Not That Kind Of Girl

Mar 30, 2012 Emily May rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-na, 2012

In short, this book is about high school, sexuality, girl power, challenging the "slut" idea... to say I wanted to love it would be an understatement. This book gets right down to the issues I am interested in and I appreciate any attempt to remind young men and women that, at the end of the day, most of us just really are that kind regardless of gender or sexual preference. As long as it's done with safety and consent, I don't think teen sex is a bad thing.

And I would love, I repeat love, to g...more

In short, this book is about high school, sexuality, girl power, challenging the "slut" idea... to say I wanted to love it would be an understatement. This book gets right down to the issues I am interested in and I appreciate any attempt to remind young men and women that, at the end of the day, most of us just really are that kind regardless of gender or sexual preference. As long as it's done with safety and consent, I don't think teen sex is a bad thing.

And I would love, I repeat love, to give Siobhan Vivian the benefit of the doubt and assume I know exactly what she was trying to say with this book, and yet I would be lying if I said I was actually sure. In fact, I'm slightly bewildered by all the mixed messages flying around in this novel and I'm tempted to go search out some author interviews to see if I can shed some light on Ms. Vivian's point here.

At the beginning, the protagonist - Natalie - reminds me of the radical feminism that destroyed the US in The Handmaid's Tale. She believes that when girls wear revealing clothing to get boys' attention they are objectifying themselves, she also notes from experience how boys can ruin a girl's reputation if they become too involved. She seems to believe that the only way a girl can stay independent and focused on education/careers is to avoid boys completely during high school. Natalie also regards another girl's behaviour as slutty when she does a sexy dance routine in the hallway.

This other girl - Spencer - is the complete opposite. She believes slut-shaming is sexist and that girls should be allowed to express their sexuality anyway they want. I'm rather inclined to agree, and yet the moral of this story regarding Spencer's behaviour doesn't seem to be a positive one - (view spoiler). I feel like I'm back in the land of Ten Things We Did again, where the author seems to be making an important statement about female sexuality and then she just goes and throws a spanner in the works.

One small thing that annoyed me was the sudden rush to forgive Mike Dombitz. Everyone seemed to suddenly believe that he'd been treated unfairly even though he was the one who started all the disgusting, petty crap. I thought Spencer's revenge was brilliant and not too far at all. Though I will say now we're onto the subject of male characters, I think they are very lacking. The only remotely nice guy is Connor - who seems way too good to be true, by the way - and the rest are sex-obsessed monsters. It doesn't seem to matter whether you're on the anti-slut-shaming or the anti-sex side, men are still evil and none of them are good enough for any woman, ever. Natalie believes they are nasty and all want to control her, Spencer believes that they are nothing but sexual beings that women need to manipulate with their own sexuality. Woah girls, I adore the "love thyself" message but I don't condone the "hate men" message, I don't think that's what being a strong, independent woman is about - these things actually give feminism a bad name.

I do think that the author was trying to pull these two types of feminism together - Ms strong and independent, and Ms pro-sexuality - to combine the two and show that in reality you need to find some kind of healthy medium. I think she's right about that. I also enjoyed this book immensely, I was hooked on the characters, the interesting ideas presented, the romance... but in the end, the message was just a little too sloppy for me. I think I know what Vivian wanted to say, but it was far from clear. For that reason, this book gets 3 stars from me.
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Feb 01, 2011 Tatiana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Tatiana by: Heather

Shelves: ala-ya-2011, 2011, ya

Ok, after meditating on this story during my yoga class, I am going to knock off a star. The more I think about it, the more it seems to me the message this novel sends is rather wishy-washy.

I appreciate any YA book that explores the subject of female sexuality. And Not That Kind Of Girl conveys the sort-of-feminist message that if a girls has sex, she doesn't automatically become a slut, quite well. I just wish the author didn't choose to deliver this message by making the main female characte...more Ok, after meditating on this story during my yoga class, I am going to knock off a star. The more I think about it, the more it seems to me the message this novel sends is rather wishy-washy.

I appreciate any YA book that explores the subject of female sexuality. And Not That Kind Of Girl conveys the sort-of-feminist message that if a girls has sex, she doesn't automatically become a slut, quite well. I just wish the author didn't choose to deliver this message by making the main female character such a high-strung, man-hating, borderline psycho feminazi who can only be humanized by having some schmexing. Surely, there was no need to feed into the stereotype that every staunch feminist just needs some banging to loosen up and stop being so stuck-up?

It is great that Siobhan Vivian portrays that having a boyfriend and being in a relationship doesn't make a strong woman any weaker, but it also, IMO, doesn't make a girl deficient if she chooses to focus on studies and social activities and put aside dating for later, as the author seems to imply as well. I am afraid that while saying that having sex is OK, Vivian forgets to mention that NOT having sex is OK too.

Plus, I do truly have a problem with sex being used as something to divert one's mind from problems, and with someone you don't really know. That is exactly what Natalie does in this novel. Luckily, her partner is a nice guy, but still, that's not the approach to sex I care for.

