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Sad Girls
Your first love isn’t the first person you give your heart to—it’s the first one who breaks it.
School is almost out for Audrey, but the panic attacks are just beginning. Because Audrey told a lie and now her classmate, Ana, is dead. Just as her world begins to spin out of control, Audrey meets the enigmatic Rad—the boy who could turn it all around. But will their ill-timed romance drive her closer to the edge?
School is almost out for Audrey, but the panic attacks are just beginning. Because Audrey told a lie and now her classmate, Ana, is dead. Just as her world begins to spin out of control, Audrey meets the enigmatic Rad—the boy who could turn it all around. But will their ill-timed romance drive her closer to the edge?
362 pages, Paperback
First published May 30, 2017
About the author
Lang Leav
15 books10.9k followersNovelist and poet, Lang Leav is an international bestselling author and winner of a Qantas Spirit of Youth Award, Churchill Fellowship and Goodreads Choice Award. Often credited with popularizing poetry among a new generation of young readers, Lang’s poetry books, and hit novel, Sad Girls continue to top best seller charts around the world.
Lang has been featured on CNN, SBS Australia, Intelligence Squared UK, Radio New Zealand and in various publications, including Vogue, Newsweek, the Straits Times, the Guardian, and the New York Times.
She currently resides in New Zealand with her partner and fellow author, Michael Faudet.
Lang has been featured on CNN, SBS Australia, Intelligence Squared UK, Radio New Zealand and in various publications, including Vogue, Newsweek, the Straits Times, the Guardian, and the New York Times.
She currently resides in New Zealand with her partner and fellow author, Michael Faudet.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,456 reviews
June 4, 2017
Oh. My. God. What the hell was that book? If I could give it (-500) million stars, I would. Never have I ever forced myself to finish a book I hated, but I paid Php 780 for it so I decided to just read through it!
As always, let's start with the positives. I have to admit, there was ONE positive. I liked the opener of her book, which read:
"Death, like fiction, is brutal to its symmetry. Take this story and strip it down -- all the way back -- until you are left with two points. Two dots on a vast, blank canvas, separated by a sea of white. Here we have come to the first point, where the bath is drawn and the hand is reaching for the razor blade. I will meet you at the next, by the axle of a screaming wheel, the revolution of a clock, the closing of an orbit."
But then, like her opener, her writing just went RIP. And here's why:
1. Terrible characters
I hated the way she wrote her characters. I hate how Audrey and Rad were seemingly the only ones she crafted with "so much development" and all the others just exist as enablers. Duck, most especially, just existed as the boyfriend before Rad. He didn't even have a good introduction in the book, he was just the "boy who had so much history, and yet they had nothing in common." I think Duck deserved a bit more reason to be terrible toward Audrey, and there was no mention of Duck and Audrey's rocky relationship before Rad. Her friends Lucy and Candela just existed as "invisible sidekicks," (as per a review by Nina). Audrey, most especially, is the most selfish and immature child in that book. She cheated on Duck (and even defended Rad!) and cussed her mom out (what bravado!), plus thought the world revolved around her. Worst of all, she spread this awful rumor because she didn't know why! For no reason! Colorado, too, was the worst. Well, they deserved each other. Because they were the worst. THE WORST. They both killed their friend literally and figuratively!
2. Terrible plot
The plot was basically "girl meets dead friend's boyfriend (dfb) whom she didn't know about even said dead friend and her were tight knit then girl and dfb hang out then fall in love even if girl had boyfriend who didn't deserve to be cheated on." Is that what you want to teach teenage girls? Is this the moral of the story? That it's okay to cheat on your partner because you hung out with a guy you thought you connected with? The best friend died and you got with her boyfriend? Barely days after she died? Jesus Christ, what kind of book was this? And the characters just enabled her poor choices (except for Duck, bless his soul).
3. Terrible writing
I enjoyed some of Lang Leav's prose in "Love and Misadventure" (because sorry you can't be called a poet if you just break down a sentence into words, as my friend on FB said so poignantly), but please don't bring your similes into a novel. A novel is supposed to have "show, don't tell" elements and to keep things simple STUPID because you have to make the person understand the story. But instead she put stupid similes that were not only terrible, they were unnecessary. See below exhibits:
- "Rad's face filled my mind in the same way a camera lens brings a blurry image to focus."
- "We were still deep in conversation when the sun announced its arrival with an astonishing flourish of orange and pink." (aka SUNRISE)
- "A full moon hung in the sky like a Chinese lantern." - my personal favorite HAHAHA
- "It felt like at that moment, every snowflake in that field was a teardrop and the whole world was crying for her." - OMG ROFL
"His eyes are so beautiful. One is a stormy gray, the other a summer blue. That's how tornadoes are formed, you know. When dark, brooding thunderclouds come into contact with sundrenched skies." - OH MY GOD GAG ME
Plus, she had a complicated way of describing things when she could have done it simply:
- "'Sure,' said Candela, with a noncommittal shrug of her shoulders.'" aka "Candela shrugged."
- "'Audrey!'" Rad had materialized at my side." (like a mutant, ganun)
- "'Don't tell me to calm down!' I snapped, feeling disorientated." (*Disoriented)
BONUS:
"I learned that writing is the consolation prize you are given when you don't get the thing you want most."
- Hi, excuse me. Writing is not only a form of solace, it's a way of trying to make sense of the world. It's a gift, a privilege and not everyone has the ability or capability to do so. It's not just a "consolation prize," it's a way of expression. It's not an award for finishing last, because life isn't a contest. It's not a contest for those who understand and don't understand, it's about figuring out why something doesn't make sense. Anyway, writing is so much more than how this quote defines it.
So yes, bye. I hate this book.
As always, let's start with the positives. I have to admit, there was ONE positive. I liked the opener of her book, which read:
"Death, like fiction, is brutal to its symmetry. Take this story and strip it down -- all the way back -- until you are left with two points. Two dots on a vast, blank canvas, separated by a sea of white. Here we have come to the first point, where the bath is drawn and the hand is reaching for the razor blade. I will meet you at the next, by the axle of a screaming wheel, the revolution of a clock, the closing of an orbit."
But then, like her opener, her writing just went RIP. And here's why:
1. Terrible characters
I hated the way she wrote her characters. I hate how Audrey and Rad were seemingly the only ones she crafted with "so much development" and all the others just exist as enablers. Duck, most especially, just existed as the boyfriend before Rad. He didn't even have a good introduction in the book, he was just the "boy who had so much history, and yet they had nothing in common." I think Duck deserved a bit more reason to be terrible toward Audrey, and there was no mention of Duck and Audrey's rocky relationship before Rad. Her friends Lucy and Candela just existed as "invisible sidekicks," (as per a review by Nina). Audrey, most especially, is the most selfish and immature child in that book. She cheated on Duck (and even defended Rad!) and cussed her mom out (what bravado!), plus thought the world revolved around her. Worst of all, she spread this awful rumor because she didn't know why! For no reason! Colorado, too, was the worst. Well, they deserved each other. Because they were the worst. THE WORST. They both killed their friend literally and figuratively!
2. Terrible plot
The plot was basically "girl meets dead friend's boyfriend (dfb) whom she didn't know about even said dead friend and her were tight knit then girl and dfb hang out then fall in love even if girl had boyfriend who didn't deserve to be cheated on." Is that what you want to teach teenage girls? Is this the moral of the story? That it's okay to cheat on your partner because you hung out with a guy you thought you connected with? The best friend died and you got with her boyfriend? Barely days after she died? Jesus Christ, what kind of book was this? And the characters just enabled her poor choices (except for Duck, bless his soul).
