The WordSmithe
I love a good book! Young Adult, New Adult, Adult and nearly any genre. If it’s well-written, I’ll read it. And, I love to talk about what I’ve written.
I have a WIP–a new adult dystopian novel. I’m also exploring short fiction.
Find my reviews here, on Wordpress, on Tumblr, on Facebook (The Word Smithe), Goodreads.com, and Amazon.
If you’re an author and you’d like me to review your book, just drop me a line. I’ll be happy to read an ARC. I always give an honest review. And, even if I didn’t particularly go crazy for your story, I will stay positive. I believe something redeeming can be found in nearly every book.
Mean Girls Meet Desperate Housewives
I received an ecopy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Lauren Saft’s "Those Girls" was disturbingly good! It was like “Mean Girls” met up with the cast of “Desperate Housewives”.
There was so much drama going on amongst prep schoolers. It made me glad to no longer be a high schooler. I attended a private co-ed school. The stereotype back then was kids who went to same sex schools were overly obsessed with the opposite sex. After reading Saft’s book, I wonder if that was a stereotype or just a keen observation on life.
Saft’s characters were well-developed and oh, so complex. My favorites were Alex and Drew. Out of all the characters, they were the most normal. Alex and Drew spent too much time trying to figure themselves out and handle the drama in their lives. And, that drama came courtesy of their friends Mollie and Veronica. Oh my god! Those two girls were the worst ever. Totally mean, totally self-absorbed and totally pitiful. They weren’t true villains. They were just confused girls trying to play big girl games.
It took me a minute to realize who the real villains were in "Those Girls". Each girl was her own villain. Each of them had personal demons that needed to be excised. Mollie used sex with the hopes of keeping a guy in love with her. Veronica thought promiscuity was the road to success. Alex tried to hide her true self behind the guise of being every guy’s good buddy. She could hang with the fellas and they accepted her openly. Saft gave readers a glimpse at how a trio of girls tried to deal with anorexia/bulimia, self-deprecation and insecurity. I only hope that today’s youth aren’t using these tactics.
"Those Girls" was a well-crafted tale with a lot of social relevance. It made me wonder about issues facing today’s high school girls. Do they understand that actions have consequences? Clearly Mollie, Veronica and Alex didn’t understand that until it was too late. But, did they learn their lessons? We shall see. Lauren Saft is working on a sequel to this thought-provoking story.
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