The other complaint I have is that Natalie's character needed a little more development. Her ardent desire to be a "good girl" and her almost psychotically hostile behavior towards guys lead me to believe there was some major trauma in her past or at least a very strong parental influence. You don't really see even super-smart girls act like that for no good reason. Intelligence doesn't automatically come with a chastity belt. Girls try to be "good" so hard mostly to compensate for something else. I thought maybe Autumn's fish stick incident affected Natalie to such an extent, but apparently she had been like that long prior.

It would also be nice to know what exactly Connor finds so attractive about Natalie. I liked him a lot, but I could never understand his initial interest in her. Natalie sure didn't appear to be charming in any way.

And then there is Spencer who uses her sexuality as a weapon. Wouldn't it be interesting to know who and how taught this 14-year old to act this way?

I keep comparing Not That Kind Of Girl to E. Lockhart's Ruby Oliver books and it is clear that Lockhart is more subtle and plain better at writing on this subject, she is more embracing of multiple choices young women can make in regards to their sexuality. But still, Not That Kind Of Girl is not bad and is quite a page-turner after the trying first 100 pages or so. Too bad I can't quite agree with what this book teaches, but then again, is there a correct answer what is right and what is wrong in sex? I heard today on the radio about this married couple where wife is bi-sexual and is allowed to have a female lover on the side, while husband is obligated to be faithful to his wife (and is fine with this arrangement), so what do I know, right?

P.S. This cover doesn't do this book any favors. (less)

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Dec 11, 2010 Janina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, contemporary, on-my-shelf, read-in-2010, romance, available-for-swapping

Well. I just flew through Not That Kind of Girl in a couple of hours this afternoon. If you are wondering, yes, I actually would have had other, more important things to do. Such as studying, for example. But after exhausting myself pointlessly on a 6x6 matrix for about an hour, I decided to throw in the towel and reward myself with some quality book time. Which is something the main character here, Natalie, probably would not approve of.

Natalie has big goals in life. She is more intelligent th...more Well. I just flew through Not That Kind of Girl in a couple of hours this afternoon. If you are wondering, yes, I actually would have had other, more important things to do. Such as studying, for example. But after exhausting myself pointlessly on a 6x6 matrix for about an hour, I decided to throw in the towel and reward myself with some quality book time. Which is something the main character here, Natalie, probably would not approve of.

Natalie has big goals in life. She is more intelligent than most other people at her school and she knows it. She wants to be someone. So she works hard for it and won’t let herself be distracted by anything. Especially not by boys. But with this ambition also comes a certain aloofness and a self-imposed isolation that may be viewed as pride and arrogance. Natalie most definitely is not as wise and knowing as she thinks she is, and she has to learn that in a sometimes painful way.
I can definitely see people thinking of her as an arrogant and annoying character, but I grew to like her. She is flawed, and she desperately needs to learn a lesson (or two), yet you can see that she is not being a snob on purpose. She wants to shelter the one person she truly cares for, her friend Autumn (even if she is carrying it to excess sometimes), and she wants to meet the expectations of those around her – and especially the expectations she has for herself.
I enjoyed seeing her grow throughout the novel, and see her realise that being with a guy you like does not imply that you are dependent on him. That is does not make you any less strong as a woman. That it does not necessarily mean he is only using you. And that sleeping with him does not automatically make you a slut.

I really liked to see the girls' totally different ways of dealing with their problems in this book. Natalie is the one to close up, push people away and snap at them. Autumn has retreated into the shadow of her friend. And Spencer just tries to hold her head high and live with it. Which sometimes works and other times doesn’t. Yet all three of them grow and find their own way.

Connor is definitely a swoon-worthy crush, and I appreciated how Siobhan Vivian succeeded in portraying him a bit like the stereotype footballer on the outside, but as a totally different person on the inside as you get to know him better. I would have wished for the interactions between him and Natalie to have a bit more depth, though.

So don't let yourself be fooled by the cover. Although this book clearly features the romance I expected it to, it is also a novel about friendship, about finding out who you want to be and about accepting that being any kind of girl can be totally fine – if it is what you want and what makes you happy.
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Jan 24, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, ya, ala-s-best-books

When I picked up Not that kind of Girl, I was expecting light and fluffy. After all, the cover boasts a young, pretty couple in the throes of what looks to be a sweet, affectionate kiss. Naturally, I assumed this book would contain a three star YA romance albeit with some added teenage emotional drama for added conflict. In other words, I was expecting a Dessen novel, but what I got was so much more. While I was anticipating a cutesy romance, I received a wonderful tale about what it means to be...more When I picked up Not that kind of Girl, I was expecting light and fluffy. After all, the cover boasts a young, pretty couple in the throes of what looks to be a sweet, affectionate kiss. Naturally, I assumed this book would contain a three star YA romance albeit with some added teenage emotional drama for added conflict. In other words, I was expecting a Dessen novel, but what I got was so much more. While I was anticipating a cutesy romance, I received a wonderful tale about what it means to be a teenage girl. A girl who thought she had it all figured out and is now discovering herself for the first time. Sounds cliché I know, but at 25, this book somehow managed to give me some food for thought.