3. Terrible writing
I enjoyed some of Lang Leav's prose in "Love and Misadventure" (because sorry you can't be called a poet if you just break down a sentence into words, as my friend on FB said so poignantly), but please don't bring your similes into a novel. A novel is supposed to have "show, don't tell" elements and to keep things simple STUPID because you have to make the person understand the story. But instead she put stupid similes that were not only terrible, they were unnecessary. See below exhibits:
- "Rad's face filled my mind in the same way a camera lens brings a blurry image to focus."
- "We were still deep in conversation when the sun announced its arrival with an astonishing flourish of orange and pink." (aka SUNRISE)
- "A full moon hung in the sky like a Chinese lantern." - my personal favorite HAHAHA
- "It felt like at that moment, every snowflake in that field was a teardrop and the whole world was crying for her." - OMG ROFL
"His eyes are so beautiful. One is a stormy gray, the other a summer blue. That's how tornadoes are formed, you know. When dark, brooding thunderclouds come into contact with sundrenched skies." - OH MY GOD GAG ME
Plus, she had a complicated way of describing things when she could have done it simply:
- "'Sure,' said Candela, with a noncommittal shrug of her shoulders.'" aka "Candela shrugged."
- "'Audrey!'" Rad had materialized at my side." (like a mutant, ganun)
- "'Don't tell me to calm down!' I snapped, feeling disorientated." (*Disoriented)
BONUS:
"I learned that writing is the consolation prize you are given when you don't get the thing you want most."
- Hi, excuse me. Writing is not only a form of solace, it's a way of trying to make sense of the world. It's a gift, a privilege and not everyone has the ability or capability to do so. It's not just a "consolation prize," it's a way of expression. It's not an award for finishing last, because life isn't a contest. It's not a contest for those who understand and don't understand, it's about figuring out why something doesn't make sense. Anyway, writing is so much more than how this quote defines it.
So yes, bye. I hate this book.
August 12, 2018
After Ana commits suicide, Audery can't stop having panic attacks. Audery has a secret and the guilt is killing her, knowing that a lie she told ended in Ana's death. At Ana's funeral Audery meets her boyfriend Rad and the two leave the funeral to go somewhere and talk. Audrey can't help but be attracted to Rad and can't stop thinking about him even though she has her own boyfriend. The two eventually lose touch only end up running into one another again years down the line. Audery and Rad keep being drawn together but Audery doesn't know how she can be with Rad after what The did to Ana.
The writing was okay but I didn't really enjoy the plot here. I thought the ending was kind of strange and . I just couldn't get into the book, I thought it was going to be like teenage angst but it wasn't really. I didn't feel bad for Audrey either like who lies about that I don't care how old you are. Also when I was so bored. I don't think it was necessary to add that in to the plot. It didn't really do anything for her growth, she just had another relationship. It made the book feel longer than necessary.
The writing was okay but I didn't really enjoy the plot here. I thought the ending was kind of strange and . I just couldn't get into the book, I thought it was going to be like teenage angst but it wasn't really. I didn't feel bad for Audrey either like who lies about that I don't care how old you are. Also when I was so bored. I don't think it was necessary to add that in to the plot. It didn't really do anything for her growth, she just had another relationship. It made the book feel longer than necessary.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 13, 2017
I can't ever remember being as disappointed in a book as I am with this one. I've never read any of Leav's work, but I've heard fantastic things about her poetry - I saw her as a writer to look out for. When I found out that she'd written a novel (which I prefer over poetry) I thought I'd give this a try first. I had such high hopes, and even put aside other prize-winning books I had planned to read in order to read this one, which in hindsight was a massive mistake. This book was so bad, I'm considering changing some of my other 1 star reviews because they were nowhere near this level.
I don't doubt Leav's talent. Throughout the novel, you caught glimpses of writing that were utterly beautiful. However, her writing was vastly overshadowed by the lack of plot, melodrama, and just pointlessness of the story.
I don't want to post too many spoilers because the book hasn't been published yet, but here are some of my thoughts. Any death was pointless. Candela was a filler character for melodrama even though to begin with it looked like she was inherent to the story. Lucy was an invisible sidekick. Audrey was a melodramatic, ungrateful brat who lied, cheated, and led people on just because she couldn't see anything beyond her own bubble of "me me me". And yet everything was handed to her on a plate? It's like people were laying down their jackets over puddles for her just so she didn't get her shoes wet - CONSTANTLY. I mean, I wish we could all be that lucky, but in reality, stuff like that barely ever happens. So yeah, she's not exactly Miss Relatable. Plus her sheer dickery and abusive behaviour towards most of the other characters was horrible.
I mean, this is supposedly a book about anxiety and panic attacks! I've been suffering from panic attacks since I was 17, and have been officially diagnosed with OCD since the age of 10. Audrey's experience is still not relatable. I know anxiety is different for everyone, but for me, the experience was downplayed and just seemed to be included to make the character seem more vulnerable? Having panic attacks and anxiety is exhausting and shattering and absolutely terrifying. It's life-changing, and although there was an attempt at portraying it as that, it didn't resonate with me. This may also be to do with how unlikeable Audrey was - maybe if I had warmed to her then I would've appreciated the exploration of anxiety. It'd be interesting to read reviews from people who view Audrey completely differently - seeing an alternate perspective may help me to view this book differently.
I will admit that after 40%, I knew Sad Girls would be getting 1 star and that probably biased and compromised my enjoyment of the rest of it. The synopsis hints at a plot, but that disappears within 30 pages. Plus, there is a bit in the book that belittles OCD - you know, the whole "Yeah I'm a little OCD with that". So you're a little Obsessive Compulsive Disorder about it? Firstly, grammatically that makes no sense; secondly, it belittles the experience of people who do suffer from OCD. I was really surprised to see that in there - if you're writing a book about suicide and mental illness, a big no-no is only taking certain kinds of illnesses seriously. I do not respect books that make light of mental illness or are exclusionary - you can't pick and choose which mental illnesses you're going to take seriously. That quote, although a small snippet, really hit the final nail into the coffin for me.
Right, okay *breathes*. This is probably one of the biggest rants I've ever had about a book, excluding Fifty Shades of Grey. I have no doubt of the author's integrity and purpose of this book, and I understand that it's a debut and that writing can improve. I know my review is negative, but there were occasional parts I enjoyed, and it held promise of better things in the future. I didn't like the book, and some of my critique is quite blunt, but this is in no way an attack on the author. I respect her for writing a novel and respect the intent of the book, even if for me it didn't follow through.
I don't doubt Leav's talent. Throughout the novel, you caught glimpses of writing that were utterly beautiful. However, her writing was vastly overshadowed by the lack of plot, melodrama, and just pointlessness of the story.
I don't want to post too many spoilers because the book hasn't been published yet, but here are some of my thoughts. Any death was pointless. Candela was a filler character for melodrama even though to begin with it looked like she was inherent to the story. Lucy was an invisible sidekick. Audrey was a melodramatic, ungrateful brat who lied, cheated, and led people on just because she couldn't see anything beyond her own bubble of "me me me". And yet everything was handed to her on a plate? It's like people were laying down their jackets over puddles for her just so she didn't get her shoes wet - CONSTANTLY. I mean, I wish we could all be that lucky, but in reality, stuff like that barely ever happens. So yeah, she's not exactly Miss Relatable. Plus her sheer dickery and abusive behaviour towards most of the other characters was horrible.
