Those Girls by Lauren Saft
Thoughts at a glance: * (I didn't like it)
Three chapters. That's all I got through before I'd decided that I'd had enough.
The book blurb says "Lauren Saft masterfully conveys what goes on in the mind of a teenage girl," but they forgot to specify that they were talking about privileged white girls who attend private school. I'm sure there are actual teenage girls like Alex, Mollie, and Veronica, but I sure haven't come across them where I teach. (Or even at the all-girls' school that I attended.)
Here's the thing: I have no doubt that teen girls dabble in sex and drinking and that they constantly throw around f-bombs. I'm not shocked by any of that, nor do I judge them on it - I am a high school teacher after all. So I'm not bothered by the "raw, honest" discussions that the three main girls have, either with each other or as a part of their narration. I just don't think that throwing in a lot of swear words and sex references automatically makes something raw or honest.
I felt like I was watching a show on the CW or something. I think I actually felt insulted on behalf of the teen girls that I know. A lot of teenagers I know are complex, contemplative, and kind, f-bombs and all.
I suppose I could've forced myself to keep reading and to try to find the redemptive qualities of these three girls, but why bother? Maybe I damned myself by trying to read this book after reading another book that had an amazing teen girl protagonist, but I lost interest really quick.