Natalie is a senior in high school. She has spent her school years buried in books and community service in hopes that she can gain entrance into a top college. She has one friend to her name, Autumn, who was ostracized by the remaining student body freshman year after an unfortunate boyfriend fiasco. Most would find Natalie’s world empty and boring. She never goes to parties, has never had a boyfriend or even a first kiss. Her experience has been limited, but that hardly prevents her from having a world view. You see, Natalie learned a great deal from Autumn’s traumatic experience. Boys can’t be trusted, and nothing good can be gained from attempting to earn their attention. Natalie has it all together, she’s pretty, intelligent, accomplished and assumingly intuitive. Never for a moment has Natalie considered the fact that she could be wrong, that being attracted to someone and wanting to be attractive to them in return is the natural order of things. Never has she considered that there could be such a thing as genuine jocksters. But this year, there’s a new freshman girl in town, and she, along with the good looking senior jock, Conner, are about to open Natalie’s eyes to a whole new realm of possibilities.

Not that kind of Girl taps into the very essence of a battle that all young girls face throughout their lives. There’s a fine line between prudishness and whorishness. Women often walk a tightrope on their journey of self discovery. What’s sexually empowering, when does it become slutty, when do we lose control? And how to we maintain that control while delving into our own sexuality? This was a brilliant story that fully encompassed the awkwardness, the impotence, and uncertainty that accompanies our teen years. I felt as though I had been thrown back into high school as the portrayal, verbage, etc. was spot on. I felt Natalie’s joy, fear, pain and frustration and was glad to see her finally come to terms with a very valuable lesson. Siobhan Vivian has written a wonderful story that I would recommend to women of any age. (less)

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May 17, 2012 Ariana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, ya-contemporary, sweet-romance

This book was as beautiful as the cover. I loved it!

The cover
I've been waiting to read this book from the moment I first saw the cover. Look at it. Isn't it beautiful? Not only the girl and the boy (they are cute), but that precise moment.

In my opinion this is one of the best moments in life (not as great as for example, holding your baby in your arms for the first time, but anyways you get my point).
It's one of those moments that fill your heart with joy and anticipation and in every cell of...more

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Apr 20, 2011 Cory rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of Sarah Dessen and Elizabeth Scott

Recommended to Cory by: Tatiana

Eh, not bad. Kind of heavy on the messages though. And the cover is misleading. This isn't really heavy on the romance. Thankfully, it focuses more on girl/girl friendships. The first 1/3rd was four-star material. In fact, it reminded me of Saving Francesca. The second half was two-star material. It was very All-American Girl.

I don't agree with a lot of the messages, and only two characters really stood out: Spencer and Natalie. The rest were two-dimensional. Autumn had potential, but the messag...more

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Mar 25, 2011 Tammara added it

Shelves: favorites

This is going onto my Favorite Books Ever list. If you know what it's like to be a "good girl" but feel compelled to do something "bad" that, strangely, you don't feel bad for doing (but still feel the need to hide it), then you'll understand and feel a kinship with Natalie.

Natalie has all the good intentions in the world. She wants to be a good friend, she wants to develop her leadership abilities, she wants to concentrate on her academics. She's been doing these things for most of her high sch...more

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Sep 07, 2011 Nomes rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, swoon-worthy-crushes, i-own

Not That Kind of Girl is my third Siobhan Vivian book. I've read all her books in order: A Little Friendly Advice was cute but perhaps too lower YA for me (in themes, vibe). I really loved Same Difference ~ it has some aspects that make the book very much my thing ~ an artistic setting (summer art school) and an older YA crush (her college-aged assistant art teacher-y guy) and it's themes are strong but subtly explored.

However, I struggled with her third novel. Not in terms of reading it (read i...more

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Mar 06, 2011 Kristy rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: high school girls!

This was a little bit too black and white for me, too "this is good and this is bad". The lines were drawn. This is what a good girl is, this is what a bad girl is. This is how it's supposed to be.
Almost too much "Girl Power", feminism for me. It loses a few points for me because it doesn't seem all that realistic and the characters weren't all that likeable.

That being said, I have to give credit to an author who is not promoting teen sex. The bad girl is not the winner. The good girl might no...more

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May 20, 2012 Josheka rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: complicated-love-story, e-book, interesting-and-funny, liked-the-characters, teen, ya-romance, wanted-to-strangle-the-heroine

More of my reviews @ Reading 24x7

This one was a quick, fluffy read. Even though I usually dislike books where the female protagonist keeps making silly mistakes and getting into messy situations again and again, I could sometimes understand Natalie and her reasons for being a little stupid. :P

description

The following review has some spoilers so proceed at your own risk

So basically, the story is about Natalie who's a perfect daughter, student, leader and (according to her) a perfect best friend who thinks...more More of my reviews @ Reading 24x7

This one was a quick, fluffy read. Even though I usually dislike books where the female protagonist keeps making silly mistakes and getting into messy situations again and again, I could sometimes understand Natalie and her reasons for being a little stupid. :P

description

The following review has some spoilers so proceed at your own risk

So basically, the story is about Natalie who's a perfect daughter, student, leader and (according to her) a perfect best friend who thinks she is very much in control of her life and knows who she is and what she wants.
However, pretty quickly, things start going downhill in her life when her best friend actually starts standing up for herself and stops agreeing to her opinions and becomes more social. Natalie herself had very little friends courtesy of her closed-off and proud nature, so needless to say she starts getting worried as she doesn't wants share her best friend with anybody but then Amelia, her best friend gets tired of her prissy attitude and leaves her. Since her life was quickly becoming far from perfect, she needed something (or someone) to distract herself from all this mess and then comes Connor. Hot, confident, sweet and totally, totally lovable! Natalie starts this friends-with-benefits sort of thing with him, although you cant really call them friends since they hardly talk publicly.
Then (predictably) because of some silly decisions, the once-perfect girl finds herself the centre of the gossip about her secret late night adventures with Connor. She gets mad, not because of her ruined image, but because she knew how many people she had disappointed who used to believe in her. Finally, she realizes that no matter how much she convinced herself otherwise, she had to accept herself sometime and stop hiding. She accepts the facts that she had been a crappy bestfriend, was in love with Connor, was far from perfect and definitely "That Kind Of Girl".