I mean, this is supposedly a book about anxiety and panic attacks! I've been suffering from panic attacks since I was 17, and have been officially diagnosed with OCD since the age of 10. Audrey's experience is still not relatable. I know anxiety is different for everyone, but for me, the experience was downplayed and just seemed to be included to make the character seem more vulnerable? Having panic attacks and anxiety is exhausting and shattering and absolutely terrifying. It's life-changing, and although there was an attempt at portraying it as that, it didn't resonate with me. This may also be to do with how unlikeable Audrey was - maybe if I had warmed to her then I would've appreciated the exploration of anxiety. It'd be interesting to read reviews from people who view Audrey completely differently - seeing an alternate perspective may help me to view this book differently.
I will admit that after 40%, I knew Sad Girls would be getting 1 star and that probably biased and compromised my enjoyment of the rest of it. The synopsis hints at a plot, but that disappears within 30 pages. Plus, there is a bit in the book that belittles OCD - you know, the whole "Yeah I'm a little OCD with that". So you're a little Obsessive Compulsive Disorder about it? Firstly, grammatically that makes no sense; secondly, it belittles the experience of people who do suffer from OCD. I was really surprised to see that in there - if you're writing a book about suicide and mental illness, a big no-no is only taking certain kinds of illnesses seriously. I do not respect books that make light of mental illness or are exclusionary - you can't pick and choose which mental illnesses you're going to take seriously. That quote, although a small snippet, really hit the final nail into the coffin for me.
Right, okay *breathes*. This is probably one of the biggest rants I've ever had about a book, excluding Fifty Shades of Grey. I have no doubt of the author's integrity and purpose of this book, and I understand that it's a debut and that writing can improve. I know my review is negative, but there were occasional parts I enjoyed, and it held promise of better things in the future. I didn't like the book, and some of my critique is quite blunt, but this is in no way an attack on the author. I respect her for writing a novel and respect the intent of the book, even if for me it didn't follow through.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 31, 2017
I almost liked this one but it turned out to be a ridiculous, pretentious piece of crap.
June 6, 2017
DNF at 45%
I'm so done with this book. It fucked my brain up. And not in a good way.
It may seem like I'm just nitpicking but I can't blame myself. Because once I've read something that I didn't particularly like, I'll just anticipate that everything will be awful too. It's like "first impression lasts", you know. And I'm really really disappointed because I've waited for this book and I expected something magical, just like her poetry.
But guess what. It's a fucking abomination.
The first few pages of this book was intriguing. If you'll just ignore the fact that the word "the lie" is being repeated for like 20x. I mean, "Yeah we get it, you lied. Can you just, like, tell the story." It's like the author really wanted her readers to get hooked with "the lie" it's fucking annoying.
So yeah, "the lie". I didn't finish the book so I didn't get to read the reason why she did it but BITCH are you fucking INSANE???!!!! But if it turned out to be true... umm no thanks, I still don't care.
Moving on to Ana's suicide yada yada yada Ana's funeral yada yada yada. Ugh. The fucking funeral. Fucking Rad. His name triggers me because it sounds like a douche, you know. Like some dude who surfs 24/7 and loves to smoke weed and say "Duuuude that's fucking rad! Hell yeah!" And it fucking bothers me. Anyway, so Audrey met Rad. Ana's bf. They fucking clicked immediately. And there's nothing wrong about that besides the fact that it's Ana's funeral and if 'yeah okay the lie was true and Ana didn't love Rad anyway'... It still isn't enough of a reason to just you know, flirt with the dead person's boyfriend. Ugh. I just can't deal with Audrey's fucking personality. It's so inconsistent like, one minute she wanted to just be drama-free but at the same time she wants to be with Rad because she wasn't satisfied with Dunk or Dirk or Duck. You know I've read about dystopian shit romance and monarchy shit romance and it's more believable than this shitty fucking excuse of a romance novel. I don't want to be mean, but this one just pushed me, you know. They made it seem like committing suicide is just something you can just fucking brush off and go flirt with the nearest guy at the fucking funeral because you're attracted to each other. It's twisted and disgusting as fuck. And not to mention this
Angie sighed. “I love Duck. Everyone loves Duck. He’s a great guy, but he’s wrong for you, honey.”
It's like they tried to fucking justify that Audrey needs Rad and she should dump his boyfriend for him. It's so fucking forced and scripted and I just can't seem to express how much I hated this part because Angie was just fucking introduced here and I don't know who the fuck he is. He and Audrey seems a bit close but saying shit like this, without establishing his role in this narrative is so wrong.
And THIS:
“Audrey,” her voice was strained, “I know things between us haven’t been that great lately. But you’re still my little girl, and I’m sorry—I didn’t realize it was this bad.”
“What am I supposed to do?” I said, suddenly angry. “You keep telling me all the ways I am going to screw up, so I hope you’re happy now.”
“Please, Audrey,” she said in a small voice, “I’m really trying here.”
Wait, Imma just breathe and calm myself down because this part made me want to throw my phone. I don't know why her personality irks me so much. Maybe I just hate ungrateful whiney bitches...
I think not. Let me rephrase that:
I hate every single character in this book. ALL OF THEM is so inconsistent and I just. Want. To strangle. Each. And everyone. Of them.
But what made me gave up is
COLORADO CLARK
Bitch I fucking cringed so much. AND THEY FUCKIN BLAMED DESTINY LIKE I know this is fiction but can this book be MORE FICTION? Motherfuckin Colorado Clark. Why did I waited for this book anyway? It's such a disappointment and I hated myself because I can't believe I expected so much from this.
Fuck. I just want to read some Colleen Hoover and get my eyes blessed and my mind baptized from this disaster of a book.
And Lang Leav? No offense but stick to poetry.
I'm so done with this book. It fucked my brain up. And not in a good way.
It may seem like I'm just nitpicking but I can't blame myself. Because once I've read something that I didn't particularly like, I'll just anticipate that everything will be awful too. It's like "first impression lasts", you know. And I'm really really disappointed because I've waited for this book and I expected something magical, just like her poetry.
But guess what. It's a fucking abomination.
The first few pages of this book was intriguing. If you'll just ignore the fact that the word "the lie" is being repeated for like 20x. I mean, "Yeah we get it, you lied. Can you just, like, tell the story." It's like the author really wanted her readers to get hooked with "the lie" it's fucking annoying.
So yeah, "the lie". I didn't finish the book so I didn't get to read the reason why she did it but BITCH are you fucking INSANE???!!!! But if it turned out to be true... umm no thanks, I still don't care.
Moving on to Ana's suicide yada yada yada Ana's funeral yada yada yada. Ugh. The fucking funeral. Fucking Rad. His name triggers me because it sounds like a douche, you know. Like some dude who surfs 24/7 and loves to smoke weed and say "Duuuude that's fucking rad! Hell yeah!" And it fucking bothers me. Anyway, so Audrey met Rad. Ana's bf. They fucking clicked immediately. And there's nothing wrong about that besides the fact that it's Ana's funeral and if 'yeah okay the lie was true and Ana didn't love Rad anyway'... It still isn't enough of a reason to just you know, flirt with the dead person's boyfriend. Ugh. I just can't deal with Audrey's fucking personality. It's so inconsistent like, one minute she wanted to just be drama-free but at the same time she wants to be with Rad because she wasn't satisfied with Dunk or Dirk or Duck. You know I've read about dystopian shit romance and monarchy shit romance and it's more believable than this shitty fucking excuse of a romance novel. I don't want to be mean, but this one just pushed me, you know. They made it seem like committing suicide is just something you can just fucking brush off and go flirt with the nearest guy at the fucking funeral because you're attracted to each other. It's twisted and disgusting as fuck. And not to mention this
Angie sighed. “I love Duck. Everyone loves Duck. He’s a great guy, but he’s wrong for you, honey.”
