunts me today!
Anyway...even with all of the problems in her life, or perhaps because of them, Colie is a strong girl, deep down, as all Dessen's characters are - even if she doesn't realize it at first. It was so amazing watching her "become a butterfly" (if you read the book that makes sense!). I think it was even better watching her transform because she was so young. She was learning some great lessons at just fifteen and I'm confident that the last couple of years of high school will turn out ok for her (as ok as high school can be!).
For those wondering about the romance, it's there in this story but it is by no means the central story (which is true for most of Dessen's books). This story is about Colie finding herself, true, but I think the other reason the romance doesn't play a huge part is because she's only fifteen. Norman isn't your typical leading man and, as I stated earlier, his charm and personality sneak up on you and you eventually realize that he's an incredibly decent guy.
Would I still recommend Keeping the Moon even though I didn't loooove it? Absolutely. I think this is a great one for younger teens both because of the age of Colie and the overall story and themes. I liked it and I'd definitely still recommend it.

Sandy's Thoughts

Keeping the Moon is one of the first novels by Sarah Dessen that I ever read. As with every one of her novels the characters are strong and vivid. From the moment you start reading you are transported into Colie’s world and into the summer that transforms her.

We are introduced to Colie after she has changed her outward image from fat and frumpy to skinny and obscured. She is still trying to figure out who she is on the inside and how to show the world that girl. After an adolescence of shameful hiding she is used to being alone or being treated as the punch line. When she arrives in Colby she finds an aunt who is treated much the same way. She assumes that Mira is just like her, the fat girl who internalizes all of the insults thrown her way. Mira is different; she focuses on the good in her life and not the bad. She finds good in everything around her and that positive attitude begins to change the way Colie sees herself and the people around her.

After years of abuse from the stereotypical mean girls Colie is hesitant to let anyone in. This makes her apprehensive about every new person she meets even the ones who take her in at the Last Chance Café. Morgan, Isabel and Norman are all quirky in their own ways but not afraid to show their true selves to anyone who might be looking. Morgan is emotional, Isabel is bitchy and Norman is artsy. Colie makes snap judgements about all of them and is taught a valuable lesson. No one is perfect, no character or heroine in any Sarah Dessen novel is, and like all people they have flaws. It is these flaws that allow the reader to identify or sympathize with the character and cheer for them to have a happy ending. In life the flaws about a person are often what you end up liking most. (Blogger note: YES! This is exactly what I was thinking but just couldn't express.)

Sarah Dessen explores a very interesting topic in this novel. She focuses on the very real existence of girls bullying girls. Colie is mercilessly teased for no reason. No one in any of the schools she has attended takes the time to get to know her, they just judge her based on her looks. That is every teenage girl’s greatest fear. The problem is that there will always be bullies, people who believe they are better than others and use put downs and insults as a way to show it. When you grow up you learn that all that matters is what you believe about yourself. It is important not to let the negative voices be the ones telling you who you are. It takes a summer and a lot of personal discovery but Colie is eventually able to stand up to her tormentors. Every girl bully is a pro at dishing out the insults but once confronted they have no higher ground to stand on and judge. Also, the old tale about strength in numbers is valuable by today’s standards. If a bully sees that you have people who could care less about what they say about you, it takes away a lot of their power as well.

As I was reading the parts that described what Colie’s school life was like I couldn’t help wishing that she had come to my public school. New kids were so rare in our little community that everyone wanted to be friends with them, or at least get to know them, in our grade anyway. It is cruel for kids be so mean to someone, just like them, who already feels awkward and left out. I was so happy when Morgan and Isabel took her under their tutelage and showed her what is was like to have real friends. Confidence comes from having a network of support that you can count on. A group of people who believe in you and accept you the way you are is essential during all points of time. Friends are the best support group for any girl from nine to ninety.

I find Mira’s philosophy to be the perfect antidote to self-shame or misjudgements. She tells Colie that “perfect is a lot to expect from something… we all have our faults.” And “ If something doesn’t work exactly right, or maybe needs some special treatment, you don’t just throw it away…Sometimes we need to have the patience to give something the little nudge it needs.”( Page 118/119) Mira is a wise woman. Everything, everyone has a use, has a purpose and we all deserve to be seen as worthy. Tweaking is necessary to life and to appliances. But everyone has the right to be useful and feel wanted.

Keeping the Moon is a fabulous guide to gaining confidence for young girls. You can be bullied and feel like a loser because of it, but you are only what you believe. Somewhere out there is the perfect set of friends for you, the people you belong with and they know the real person you truly are. Finding them helps you to find yourself and create a bastion against the harshness of life by having people to share in life’s goodness.

Next month
We're getting near the end! November's Dessen novel is What Happened to Goodbye. I didn't love this one as much as I had expected and I'm hoping I like it more this time around.