Personally, I found Natalie reallyyyyy egoistic and confused and nice at the same time. Many a times I found myself rolling my eyes or face-palming myself because of her stupid-ness but the way the author wrote this story made me really, really like it. Natalie might have been too much of a feminist at times but she was caring and soft too. One moment I was pulling at my hair for being so rude to Connor (whom I've fallen in love with) and in another moment I could hug her for being so sweet to people she cared so much about. There were so many funny parts where I laughed out loud (and recieved "are-you-crazy?" looks from other people in the library) and then there was the emotional last part where Natalie and Amelia reconcile where I nearly cried even though many people wouldn't really find it that emotional. But what can I say? Forgiveness and reconciling best friends always fill my heart with a little too much joy.. :P
Spencer was my favourite character in the story. She was a freshman who Natalie used to babysit was she was little. Spencer was smart, confident and knew what she wanted from the beginning. Even though most of the time she pretended to be a little too grown-up for someone her age,I admired her leadership qualities and sunny nature. At times she made much more sense than Natalie which I think made the story even more interesting.
Anyway, overall I liked this book but I would've liked it even more if Natalie had made fewer mistakes and was a little less egoistic and was nicer to Connor who was there by her side no matter what. I liked the ending and the way finally things turned out for Natalie and everyone around her. :D(less)

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Aug 27, 2011 Faye rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011, young-adult, romance

It was quite good and I liked it in a sense that it was about a girl, a smart girl who had her good reputation and she was the President of their Student Council to top that all and she really badly want to meet other’s expectations from her like her teacher whom she sees as her role model because she looks very independent and a very powerful woman. She was the kind of girl who follow the rules, the kind who implements them until she did a very big mistake of falling for a jock who’s best frien...more

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Feb 11, 2012 Tara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-ya-contemporary-challenge, contemporary, swoon

Not that kind of girl was a quick and easy book to read. It was a great story of life in high school, with the focus on girls, and how hard it is sometimes to be the person you really are. There are a lot of challenges in high school - to be in with the right group, to have the right friends, to have the right boyfriend, to get good grades, to please your parents... it is all really hard. The main characted in this book, Natalie - well to start with I liked her. Then I found her annoying. Then I...more

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Jan 26, 2011 Morgan Renae rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, dislike-cover, young-adult

Natalie goes by the rules. Get up, go to school, get straight A's, go to student council, go to bed. So when she becomes student council president and gains an enemy, her friends past comes back with unfortunate news, and an old job is brought up again in a whole new way, Natalie's life starts unraveling.

Not That Kind of Girl was different from what I expected. I'm not sure what I really think about it. You know what this book felt like to me? It felt like a situation where you watch a random sh...more

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Dec 30, 2010 Sara Grochowski rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, reviewed

I'm not really sure why I waited so long to read one of Siobhan Vivian's novels, but, after NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL, I'll be definitely be reading the rest as soon as possible.

Natalie Sterling is a typical teen with very rigid views of what's right and wrong. For the most part, her entire high school career has gone according to plan, but his year things start to fall apart. Before she knows what's happening the line between right and wrong has begun to blur and Natalie finding herself slowly vent...more

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Nov 05, 2010 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, favorites

You're either 'that kind of girl' or your not..... right?

What a fantastic novel. I've been reading some exceptionally well written and meaningful novels lately and Not That Kind of Girl is one of them. Vivian has made a fan out of me! Looking forward to her future titles and may have to get her two previous titles to devour as well.

Struggling with who you are... and how you want people to see you, is something that I don't ever think you grow out of. I know I still struggle with it as an adult a...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Guilherme rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"A orientação tinha de ser algo desse tipo.Tínhamos de informar coisas úteis em vez das regras de manutenção de armário.Ouvir uma história como esta era tão importante quanto saber seu tipo sanguíneo, ou se você é alérgico a picada de insetos.
Era o tipo de informação que poderia salvar a vida de uma garota."

Not That Kind of GirlO primeiro livro do selo: Novo Conceito Jovem, "Não sou este tipo de Garota" nos leva a um universo teen, contado em 1ª pessoa por Natalie, uma garota que está no último...more "A orientação tinha de ser algo desse tipo.Tínhamos de informar coisas úteis em vez das regras de manutenção de armário.Ouvir uma história como esta era tão importante quanto saber seu tipo sanguíneo, ou se você é alérgico a picada de insetos.
Era o tipo de informação que poderia salvar a vida de uma garota."