It's like they tried to fucking justify that Audrey needs Rad and she should dump his boyfriend for him. It's so fucking forced and scripted and I just can't seem to express how much I hated this part because Angie was just fucking introduced here and I don't know who the fuck he is. He and Audrey seems a bit close but saying shit like this, without establishing his role in this narrative is so wrong.
And THIS:
“Audrey,” her voice was strained, “I know things between us haven’t been that great lately. But you’re still my little girl, and I’m sorry—I didn’t realize it was this bad.”
“What am I supposed to do?” I said, suddenly angry. “You keep telling me all the ways I am going to screw up, so I hope you’re happy now.”
“Please, Audrey,” she said in a small voice, “I’m really trying here.”
Wait, Imma just breathe and calm myself down because this part made me want to throw my phone. I don't know why her personality irks me so much. Maybe I just hate ungrateful whiney bitches...
I think not. Let me rephrase that:
I hate every single character in this book. ALL OF THEM is so inconsistent and I just. Want. To strangle. Each. And everyone. Of them.
But what made me gave up is
COLORADO CLARK
Bitch I fucking cringed so much. AND THEY FUCKIN BLAMED DESTINY LIKE I know this is fiction but can this book be MORE FICTION? Motherfuckin Colorado Clark. Why did I waited for this book anyway? It's such a disappointment and I hated myself because I can't believe I expected so much from this.
Fuck. I just want to read some Colleen Hoover and get my eyes blessed and my mind baptized from this disaster of a book.
And Lang Leav? No offense but stick to poetry.
May 12, 2017
“Your first love isn’t the first person you give your heart to—it’s the first one who breaks it.”
Sad Girls by Lang Leav is a dark but beautifully written coming of age story that covers many issues that teens go through today, such as, anxiety, drug abuse, suicide, dark secrets, and death. Lang Leav shows us how love can be both beautiful and heartbreaking, and most importantly, she shows us how one decision can change our entire life forever, and quite possibly change the lives of those around us. This book pulled me in from beginning to end. This was definitely deeper than I ever could have imagined. I can't praise this book enough -highly recommend!
*I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
Sad Girls by Lang Leav is a dark but beautifully written coming of age story that covers many issues that teens go through today, such as, anxiety, drug abuse, suicide, dark secrets, and death. Lang Leav shows us how love can be both beautiful and heartbreaking, and most importantly, she shows us how one decision can change our entire life forever, and quite possibly change the lives of those around us. This book pulled me in from beginning to end. This was definitely deeper than I ever could have imagined. I can't praise this book enough -highly recommend!
*I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
June 6, 2022
First and foremost, trigger warnings should be mentioned and noted before reading this book/this review. TW: drug abuse, self-harm, suicide, anxiety.
I don't know, y'all. I decided to sit on this review and think about it but in doing so, I've nearly forgotten about the whole thing because it was just so awful to me. I think I've pretty much blocked it out of my brain. I want to erase it.
Okay, so I will tell you some things about it. I'll mark spoilers below.
The book starts out with our protagonist, Audrey, who is in high school. Audrey has a panic attack one day and decides to tell a DISGUSTING lie about a classmate to her two best friends. What they don't know is that one of her friend's sister is outside of the door and decides to tell their mom who tells someone else who tells someone else and becomes a full-blown gossip story. Which everyone immediately accepts as absolute truth. The lie ends up being the downfall of this classmate. So, Audrey has to live with the fact that her lie caused so much tragedy and altered the lives of people she both knows and doesn't know. I don't know... sounds a little familiar to 13 Reasons Why, doesn't it? It's not the same but similar. And I haven't read 13 Reasons Why and I won't because of the very problematic aspects. Well, I see the same problematic aspects here.
I just need to rant about the lie for a minute because it deeply upset me and set the tone for the rest of the book. MAJOR SPOILERS:
Look, I know that some books are morally grey (I just wrote a review about one that did it well!), but this is something I couldn't get on board with. Every part of it made me feel disgusted.
Besides the awful plot, two characters were used as absolute filler for drama (Candela) and to promote another relationship (Duck), and many of the other characters just fell flat and didn't feel real at all. Audrey's decisions made me really angry and her self-loathing over creating so much calamity also made me roll my eyes. Because YEAH WHO DOES THAT. Even with the panic attacks and anxiety (hello I've dealt with this all my life), I just couldn't relate. None of it felt very realistic. There's just no redeeming qualities to her. AT ALL.
But I will say that the book ended very fittingly. Especially for such deeply unlikable characters. Wolves in sheep's clothing, like in the blurb. At least Leav seems to be aware of that fact.
This book just wasn't my cup of tea. At all. I need something to root for. I don't think there are good messages in this book, and I don't really think it's appropriate (or healthy) for teenagers to read. I'm just looking out. I think a lot of what's written in here is super dangerous territory. I would hate for the "lessons" in this book to be taken to heart by young people.
I do not recommend this book at all.
I don't know, y'all. I decided to sit on this review and think about it but in doing so, I've nearly forgotten about the whole thing because it was just so awful to me. I think I've pretty much blocked it out of my brain. I want to erase it.
Okay, so I will tell you some things about it. I'll mark spoilers below.
The book starts out with our protagonist, Audrey, who is in high school. Audrey has a panic attack one day and decides to tell a DISGUSTING lie about a classmate to her two best friends. What they don't know is that one of her friend's sister is outside of the door and decides to tell their mom who tells someone else who tells someone else and becomes a full-blown gossip story. Which everyone immediately accepts as absolute truth. The lie ends up being the downfall of this classmate. So, Audrey has to live with the fact that her lie caused so much tragedy and altered the lives of people she both knows and doesn't know. I don't know... sounds a little familiar to 13 Reasons Why, doesn't it? It's not the same but similar. And I haven't read 13 Reasons Why and I won't because of the very problematic aspects. Well, I see the same problematic aspects here.
I just need to rant about the lie for a minute because it deeply upset me and set the tone for the rest of the book. MAJOR SPOILERS:
Look, I know that some books are morally grey (I just wrote a review about one that did it well!), but this is something I couldn't get on board with. Every part of it made me feel disgusted.
Besides the awful plot, two characters were used as absolute filler for drama (Candela) and to promote another relationship (Duck), and many of the other characters just fell flat and didn't feel real at all. Audrey's decisions made me really angry and her self-loathing over creating so much calamity also made me roll my eyes. Because YEAH WHO DOES THAT. Even with the panic attacks and anxiety (hello I've dealt with this all my life), I just couldn't relate. None of it felt very realistic. There's just no redeeming qualities to her. AT ALL.
But I will say that the book ended very fittingly. Especially for such deeply unlikable characters. Wolves in sheep's clothing, like in the blurb. At least Leav seems to be aware of that fact.
This book just wasn't my cup of tea. At all. I need something to root for. I don't think there are good messages in this book, and I don't really think it's appropriate (or healthy) for teenagers to read. I'm just looking out. I think a lot of what's written in here is super dangerous territory. I would hate for the "lessons" in this book to be taken to heart by young people.
I do not recommend this book at all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 14, 2020
I'm really disappointed in this one. I love Lang Leav's poetry, but this book just wasn't for me. My overarching opinion is that it was too unrealistic and the pacing was awful.
July 3, 2017
This was kind of a mess... I had many issues with this book, it all started with the first 'huge secret/reveal/plot twist', it's so bad, I still can't imagine how someone would do that and why?
Then it gets a million times worse, the love interest is presented and we have a serious case of emotional cheating and then physical cheating too. I could understand what she meant when she said it was hard for her to break-up with her longtime, since-childhood boyfriend, but still it took her so long. I hated how the only characters who seemed to have depth were Audrey and Rad and the others were one dimensional, even though at some point I would have preferred to read about anyone else.
I would have liked this book a lot more if it didn't feel like it's trying to soften its characthers' mistakes, like I could do just well with a morally grey character that admits to it. But Audrey feels sorry for herself all the time and is whiny about it and likes to think that she's better than anyone else and just ugh.
The only characters I liked were Lucy and Freddy and as expected they didn't end up well. This book was totally not for me. Just too problematic.
Then it gets a million times worse, the love interest is presented and we have a serious case of emotional cheating and then physical cheating too. I could understand what she meant when she said it was hard for her to break-up with her longtime, since-childhood boyfriend, but still it took her so long. I hated how the only characters who seemed to have depth were Audrey and Rad and the others were one dimensional, even though at some point I would have preferred to read about anyone else.
I would have liked this book a lot more if it didn't feel like it's trying to soften its characthers' mistakes, like I could do just well with a morally grey character that admits to it. But Audrey feels sorry for herself all the time and is whiny about it and likes to think that she's better than anyone else and just ugh.
The only characters I liked were Lucy and Freddy and as expected they didn't end up well. This book was totally not for me. Just too problematic.
Shelved as 'need-this-like-air'
June 6, 2017UPDATE: I just bought this and I'm so excited although I'm in exams. But whatever.
MY BODY IS READY FOR THIS
April 7, 2018
A life changing lie, an unintended result. Could everybody possibly moved on?
A significant and beguiling debut that didn't take away the mystery and character of Lang Leav's previous works. It shouldn't surprise me that Sad Girls top it all off, but it did! Equally compelling and fascinating with interesting characters, a crooked plot and a shell shocked ending! I couldn't put it down!
***Thank you Netgalley, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and Lang Leav for providing me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
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May 24, 2017
problematic and tries to justify MURDER in the worst way possible
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
June 30, 2017 DNF @ 20%
I'm not going to give this book a rating, simply because I didn't read that much of it, but I truly cannot bring myself to read more than I already have.
In the 70 or so pages I read, there were some things that I didn't click with:
- So much telling . Page after page of telling instead of showing things that happened, which made it difficult for me to get into the story.
- Insta love . Normally, I'm willing to give it a chance, but here it was just too insta for me. Because everything was telling I really didn't understand how they could feel something for each other, which led to me not caring about their friendship/relationship at all.
-This is I guess a personal issue, but one all the same. I couldn't connect to any of the characters, especially Audrey. They all come off as spoiled rich kids with substance abuse problems and bad parents. I couldn't bring myself to care about them.
-The way it was written. When it wasn't long-winded paragraphs, it was stilted dialogue. I didn't see an ounce of personality in these people's conversations. Here's an example:
... and it was like that the whole time I was reading.
I did like the exploration of panic attacks, and the way they were described. There was also hints at a f/f romance, but that wasn't enough to keep me motivated to go on, sadly.
In the end, this may have been more of a "me" problem, because there are a lot of people who really liked this. I know a lot of people love this author's poetry, so I'll try probably try it one day.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a review copy.
Trigger Warnings for:
I'm not going to give this book a rating, simply because I didn't read that much of it, but I truly cannot bring myself to read more than I already have.
In the 70 or so pages I read, there were some things that I didn't click with:
- So much telling . Page after page of telling instead of showing things that happened, which made it difficult for me to get into the story.
- Insta love . Normally, I'm willing to give it a chance, but here it was just too insta for me. Because everything was telling I really didn't understand how they could feel something for each other, which led to me not caring about their friendship/relationship at all.
-This is I guess a personal issue, but one all the same. I couldn't connect to any of the characters, especially Audrey. They all come off as spoiled rich kids with substance abuse problems and bad parents. I couldn't bring myself to care about them.
-The way it was written. When it wasn't long-winded paragraphs, it was stilted dialogue. I didn't see an ounce of personality in these people's conversations. Here's an example:
"So how long have you been together?"
"Since we were kids, basically. But we have literally nothing in common."
"No?"
I shook my head. "We disagree on just about everything. I can never play my music out loud around him. And he's not really into books. But I suppose they say opposites attract."
"He doesn't read books?" said Rad.
"No. Well, actually, there's a book he's reading at the moment. I think it's called Yes - Now What's the Next Question?"
Isn't that a self-help book?"
"Yeah, something like that."
"I suppose you prefer fiction?"
I nodded. "Definitely."
"What's your favorite book?"
I thought for a moment. " The Land of Laughs, I think."
"That's a good one."
... and it was like that the whole time I was reading.
I did like the exploration of panic attacks, and the way they were described. There was also hints at a f/f romance, but that wasn't enough to keep me motivated to go on, sadly.
In the end, this may have been more of a "me" problem, because there are a lot of people who really liked this. I know a lot of people love this author's poetry, so I'll try probably try it one day.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a review copy.
Trigger Warnings for:
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March 20, 2018
Until now, I'm still torn on whether I should be generous to give this a two-star rating or just settled with my initial rating of one. The first 30-40% of this novel got me hooked while I can no longer tolerate the rest of the book. Audrey's personality and way of thinking, and the ending are both irksome; include the lengthy storyline and you will have one boring novel.
June 21, 2017
At this moment, this book has me speechless. I'm gonna re-read it soon, take notes and write a decent review. All I'm gonna say for now is that the writing is beautiful, it enchanted me from the beginning and I'm still under its spell.
October 15, 2017
So Lang Leav finally wrote a novel! I LOVE her poetry so I imagine I would really like this book! I just preordered a copy! Can't wait to get mine! I read the first chapter and I got to say it's very dark and unexpected! Not sure if I like it so far.
A few days back, I picked up the book and dived in, I was in the middle without feeling. I have to say I'm seriously impressed with this book. It has been such a long time since I read a book while not sure how it will end, and enjoying it so much.
I absolutely loved the book, I cried, smiled and felt too much, the author did a great job describing a panic attack, and writing a book, it also has been a while since I read a book set in Australia, which is cool. I was kind of mad/disappointed by the ending. I wanted Audrey to pick better, she did do a bad thing but I felt she continued to harm herself by the last choice.
There is a magic to the book, with a sense of menace. You feel something bad always around the corner even in good times, which is the reality of life. In truth I felt that Lucy and Freddy were so lucky and their love so pure that the people around them were always jealous of their relationship.
I don't believe that what Audrey felt for Rad was love, not really, he's just not that available and reliable like Duck or Gabe. I think she is obsessed with him, which is not a healthy relationship.