Not That Kind of GirlO primeiro livro do selo: Novo Conceito Jovem, "Não sou este tipo de Garota" nos leva a um universo teen, contado em 1ª pessoa por Natalie, uma garota que está no último ano da escola e quer entrar em uma boa universidade.Em meio as mesmas histórias, como jovens, sexo, conflitos adolescentes, etc, Siobhan Vivian propõe o enredo diferente, com a personagem principal com características diferenciadas das outras garotas com seu jeito "feminista" e imponente.

"Você precisa saber quem você é, o que você quer, e então usar seus poderes femininos para dominar os meninos."
Posso dizer que Natalie Sterling me agradou(por mais que no meio da história caia em tentações masculinas como as outras garotas, não deixa se levar e impõe seu comportamento).
A história tem um clima leve, com 248 páginas, você lê rapidamente e se surpreende acompanhando o último ano da jovem e vê também o lado apimentado da High School americana.

"Em vez de abafarmos esse incidente, abriríamos um diálogo sobre ele.Quero que nossas garotas saibam que são muito mais do que meras mercadorias sexuais que precisam ter objetivos e aspirações mais altos."

Este livro "teen", pode mostrar a seus leitores com uma história intrigante e divertida, valores éticos, como se por diante os outros e não deixar que seres repugnantes(pessoas) destruam seu sonho, por mais que pareça louco, estranho ou impossível para alguns, por que o que temos que ter como objetivo, em minha opnião, é querer sempre mais e melhor, nunca parar ou decair, não ouvir drogas e críticas destrutivas que alguns idiotas dizem sobre você ou sua vida.

Guilherme Franco / O SIMBOLISTA
http://osimbolista.blogspot.com.br/20...(less)

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Jan 02, 2013 Brooke rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-reviewed

Favourite Quote = “That's how quickly people's perceptions could change. It only took one mistake, one stupid decision.”

I really liked Siobhan Viven’s book ‘The List’ so much that I gave it 5 stars. So I had really high hopes for this novel, but it doesn’t live it to them unfortunately. That being said I still gave it 3/5 stars and would recommend it.

First thing I was disappointed about was the plot. I looked at the cover and thought this would be a cute romance novel but really the romance is...more

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Dec 23, 2012 Jami rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-with-caution

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Overall this book was okay. Natalie was really well characterized and I liked the story. I could relate to her concerns after she sees how other girls get treated with regard to their sexuality.

The issues presented were covered nicely and I liked reading it. There were only two missteps for me in the whole book but they were so huge that I was forced to take away a whole star for each of them.

The first one was: The Connor Might Be a Rapist Subplot never getting resolved one way or the other. Bas...more Overall this book was okay. Natalie was really well characterized and I liked the story. I could relate to her concerns after she sees how other girls get treated with regard to their sexuality.

The issues presented were covered nicely and I liked reading it. There were only two missteps for me in the whole book but they were so huge that I was forced to take away a whole star for each of them.

The first one was: The Connor Might Be a Rapist Subplot never getting resolved one way or the other. Based on Connor's unwillingness to talk about how he lost his virginity and his absolute meltdown after sleeping with Natalie basically texting her over and over again that he DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG! (his caps, not mine) I felt the author went out of her way to try to say that whatever happened with that first girl, later she tried to say it wasn't consensual.

Smart girl that Natalie is, though, she never once follows up on this. She never asks around about it. She never tracks down this girl to hear her side of things. For a girl who spends so much time thinking and re-thinking and thinking some more about sex and who's having it, etc you really would think this would have raised more red flags.

It's hard to like the Designated Love Interest when in the background he's being portrayed as secretive and defensive and hysterically obstinate about a prior relationship. I wanted to like him, but I just kept asking myself, "Did he rape that other girl?" And I couldn't let it go.

The other thing that I disliked, another Connor incident, unfortunately, is that the one thing Natalie asks him to do (Not tell anyone) he does anyway. And not only that, he tells the one person who's been torturing Natalie publicly throughout the novel! And he just shrugs and says, "Oh well he's my friend."

And Domski just revels in his chance to tell Natalie how much Connor says she's a slut who begs for it all the time. And you know what, I kind of believe that Connor might have said that. Or something close enough to it that when Domski said, "Oh so that girl's really a slut, huh?" Connor probably never contradicted him even once.

And Natalie forgives him! Which I thought was just outrageous. The Natalie in the first hundred pages would never have been so spineless. Keeping their relationship a secret was a reasonable request on Natalie's part. Connor suffered nothing for keeping it to himself, it wasn't hurting him to stay silent, so when he betrayed her at the end I just couldn't like him anymore at all. The only reason Connor told Mike about his relationship with Natalie was to brag. He got nothing else out of it but that, so no, I just can't like Connor anymore after that. Sorry.

So while this book makes some excellent points about female sexuality and the sexual politics of high school, the actual "romance" part of it was bland at times and offensive in others. I wish Connor and Natalie had just had a blowout fight and she dumped him for good. I would have respected her more and she still would have learned everything that she learned by the end of the book.

I still like Vivian's writing. I loved "The List," and I will continue to read what she puts out but this one just didn't work for me.

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Dec 09, 2012 Kala rated it 3 of 5 stars

At first, I wanted to like this book. I liked that Natalie Sterling was going to be a strong female character who was proud of getting good grades and being a leader. But as you get in to the book, Natalie becomes more and more unlikable. She treats her best friend, Autumn, poorly throughout the book and I was surprised it took that long for Autumn to ditch her. Natalie comes across like a man-hating, slut-shaming feminazi and until the last 2-3 pages I really hated her.