A few days back, I picked up the book and dived in, I was in the middle without feeling. I have to say I'm seriously impressed with this book. It has been such a long time since I read a book while not sure how it will end, and enjoying it so much.
I absolutely loved the book, I cried, smiled and felt too much, the author did a great job describing a panic attack, and writing a book, it also has been a while since I read a book set in Australia, which is cool. I was kind of mad/disappointed by the ending. I wanted Audrey to pick better, she did do a bad thing but I felt she continued to harm herself by the last choice.
There is a magic to the book, with a sense of menace. You feel something bad always around the corner even in good times, which is the reality of life. In truth I felt that Lucy and Freddy were so lucky and their love so pure that the people around them were always jealous of their relationship.
I don't believe that what Audrey felt for Rad was love, not really, he's just not that available and reliable like Duck or Gabe. I think she is obsessed with him, which is not a healthy relationship.
July 14, 2018
you know when you think a book is going to be good because you were seduced by the cover and then half way through the story you realize you've been reading utter shit for the past thirty minutes? that's basically the best way to summarize my feelings for this. especially since i was distracted by naruto playing in the background and my undying love for sasuke. w/ that said, stay tuned for spoilers & good shit coming to a goodreads corner near you [review soon]
before i begin, BIG s/o to carissa for giving me a copy of this book. i do remember that we were to book club this, and i apologize for jumping the gun. but to save your queenly sanity, i forbid you from even trying unless you want to skim and add it as your "read" list for this goodreads goal i myself find struggling w/. I LOVE YOU. SO SAVE YOUR EYES.
where does this story begin, you wonder? in some intricate part of australia, though it was never truly established for me other than the redundant use of "mum" that warranted my suspicion. audrey, a senior in high school, finds herself w/ a rather eccentric group of people to spend the remainder of her days. there's her seemingly attractive boyfriend duck who she's known for all her life. she only got w/ him, of course, because he saved her life and that's enough to be rewarded w/ sex and a long affair of "i guess i like him." her best friends are candela—a party girl through and through, and lucy—hoping to achieve the best parts of her life after high school. and then, there's the original sad girl ana whom we never meet, only hear of. because the fact is, ana killed herself after a horrendous rumor started by none other than audrey herself.
throughout the story it's learned that audrey had no reason to start the rumor (who does really?), but a rumor at peak caliber? that's something. see, it all began in the beginning of the story [had to write that because it made me laugh] where we're subjected to a scene of audrey, candela, and lucy casually slumbering. it's there that audrey decides to tell them of something ana would never want anyone to know. she, with her perfect life and perfect hair, has been sleeping with her father.
so, with the horror of her words having spread like wildfire after such secretive conversations were overheard by audrey's mother, audrey feels immense guilt at ana's memorial where she meets rad, ana's boyfriend who too was tragically struck by the news. and, you guessed correctly, audrey begins the challenge of not trying to fall for rad, learning how to cope with her rising panic attacks, and move on from the thought of ana's suicide.
i've never read any of lang leav's things, but i was innately aware that she strictly wrote poetry, yes? well, you know what happens when poets try to write books? it's the equivalent of being subjected to acid in the eyes. wow, nik. that was extremely messed up. why would you say that? i shall tell you, readers. because sad girls was not a coming of age novel that showed the growth of a character. actually, it wasn't about anything at all. for what it was worth, this book strewn with mental health issues and god forsaken love affairs was misconstrued to be something that people supposedly go through. yea, unless you're a character in pretty little liars, you probably have never said anything as horrible as one of your friends being in a relationship w/ their father, as if hinting at the thought of normalcy through such words is even non-sociopathic to begin w/. was i supposed to feel horrible for audrey because her rumor was linked to ana's suicide? absolutely not. was i supposed to sympathize w/ audrey for falling for rad while still being w/ duck? as stupid as duck was, absolutely not.
i'll come back later to add some passages from this book, as i have it right before my very eyes though i wished i didn't. and perhaps then you can make the choice of investing in it or disregarding it altogether.
why is this entire review hidden because of spoilers? well, i'll tell you. it's not the fact that audrey lucks into her career as a journalist at see! sydney or the fact that she wishes to be a writer herself. it's that her entire relationship w/ rad stems from an interview she's given several months after being promoted in the company. it's there that she meets colorado clark, the horribly hulky man of ana's dream and now, of audrey's. and from there, we're subjected to the next half book of utter cliche. as audrey falls deeper in love w/ him, she feels as if rad's got something to hide. and i shit you not, for the next fifty pages just before the end, you find out that ana didn't commit suicide. what had happened was—and do gather some popcorn—rad, hearing of the comments in regards to ana's relationship w/ her father, had gone to confront her. they'd gotten into an altercation and he pushed her, resulting in the falling and hitting of her head. presuming that she was dead, rad put her in the bathtub (fully clothed), angled a razor at her wrists, and bled her out. oh and in the end, audrey and rad still stay together because they're both so horribly evil and mysterious, who else is gonna love them?
the end
before i begin, BIG s/o to carissa for giving me a copy of this book. i do remember that we were to book club this, and i apologize for jumping the gun. but to save your queenly sanity, i forbid you from even trying unless you want to skim and add it as your "read" list for this goodreads goal i myself find struggling w/. I LOVE YOU. SO SAVE YOUR EYES.
where does this story begin, you wonder? in some intricate part of australia, though it was never truly established for me other than the redundant use of "mum" that warranted my suspicion. audrey, a senior in high school, finds herself w/ a rather eccentric group of people to spend the remainder of her days. there's her seemingly attractive boyfriend duck who she's known for all her life. she only got w/ him, of course, because he saved her life and that's enough to be rewarded w/ sex and a long affair of "i guess i like him." her best friends are candela—a party girl through and through, and lucy—hoping to achieve the best parts of her life after high school. and then, there's the original sad girl ana whom we never meet, only hear of. because the fact is, ana killed herself after a horrendous rumor started by none other than audrey herself.
throughout the story it's learned that audrey had no reason to start the rumor (who does really?), but a rumor at peak caliber? that's something. see, it all began in the beginning of the story [had to write that because it made me laugh] where we're subjected to a scene of audrey, candela, and lucy casually slumbering. it's there that audrey decides to tell them of something ana would never want anyone to know. she, with her perfect life and perfect hair, has been sleeping with her father.
so, with the horror of her words having spread like wildfire after such secretive conversations were overheard by audrey's mother, audrey feels immense guilt at ana's memorial where she meets rad, ana's boyfriend who too was tragically struck by the news. and, you guessed correctly, audrey begins the challenge of not trying to fall for rad, learning how to cope with her rising panic attacks, and move on from the thought of ana's suicide.
i've never read any of lang leav's things, but i was innately aware that she strictly wrote poetry, yes? well, you know what happens when poets try to write books? it's the equivalent of being subjected to acid in the eyes. wow, nik. that was extremely messed up. why would you say that? i shall tell you, readers. because sad girls was not a coming of age novel that showed the growth of a character. actually, it wasn't about anything at all. for what it was worth, this book strewn with mental health issues and god forsaken love affairs was misconstrued to be something that people supposedly go through. yea, unless you're a character in pretty little liars, you probably have never said anything as horrible as one of your friends being in a relationship w/ their father, as if hinting at the thought of normalcy through such words is even non-sociopathic to begin w/. was i supposed to feel horrible for audrey because her rumor was linked to ana's suicide? absolutely not. was i supposed to sympathize w/ audrey for falling for rad while still being w/ duck? as stupid as duck was, absolutely not.
i'll come back later to add some passages from this book, as i have it right before my very eyes though i wished i didn't. and perhaps then you can make the choice of investing in it or disregarding it altogether.
why is this entire review hidden because of spoilers? well, i'll tell you. it's not the fact that audrey lucks into her career as a journalist at see! sydney or the fact that she wishes to be a writer herself. it's that her entire relationship w/ rad stems from an interview she's given several months after being promoted in the company. it's there that she meets colorado clark, the horribly hulky man of ana's dream and now, of audrey's. and from there, we're subjected to the next half book of utter cliche. as audrey falls deeper in love w/ him, she feels as if rad's got something to hide. and i shit you not, for the next fifty pages just before the end, you find out that ana didn't commit suicide. what had happened was—and do gather some popcorn—rad, hearing of the comments in regards to ana's relationship w/ her father, had gone to confront her. they'd gotten into an altercation and he pushed her, resulting in the falling and hitting of her head. presuming that she was dead, rad put her in the bathtub (fully clothed), angled a razor at her wrists, and bled her out. oh and in the end, audrey and rad still stay together because they're both so horribly evil and mysterious, who else is gonna love them?
the end
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2017
This was an extremely disappointing read. The book is basically all over the place and seems to be full of drama just for the hell of it (Candela's entire storyline basically). Audrey is a self absorbed liar who needs to grow up. The plot was weak and the character development was very poor. I didn't feel any sort of connection with any of the characters. None of them really had any type of background or strong points and were basically all supporting characters in the 'woe is me' world of Audrey. And I don't know what sort of therapist Audrey was going to but in my experience, professional therapists don't smoke in the office while seeing patients. Speaking of the therapist, aside from the rubber band I don't recall her offering any real suggestions on ways for Audrey to cope and deal with her anxiety induced panic attacks. What happened to Freddy made no sense at all. I guess Lang wanted to complete the Sad Girls theme by having something completely pointless and fucked up happen to darken the life of the only friend in the original trio who actually seemed to be happy. Like, what was even the point of that? And what Rad did...seriously WTF?! Audrey and Rad are equally pathetic and in that respect I think they deserve each other. The ending sucked just as bad as the rest of the book. No redeeming qualities whatsoever. To mention the lie Audrey told about Ana numerous times and then Like really, is your life so pathetic that you have to make up obscene lies about someone who's supposed to be your friend? I've read some of Lang's poetry books and those were cool but I wouldn't recommend this book at all. Sad Girls= sad characters, sad plot, sad writing. I gave it 2 stars because I have read books that I thought were worse than this.
June 27, 2017
If I could give this zero stars, I would in a heartbeat.Sad Girls by Lang Leav is probably one of the worst books I’ve ever read and her main character Audrey is so mind numbingly selfish that it just astounds me. Seriously Audrey is the last person on earth I’d want any little girl to look up to. This whole book just reads like a pre teen middle schooler with no concept of real life and responsibilities wrote this. Spoilers below.
This girl Audrey tells a lie and because of it, the person the lie was about commits suicide. And Audrey never faces any real life consequences because of this. There's NO getting around the fact that if you lie about someone raping their daughter even though you know he didn't, then you're the worst person on the planet. Audrey sees the pain she causes this girl's parents, she sees the dad plead to his wife with the truth, and she never speaks up. Throughout the book, Audrey wrestles with the guilt but to me she carries it lightly. She never tells anyone, not even the therapist.
I say that because it's not enough that she helps this girl kill herself, she also takes her boyfriend while she's at it. And sure Rad's a grown boy, can make his own decisions, blah blah blah. But there's no sensible realistic person on the planet who would fall in love with the boyfriend of the girl she accused her father of raping AT HER OWN FUNERAL.
So Audrey has a few panic attacks which a rubber band solves(no, seriously) and she cheats on her boyfriend with the guy she fell in love with at the funeral. Everything falls into Audrey's lap, despite not even taking her high school exams. She gets a prestigious internship that turns into a paid senior journalist job all before her 20s and she doesn't even pay rent in Sydney. She spends some time with the "love of her life" and accidentally reveals that it was her lie that made the girl kill herself. That's right, she ACCIDENTALLY tells this guy the truth that she carries lightly and predictably, the guy loses it.
So at this point in this awful waste of paper, Audrey suddenly decides it's time to find herself or whatever. But she doesn't even follow her own dream. She's so unoriginal that she follows her boyfriend's mother's dream of visiting Colorado in the States. And naturally she starts to fall for a super hot guy who teaches her new things before she goes back to Australia and leaves him behind forever.
So once she's done running away from the tragedy she caused, she tells her friends there's no point going back to Colorado because the hot guy moved away after she left. Literally that's the only reason she doesn't go back. Then she finally remembers that there's a guy out there that she hurt with her own actions and finally decides to check on him. They make up, blah blah blah, and the twist is that her boyfriend killed the girl and staged it to look like a suicide. Then they jet off into the sunset to go see his book being turned into a movie.
I've never been so horribly let down and simultaneously disgusted by a book. There's nothing this author can say that could justify anything Audrey's done in her pathetic little life and I may even take this book back to the store and get my money back. Seriously, just don't waste your time on this waste of paper.
This girl Audrey tells a lie and because of it, the person the lie was about commits suicide. And Audrey never faces any real life consequences because of this. There's NO getting around the fact that if you lie about someone raping their daughter even though you know he didn't, then you're the worst person on the planet. Audrey sees the pain she causes this girl's parents, she sees the dad plead to his wife with the truth, and she never speaks up. Throughout the book, Audrey wrestles with the guilt but to me she carries it lightly. She never tells anyone, not even the therapist.
I say that because it's not enough that she helps this girl kill herself, she also takes her boyfriend while she's at it. And sure Rad's a grown boy, can make his own decisions, blah blah blah. But there's no sensible realistic person on the planet who would fall in love with the boyfriend of the girl she accused her father of raping AT HER OWN FUNERAL.
So Audrey has a few panic attacks which a rubber band solves(no, seriously) and she cheats on her boyfriend with the guy she fell in love with at the funeral. Everything falls into Audrey's lap, despite not even taking her high school exams. She gets a prestigious internship that turns into a paid senior journalist job all before her 20s and she doesn't even pay rent in Sydney. She spends some time with the "love of her life" and accidentally reveals that it was her lie that made the girl kill herself. That's right, she ACCIDENTALLY tells this guy the truth that she carries lightly and predictably, the guy loses it.
So at this point in this awful waste of paper, Audrey suddenly decides it's time to find herself or whatever. But she doesn't even follow her own dream. She's so unoriginal that she follows her boyfriend's mother's dream of visiting Colorado in the States. And naturally she starts to fall for a super hot guy who teaches her new things before she goes back to Australia and leaves him behind forever.
So once she's done running away from the tragedy she caused, she tells her friends there's no point going back to Colorado because the hot guy moved away after she left. Literally that's the only reason she doesn't go back. Then she finally remembers that there's a guy out there that she hurt with her own actions and finally decides to check on him. They make up, blah blah blah, and the twist is that her boyfriend killed the girl and staged it to look like a suicide. Then they jet off into the sunset to go see his book being turned into a movie.
I've never been so horribly let down and simultaneously disgusted by a book. There's nothing this author can say that could justify anything Audrey's done in her pathetic little life and I may even take this book back to the store and get my money back. Seriously, just don't waste your time on this waste of paper.