We never really get a re...more At first, I wanted to like this book. I liked that Natalie Sterling was going to be a strong female character who was proud of getting good grades and being a leader. But as you get in to the book, Natalie becomes more and more unlikable. She treats her best friend, Autumn, poorly throughout the book and I was surprised it took that long for Autumn to ditch her. Natalie comes across like a man-hating, slut-shaming feminazi and until the last 2-3 pages I really hated her.

We never really get a reason for WHY she acts that way either. There is a prologue telling a story about a freshman girl who dated a popular senior guy for a few months but when she wouldn't put out, the guy dumps her and tells everyone that her vagina smelled like fish. But, (view spoiler)

Connor was great, but I wonder why he even liked Natalie. She treats him like garbage throughout the entire story. He brings her a bunch of wood from his family's farm for a bonfire. When it rains, he takes it upon himself to pack up all the wood and get rid of it for her. Instead of thanking him, she acts like a bitch and tells him she doesn't need a man's help and could do it herself. After they sort of start seeing each other in private, he brings her a bunch of stuff for Thanksgiving baskets (that she's putting together for student council) and she acts like a complete bitch again. Even when they're together in private she is terrible to him. I just don't see the appeal.

Spencer was an interesting character. She is the counter to Natalie's uptight feminist ways and she wants to prove to Natalie, and everyone else, that slut shaming is bad too. She does this by calling herself a "Rosstitute" (mix of the school name and prostitute), letting a boy take a naked picture of her, and otherwise acting like a slut. While I agree with her overall point, I think she goes way overboard. If my 14 year old was acting like that, I would be very disappointed in her.

I think the overall moral of the story was good. I like when a book has a bigger meaning and purpose other than the typical YA romance (will they or won't they get together?). I think the point was supposed to be for Natalie and Spencer to both realize they were going to extremes, and that meeting somewhere in the middle is probably a better option for both of them. I think that point got across.(less)

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Oct 13, 2012 Hema rated it 2 of 5 stars

As my rating says I didn't quite like this book. Natalie is a perfect girl with virtue, principles, perfect grades and everything. And she believes that girls are silly to go after boys and forget their career and life so she avoids relationships with guys. Now all of a sudden her best friend leaves her because she feels Natalie is controlling her and there is another girl in the school who Natalie thinks is slutty but couldn't help but be friends with her and there is this guy who seems to be a...more As my rating says I didn't quite like this book. Natalie is a perfect girl with virtue, principles, perfect grades and everything. And she believes that girls are silly to go after boys and forget their career and life so she avoids relationships with guys. Now all of a sudden her best friend leaves her because she feels Natalie is controlling her and there is another girl in the school who Natalie thinks is slutty but couldn't help but be friends with her and there is this guy who seems to be attracted to her.

Natalie has always been perfect but now after her best friend left, she is overwhelmed by the pressures and problems and she decides to do something different in secret for distraction. That is enter in a relationship with a guy. She says to him that what they are doing shouldn't be known to everybody and should act in school like nothing happened between them and he agrees. It is like I'll use you but you shouldn't have any say. yuck. I didn't like that at all and I can't just believe that someone like Connor would agree to that, it's unrealistic.

Natalie was just too obstinate to like and she goes on and on for so long I couldn't bear to read. And since she started to go to Connor she went again and again and again(I mean so many nights were explained in the book) and she continued to be like 'My perfect girl image is important to me and I don't want you to mess it up' and in last 3 pages things got so out of her hand and she realizes some things and the end. Okay so her learning about things might be the story but to read her doing mistakes again and again and again is so annoying.

They say woman can have power with sexuality as their weapon. The book shows that boys see that kind of character as a sex object. But in a long run when you get old, what would happen? wouldn't it be good to have people to see you for what you are and not for what you have or how you look? And most importantly the girl is just 14 and she is talking about using sex as a weapon. I had a hard time digesting that.

It does say some nice things like when people makes mistakes it is better to accept responsibilities for them and learn from them rather than accusing yourself and keep from moving on. But I just couldn't say that I liked this book.(less)

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Sep 23, 2012 Lauren Fidler rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: a-lioness-in-winter, abusive-relationships, authority-problems, bildungsroman, books-i-can-read-in-under-3-hours, clunky, doughnut-fiction, dumb, faux-ya, fiftyfiftyme, i-love-you-dont-touch-me, jane-austen-would-blush, love-like-a-bad-mixtape, manure-i-hardly-know-her, mindrot, not-good-for-mothers-of-daughters, one-plotline-too-many, paging-mary-lennox, plain-jane-gets-hot-boy, sappy-tacky-sentimental-pap, sex-and-drugs-and-rock-and-roll, super-secret-shame, unintentionally-insulting, what-a-bunch-of-assholes, wish-it-were-better, feminism-does-not-mean-woman-on-top

oh boy.

or girl.

or both.

okay, feminism is a much maligned philosophy that gets stereotyped horribly as some vaginal crusade against men. it's not. but if you read this book, i could see where you'd get easily confused.