June 6, 2017
Always been a huge fan of Lang Leav but this book is a huge disappointment. I don't consider this a novel. The storyline is a bit "patchy" and jumpy. It is more of a story driven a than character driven kind of novel. The nameless character in her short stories are more memorable than this.
I manage to finish it and I am a sad girl. Sigh~
Just because this book disappoints me, that doesn't mean I will stop supporting her craft though. I still have high hopes for her. But this book is a no-no for me. Sorry 😔
I manage to finish it and I am a sad girl. Sigh~
Just because this book disappoints me, that doesn't mean I will stop supporting her craft though. I still have high hopes for her. But this book is a no-no for me. Sorry 😔
April 12, 2017
Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book.
Sad Girls drew me in because of the summary, but I found a story more profound than I ever could have imagined.
Audrey's panic attacks begin after she spread a rumor that led to the death of a classmate. Her life spins rapidly out of control. She has to deal with the consequences of her actions while figuring out how to handle her anxiety. On top of that, she is trying to figure out who she is.
I will never be able to express how much this book means to me. The portrayal of mental illness is vitally important; Leav thrilled me with her portrayal. Anxiety was never written about as a bad thing. People supported her! To see that being shown was important.
Throughout this novel, there was another topic I found important: girls supporting girls. This is something I was to see more of in novels. I'm so glad it was displayed so brilliantly throughout this novel.
I didn't want to put it down once I started. I hope everyone picks this book up and gives it a chance.
Sad Girls drew me in because of the summary, but I found a story more profound than I ever could have imagined.
Audrey's panic attacks begin after she spread a rumor that led to the death of a classmate. Her life spins rapidly out of control. She has to deal with the consequences of her actions while figuring out how to handle her anxiety. On top of that, she is trying to figure out who she is.
I will never be able to express how much this book means to me. The portrayal of mental illness is vitally important; Leav thrilled me with her portrayal. Anxiety was never written about as a bad thing. People supported her! To see that being shown was important.
Throughout this novel, there was another topic I found important: girls supporting girls. This is something I was to see more of in novels. I'm so glad it was displayed so brilliantly throughout this novel.
I didn't want to put it down once I started. I hope everyone picks this book up and gives it a chance.
October 11, 2017
I give this book 3.5 stars which rounds up to 4.
So this book wasn’t quite what I was expecting. It wasn’t that bad but it just wasn’t as good as I expected it to be. I had these high expectations going in and it didn’t live up to it. It had a lot of potential to be something amazing but it fell flat.
In a way it reminded me aesthetically of Lana Del Rey’s music. Since I like Lana Del Rey, I did appreciate that aspect of this book.
So this book wasn’t quite what I was expecting. It wasn’t that bad but it just wasn’t as good as I expected it to be. I had these high expectations going in and it didn’t live up to it. It had a lot of potential to be something amazing but it fell flat.
In a way it reminded me aesthetically of Lana Del Rey’s music. Since I like Lana Del Rey, I did appreciate that aspect of this book.
June 15, 2017
I can't. Don't buy this book it's a trap.
#cringes
#cringes
March 13, 2021
It was an Okay one time read
December 28, 2017
The premise of Leav’s first novel is undoubtably both interesting and gripping. However, she has a tendency throughout the book to miss retailing important details regarding Audrey’s timeline (I.e., what happened to Audrey’s Novel/Angie’s proposal). In the sense that, certain events/actions occur in one chapter, then their not expanded upon in the next, or at all. To give credit where credit is due, the sheer brilliance of her storytelling/metaphors in Sad Girls blew me away granting this book the rating that it did. Must read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2018
This book was. So. Fking. Bad. Written.
And I’m SO disappointed because I love Lang’s poetry, but this novel was trash.
Despite this, it was a trash that I kinda enjoyed? But I knew while reading it that it was bad.
1.5, I will make a full review on my channel.
And I’m SO disappointed because I love Lang’s poetry, but this novel was trash.
Despite this, it was a trash that I kinda enjoyed? But I knew while reading it that it was bad.
1.5, I will make a full review on my channel.
August 7, 2017
I think this was a great debut novel and I am very interested to see how Leav's writing will grow and change with more novels. I think people seem to forget writing poetry and writing novels are very different! There was some really awesome imagery in this book and some stand out sentences. It took me a little while to connect with Audrey but eventually I started to focus on her development as a character and it showed in the end. I think every author learns more about "show, don't tell" as they continue with their writing journey and it's all about practice, so as a first novel, brilliant start Lang :)
July 27, 2017
By far the best book I have read this year! I am so excited for this book to be published so I can buy my own copy and read it whenever I want. I was given an ARC for review and I am more than impressed with this book!
This book covers topics such as mental health, death, abuse, drugs and bullying. The fact that this book talks about so many different and important topics in under 400 pages astounds me. I was hooked from page 7, not once did I want to put this book down - it is that captivating. Leav has done an amazing job at keeping the story interesting whilst also going over some hard-hitting aspects of life.
So much happens in the book that I never expected to happen. Some parts of this book were so shocking that I actually shivered. I also cried throughout this book. The characters in the book are so well described that I felt like I knew them, which for me, rarely happens.
I feel as though I will never be able to explain how amazing this book is. So you'll just have to read it yourself to understand how brilliant this book is.
This book covers topics such as mental health, death, abuse, drugs and bullying. The fact that this book talks about so many different and important topics in under 400 pages astounds me. I was hooked from page 7, not once did I want to put this book down - it is that captivating. Leav has done an amazing job at keeping the story interesting whilst also going over some hard-hitting aspects of life.
So much happens in the book that I never expected to happen. Some parts of this book were so shocking that I actually shivered. I also cried throughout this book. The characters in the book are so well described that I felt like I knew them, which for me, rarely happens.
I feel as though I will never be able to explain how amazing this book is. So you'll just have to read it yourself to understand how brilliant this book is.
September 14, 2017
Update: I want to rate this lower!!!! I HATED this book with everything in me. It tried too hard to be deep, it tried too hard not to have a Mary Sue character when evidently she is, it just TRIED too hard.
There were no parts about this book that I liked and that's hard for me to say because I always find something to like. I like her poetry but this was absolutely dreadful. I've never been so mad at a book before. Sorry Lang Leav, hopefully you stick to poetry or at least make your next book better.
July 4th. I'm so glad I didn't have to pay for this. What was this clusterfuck of a book?! I'm so disappointed.
There were no parts about this book that I liked and that's hard for me to say because I always find something to like. I like her poetry but this was absolutely dreadful. I've never been so mad at a book before. Sorry Lang Leav, hopefully you stick to poetry or at least make your next book better.
July 4th. I'm so glad I didn't have to pay for this. What was this clusterfuck of a book?! I'm so disappointed.
August 2, 2019
This book is too melodramatic.
The characters are stereotypical and predictable they supposed to be inspiring but nothing of that felt while reading a story. I thought I would see that through Audrey's trip of finding herself but it vanished just as quickly as it appeared.
All in all, we never learn why Audrey lied in the first place, although it was main reason of her psychological health.
The characters are stereotypical and predictable they supposed to be inspiring but nothing of that felt while reading a story. I thought I would see that through Audrey's trip of finding herself but it vanished just as quickly as it appeared.
All in all, we never learn why Audrey lied in the first place, although it was main reason of her psychological health.
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