natalie is obnoxious. she is stuck up, holier-than-thou, obsessed with her GPA and the who's-who of her AP class rosters. she wants to be the ninth female student council president, go to harvard, be a women's studies major, and live happily ever after alone and independent like her...more

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Jul 04, 2012 Shxrxn rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was why trusting boys was just like drinking and driving. Sure, some people took the risk. One or two beers never feels dangerous at the time. And not everyone who drinks and drives gets into an accident. But to me, it was obvious: Why would you even take the chance?
- Natalie
The realist in me had to accept that things wouldn't be the same...or at least, not nearly as good as how we had it right now.
- Natalie
When you travel alone,you are free to be unpredictable.
- Ms. Bee
In fact, I think I'm...more

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May 15, 2012 Amalia rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook, realistic-fiction, romance, young-adult

In so many ways, Natalie annoyed me with her over-controlling personality and her trying so hard to be a perfectionist. She kinda looked like a suck-up after a while. Which made me wondered why Connor became so suddenly interested in her. I wish there was more depth into the development of their relationship because I got nothing at all. I thought it was more of like the sex thing that bonded them together which made me think Natalie a hypocrite right from the start.

Connor also seemed too nice....more

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Apr 06, 2012 V.E. rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have sorely missed good YA for so long that this book made my heart leap with joy. This is absolutely funny and the narrator, Natalie, is completely believable because her voice is distinctly judgmental and know-it-all. I like how Siobhan talks about female sexuality in high school with Spencer and Mrs. Bee as the extremes and Natalie trying to navigate between them.
And as for the relationship scenes? YES! Those were really great. I've been so glad to take a break from Edward-Bella relationsh...more

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Feb 03, 2012 Babi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Mais resenhas: http://tintapink.blogspot.com/

Não Sou Este Tipo de Garota conta a historia de Natalie Sterling, uma garota inicialmente centrada e "certinha" que tenta sempre fazer as escolhas certas…Mas a vida é imprevisível e as coisas de uma hora pra outra podem mudar, e para Natalie elas tomaram um rumo totalmente contrario ao que sempre acreditou.

Quando Spencer, uma garota de quem Natalie foi babá à alguns anos, aparece em sua vida, tudo o que Natalie sempre julgou certo começa a mudar, Nata...more Mais resenhas: http://tintapink.blogspot.com/

Não Sou Este Tipo de Garota conta a historia de Natalie Sterling, uma garota inicialmente centrada e "certinha" que tenta sempre fazer as escolhas certas…Mas a vida é imprevisível e as coisas de uma hora pra outra podem mudar, e para Natalie elas tomaram um rumo totalmente contrario ao que sempre acreditou.

Quando Spencer, uma garota de quem Natalie foi babá à alguns anos, aparece em sua vida, tudo o que Natalie sempre julgou certo começa a mudar, Natalie tenta ajudar Spencer a ser menos…Como eu poderia colocar…Promiscua?

Mas Spencer acha que está no controle, convenhamos, uma garota de 14 anos não está MESMO no controle, Spencer acha que usar o corpo para controlar os garotos é certo…Natalie acha a atitude de Spencer errada e tenta conscientizá-la, mas Natalie acaba se tornando o que sempre julgou errado quando começa a sair com Connor Hughes, o atleta mais lindo e fofo da escola, ela não confia nos garotos, não depois de ter visto tantos exemplos negativos de garotas que são usadas e descartadas como lixo, e ela, com toda certeza, não quer ser uma delas, mas Connor é diferente…Será mesmo?

"…confiar em garotos é igual a beber e dirigir. Claro, alguns correm o risco. O fato de tomar uma ou duas cervejas nunca parece perigoso no começo."

Gostei muito da leitura, li em apenas um dia, e é o tipo de livro que você lê e nem vê o tempo passar, é narrado em primeira pessoa pela perspectiva de Natalie. Um ponto legal a ser destacado é o fato de a autora descrever cenas e lugares com precisão e sem, de forma alguma, ser cansativa, o livro não se arrasta em parte alguma, ao menos não senti arrastar-se, e os personagens tem uma grande qualidade que procuro em livros não-sobrenaturais, eles são humanos, muito humanos pra ser sincera.Temos o tema bullying, o garoto inseguro que se sente atraído pela garota que ele sabe que nuca terá então para mascarar a fraqueza ele inferniza a vida dela, temos a garota vitima do bullying que não quer chamar atenção, temos a garota levada que quer chamar a atenção, grandes amizades, laços familiares, expectativas, desilusões…O livro é um prato cheio pra quem busca uma boa narrativa com qualidade e que foge totalmente do tema sobrenatural, para os que já estão saturados.

Uma leitura reflexiva, quando terminei passei o dia pensando na sua historia, em como o mundo é injusto com as garotas e como a autora conseguiu passar a mensagem "Por que as garotas que ficam com vários são fáceis e promiscuas e os garotos que ficam com varias são gatos, conquistadores e tudo o mais", é uma mensagem interessante, nossa sociedade é extremamente preconceituosa e taxativa, as garotas tem que ser puras e castas, mas um garoto de mesma idade tem que mostrar que é o pegador…valores sociais distorcidos são tema principal nesta narrativa.

No mais, indico pra todos.

Uma ótima leitura!

Mais resenhas: http://tintapink.blogspot.com/(less)

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Nov 16, 2011 Kayla added it

Shelves: 12th-grade, advisory, first-quarter

Not That Kind of Girl
by Siobhan Vivian
Hardcover, 322 pages
Published September 1st 2010 by Push
ISBN 0545169151

When you're the good girl who does everything they way you're supposed to, it's hard to break out of that role. Natalie Sterling was that girl, in the running for student council president, her life was made up of studying, being on the honor roll, doing what was "right" and always being there for her best friend. She knows who to keep friends and who the popular people are, who aren't w...more

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Oct 25, 2011 Lesley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sex

Well-written, (mostly) realistic, and tackles an important and tricky subject: teen girl sexuality. I really liked the way it pitted two different positions against each other as part of a dramatic story and not just as an essay for a feminist studies class. One girl believes all boys want to take advantage of you and then hurt you so she avoids them entirely while another girl believes that making guys want her gives her all the power in the relationship. What they each end up learning is that...more

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Sep 22, 2011 Krstina rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book had a very simple plot which I didn't find to be that interesting it's nothing I haven't read before. It is about a determined independant girl, Natalie to strives to be nothing but the best in everything she does. However she gets involved with a guy she swore to herself she would never go after, Conner who is on the football team and friends with a guy who is a jerk to Natalie. Natalie of course does fall for him, giving the book a simple twist but I expected it and saw it comming. I...more

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Sep 19, 2011 Bibliojunkies rated it 3 of 5 stars

Slut or saint? Good friend or bad friend? In control or completely out of it?

Life is about choices, and Natalie Sterling prides herself on making the right ones. She’s avoided the jerky guys populating her prep school, always topped honor roll, and is poised to be the first female student council president in years.

If only other girls were as sensible and strong. Like the pack of freshmen yearning to be football players’ playthings. Or her best friend, whose crappy judgment nearly ruined her li...more Slut or saint? Good friend or bad friend? In control or completely out of it?

Life is about choices, and Natalie Sterling prides herself on making the right ones. She’s avoided the jerky guys populating her prep school, always topped honor roll, and is poised to be the first female student council president in years.

If only other girls were as sensible and strong. Like the pack of freshmen yearning to be football players’ playthings. Or her best friend, whose crappy judgment nearly ruined her life.

But being sensible and strong isn’t easy. Not when a prank nearly gets her expelled. Not when her advice hurts more than it helps. Not when a boy she once dismissed becomes the boy she can’t stop thinking about.

The line between good and bad has gone fuzzy, and crossing it could end in disaster . . . or become the best choice she’ll ever make.

Natalie Sterling is a perfect student. She has perfect grades. She studies religiously for her upcoming SAT’s. She is extremely focused and knows where she is going after high school. She is also a feminist with very clear views on how women should be treated and viewed. Sounds like a pretty awesome person right?

The only problem is that Natalie sees everything in black and white. Her views border and sometimes downright cross the line of extreme. You don’t notice this in the beginning. At first she seems like the super nice girl that has stood beside her best friend when said friend was going through one of the worst high school experiences ever. She is portrayed as a great leader. Someone that always has an encouraging word for the other girls. But slowly you realize that Natalie is highly judgmental and prejudiced. On more than one occasion she shows how superior she thinks she is to her classmates. Including her best friend.

Early into her senior year, when she is expecting perfection from herself and everyone around her, Natalie’s perfect life begins to unravel. A new freshman, a girl she once babysat, sets off on a course that both enrages and challenges Natalie’s way of thinking. Her best friend has decided to become less dependent and has started branching out. On top of that she has a new found attraction with one of the high school boy she so desperately mistrusts. A boy that does not fit into her future plans at all.

I really wanted to like Natalie but found that I couldn’t. Her overly superior attitude drove me nuts. And really that was the point, I think. Her attitude is repelling and that is the obstacle she needs to overcome without necessarily losing herself. As Bibliojunkie Bel reminded me today, it took “balls” on Siobhan Vivian’s part to write this character. Regardless of how I feel about Natalie Sterling, I can’t dispute that this book is excellent. The writing was wonderful. The author kept me interested. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen from one page to the next. Also, many of the secondary characters, particularly Autumn, Spencer and Connor, were quite likable. I kept reading because I wanted to know what happened to them. And I admit a part of me was hoping Natalie would change. And maybe she did….but I can’t get all spoilery now, can I? You will have to read and find out for yourself.

And here is the really tough part. Rating this book. As I said, it did keep my interest. I enjoyed the overall story. Would I recommend it? Yes, but with the caveat that the main character is extremely unlikeable. So I decided to put it in between Enjoy and Awesome which in the Bibliojunkie world is 3 ½ stars.

~ Nat
(less)

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Aug 01, 2011 Nicole rated it 3 of 5 stars

Page 15: "I nodded, even though it felt weird to be discussing things like divorce with Spencer. I was pretty sure our last conversation involved me trying to convince her that Lucky Charms would make a terrible pizza topping." -Natalie

Page 73: "I'd give my left arm for a chance to chat up Connor Hughes. That boy is . . . ungodly hot. He looks like he's been raised on whole milk and fresh blueberry muffins." -Spencer

Page 114: "There were a lot of big projects on the horizon, like the fall flower...more

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